POL S 6 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Parallel Voting, Single Person, Hybrid System
The Executive
Branch of govt. that carries out laws and policies of the state
○
We USUALLY think it's Single person in charge of setting the national
agenda
○
There are TWO separate bodies/distinct roles
Some companies fuse them, some do not
In the US, the roles are fused and held by one individual -- the
President
□
§
Head of government
Runs the state and also leads the government
□
Responsible for making national policies (may be done thru
cabinet)
□
Directs officers and ministers
□
§
Head of state
Symbolic position; embodiment of the people
□
Sometimes conducts international affairs, but often not
(ex: UK Queen Elizabeth.. Doesn’t conduct
internationally)
®
□
§
○
•
The Legislature
Branch of govt that makes the laws
○
Different forms
Unicameral
Only has one body responsible for making laws
□
Common in small, homogeneous countries
Not a lot of ethnic or religious divisions
®
□
"one chamber"
□
§
Bicameral
Common in larger and more diverse countries
□
Often related to federalism
□
"two chambers"
□
Houses may be elected using different rules
□
§
○
•
Legislators may be chosen by…
Direct election: electing an individual
House and Senate in US
§
French Assembly
§
Bundestag in Germany
§
Commons in the United Kingdom
§
○
Indirect election: voting for a party or representative
Senate in France
§
Bundesrat in Germany
§
○
Heredity/appointment
House of Lords in the United Kingdom
§
○
•
The Judiciary
Branch of govt. that maintains and upholds the rule of law
Rule of law: all individuals and groups are subject to the law,
regardless of their power or authority
§
○
In democracies, courts…
Interpret applications of laws
Judge criminal complaints□
Rule on civil suits□
§
Have a hierarchy
Appellate court - appeals□
Higher court - decides constitutionality□
§
○
Abstract review: takes the draft of a law to a constitutional court for them
to evaluate its constitutionality
○
Concrete review: citizen has to go to a court and claim that a law is
unconstitutional
○
•
How do branches of govt. relate to one another?
Three potential models
Parliamentary systems
Legislative and executive branches are fused
Executive is chosen through indirect election
Voters vote for parliament, then parliament
chooses government (head of the party… prime
minister)
◊
Election cycle is fluid
When the term expires is dependent on
events or the nature of the government at a
given time
}
Vote of no confidence
}
Prime minister can call a new election
}
Prime minister can be easily replaced btwn
elections
}
◊
®
□
No checks and balances or real separation of powers□
Prime minister and cabinet initiate legislation□
Parliament and judiciary may be weaker branches□
Benefits
More responsive
®
Easier to pass legislation
®
Easy to replace the executive (prime minister)
®
□
Drawbacks
Due to indirect election, the public may feel like it has
less control over the executive and passing of legislation
®
□
§
Presidential systems
Separation of powers between executive and legislature
Executive is chosen through direct election
Voters vote for president and parliament
◊
Has a fixed election cycle where the term will
expire in a set number of years
◊
Difficult to replace the executive btwn elections
◊
®
Legislature is the primary initiator of legislation
®
□
Out of fear or concern that there might be an imbalance of
power
□
Branches of government are co-equal (all have equal power
levels)
□
Benefits
National mandate
®
President is directly elected by voters
®
□
Drawbacks
Divided government may deadlock legislation
®
Difficult to remove the president
®
□
§
Semi-presidential systems
Hybrid system with two executives
Usually a president and prime minister
®
Separation of head of state and head of government
®
Branches of government are neither fused nor
separated
®
□
Executive is chosen through direct election
Voters vote for parliament who then vote for prime
minister
®
Voters vote for a president who can also choose the
prime minister
®
□
There is a fixed election cycle
President terms remain fixed
®
Prime minister can still be removed
Has more important executive and legislative
roles typically
◊
®
□
Primary initiator of legislation depends on the country□
Benefits
President and prime minister share power and
responsibilities
®
Execs. can create a public mandate (president), plus
support of parliamentary coalition
®
□
Drawbacks
Conflict between execs may deadlock the system
®
President can use their power to dismantle democracy
®
□
§
○
•
Political parties
Parties promote:
Participation
§
Competition
§
Governance and policy making
§
Accountability
Allows us to hold them accountable for sticking to their
platform
□
§
○
Some countries have two parties while others may have more
Party systems are shaped by electoral systems
§
○
•
Electoral systems
How do voters choose their representatives?
Do they elect candidates, parties, or both?
§
How many people represent each constituency?
District magnitude□
§
How do they calculate the winner?
§
○
Single Member District (SMD) Systems
Plurality (First past the post)
Voters select candidates□
There is one representative for each constituency□
The candidate with the most votes (but not necessarily a
majority) wins
Winner takes all
®
To win, you just have to finish ahead of everybody else
(racing term)
®
□
The candidate with the most number of votes wins a seat in
parliament
□
The political party that wins the most number of seats wins
the election and forms the government
□
This electoral system is currently used in 49 nations□
§
Majority (Runoff)
Voters select candidates□
There is one representative for each constituency□
The candidate with a majority of votes wins
May require a runoff election for one candidate to get
the majority
®
By majority, we mean "a number or percentage
equaling more than half of a total"
®
□
§
Advantages
Fewer and larger parties
Clear mandates
®
Political accountability
®
□
§
Disadvantages
Less representative□
Disproportional results□
§
○
Multimember District (MMD) Systems
Proportional Representation
Voters select parties□
There are many representatives per each constituency (2+)□
Parties receive seats based on the percentage (proportion) of
the votes they receive
□
Some countries use thresholds
Turkey requires at least 10% to win seats, making it
difficult for Kurdish parties
®
The Dutch allow any party that passes 0.67% of seats
®
Wanting to make sure that only legitimate candidates
get seats
®
□
Advantages
More and smaller parties
Greater representation
◊
Stronger party discipline
◊
®
□
Disadvantages
Risk of fragmentation
®
□
§
Mixed Systems
Voters select candidates and parties□
One candidate represents a constituency while many parties
can
□
Who wins depends
Parallel voting
®
Mixed member proportional
®
□
§
○
•
Lecture 10:
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
3:34 PM
The Executive
Branch of govt. that carries out laws and policies of the state
○
We USUALLY think it's Single person in charge of setting the national
agenda
○
There are TWO separate bodies/distinct roles
Some companies fuse them, some do not
In the US, the roles are fused and held by one individual -- the
President
□
§
Head of government
Runs the state and also leads the government□
Responsible for making national policies (may be done thru
cabinet)
□
Directs officers and ministers□
§
Head of state
Symbolic position; embodiment of the people□
Sometimes conducts international affairs, but often not
(ex: UK Queen Elizabeth.. Doesn’t conduct
internationally)
®
□
§
○
•
The Legislature
Branch of govt that makes the laws
○
Different forms
Unicameral
Only has one body responsible for making laws□
Common in small, homogeneous countries
Not a lot of ethnic or religious divisions
®
□
"one chamber"□
§
Bicameral
Common in larger and more diverse countries□
Often related to federalism□
"two chambers"□
Houses may be elected using different rules□
§
○
•
Legislators may be chosen by…
Direct election: electing an individual
House and Senate in US
§
French Assembly
§
Bundestag in Germany
§
Commons in the United Kingdom
§
○
Indirect election: voting for a party or representative
Senate in France
§
Bundesrat in Germany
§
○
Heredity/appointment
House of Lords in the United Kingdom
§
○
•
The Judiciary
Branch of govt. that maintains and upholds the rule of law
Rule of law: all individuals and groups are subject to the law,
regardless of their power or authority
§
○
In democracies, courts…
Interpret applications of laws
Judge criminal complaints
□
Rule on civil suits
□
§
Have a hierarchy
Appellate court - appeals
□
Higher court - decides constitutionality
□
§
○
Abstract review: takes the draft of a law to a constitutional court for them
to evaluate its constitutionality
○
Concrete review: citizen has to go to a court and claim that a law is
unconstitutional
○
•
How do branches of govt. relate to one another?
Three potential models
Parliamentary systems
Legislative and executive branches are fused
Executive is chosen through indirect election
Voters vote for parliament, then parliament
chooses government (head of the party… prime
minister)
◊
Election cycle is fluid
When the term expires is dependent on
events or the nature of the government at a
given time
}
Vote of no confidence
}
Prime minister can call a new election
}
Prime minister can be easily replaced btwn
elections
}
◊
®
□
No checks and balances or real separation of powers□
Prime minister and cabinet initiate legislation□
Parliament and judiciary may be weaker branches□
Benefits
More responsive
®
Easier to pass legislation
®
Easy to replace the executive (prime minister)
®
□
Drawbacks
Due to indirect election, the public may feel like it has
less control over the executive and passing of legislation
®
□
§
Presidential systems
Separation of powers between executive and legislature
Executive is chosen through direct election
Voters vote for president and parliament
◊
Has a fixed election cycle where the term will
expire in a set number of years
◊
Difficult to replace the executive btwn elections
◊
®
Legislature is the primary initiator of legislation
®
□
Out of fear or concern that there might be an imbalance of
power
□
Branches of government are co-equal (all have equal power
levels)
□
Benefits
National mandate
®
President is directly elected by voters
®
□
Drawbacks
Divided government may deadlock legislation
®
Difficult to remove the president
®
□
§
Semi-presidential systems
Hybrid system with two executives
Usually a president and prime minister
®
Separation of head of state and head of government
®
Branches of government are neither fused nor
separated
®
□
Executive is chosen through direct election
Voters vote for parliament who then vote for prime
minister
®
Voters vote for a president who can also choose the
prime minister
®
□
There is a fixed election cycle
President terms remain fixed
®
Prime minister can still be removed
Has more important executive and legislative
roles typically
◊
®
□
Primary initiator of legislation depends on the country□
Benefits
President and prime minister share power and
responsibilities
®
Execs. can create a public mandate (president), plus
support of parliamentary coalition
®
□
Drawbacks
Conflict between execs may deadlock the system
®
President can use their power to dismantle democracy
®
□
§
○
•
Political parties
Parties promote:
Participation
§
Competition
§
Governance and policy making
§
Accountability
Allows us to hold them accountable for sticking to their
platform
□
§
○
Some countries have two parties while others may have more
Party systems are shaped by electoral systems
§
○
•
Electoral systems
How do voters choose their representatives?
Do they elect candidates, parties, or both?
§
How many people represent each constituency?
District magnitude□
§
How do they calculate the winner?
§
○
Single Member District (SMD) Systems
Plurality (First past the post)
Voters select candidates□
There is one representative for each constituency□
The candidate with the most votes (but not necessarily a
majority) wins
Winner takes all
®
To win, you just have to finish ahead of everybody else
(racing term)
®
□
The candidate with the most number of votes wins a seat in
parliament
□
The political party that wins the most number of seats wins
the election and forms the government
□
This electoral system is currently used in 49 nations□
§
Majority (Runoff)
Voters select candidates□
There is one representative for each constituency□
The candidate with a majority of votes wins
May require a runoff election for one candidate to get
the majority
®
By majority, we mean "a number or percentage
equaling more than half of a total"
®
□
§
Advantages
Fewer and larger parties
Clear mandates
®
Political accountability
®
□
§
Disadvantages
Less representative□
Disproportional results□
§
○
Multimember District (MMD) Systems
Proportional Representation
Voters select parties□
There are many representatives per each constituency (2+)□
Parties receive seats based on the percentage (proportion) of
the votes they receive
□
Some countries use thresholds
Turkey requires at least 10% to win seats, making it
difficult for Kurdish parties
®
The Dutch allow any party that passes 0.67% of seats
®
Wanting to make sure that only legitimate candidates
get seats
®
□
Advantages
More and smaller parties
Greater representation
◊
Stronger party discipline
◊
®
□
Disadvantages
Risk of fragmentation
®
□
§
Mixed Systems
Voters select candidates and parties□
One candidate represents a constituency while many parties
can
□
Who wins depends
Parallel voting
®
Mixed member proportional
®
□
§
○
•
Lecture 10:
Tuesday, May 8, 2018 3:34 PM
Document Summary
Branch of govt. that carries out laws and policies of the state. We usually think it"s single person in charge of setting the national agenda. In the us, the roles are fused and held by one individual -- the. Runs the state and also leads the government. Responsible for making national policies (may be done thru cabinet) Sometimes conducts international affairs, but often not (ex: uk queen elizabeth doesn"t conduct internationally) Only has one body responsible for making laws. Not a lot of ethnic or religious divisions. Indirect election: voting for a party or representative. Branch of govt. that maintains and upholds the rule of law. Rule of law: all individuals and groups are subject to the law, regardless of their power or authority. Abstract review: takes the draft of a law to a constitutional court for them to evaluate its constitutionality. Concrete review: citizen has to go to a court and claim that a law is unconstitutional.
