Pol sci 101 final

a technique, a way of making certain decisions by privilaging the will of the majority

traditional western ideals of constitutionalism, rule of law, liberty under law, and the limited state

• majority chooses rulers who then must govern them within the rule of law
• refers to liberalism in the broadest sense
• "liberal" comes in to reduce the tension that the majority always brings in a democratic system
• based on common-ground of 'liberals' support of constitutional procedures, the limited state, and a private sphere of personal freedom

• equality of political rights
• majority rule
• political participation
• political freedom

every individual has the same right to vote, run for office, serve on a jury, speak on public issues, and perform other public functions

• simple majority
• plurality
• qualified majority
• unanimity

the 50% plus one requirement for a majority

the winning candidate need only obtain more votes than any other candidate, even if the number fails to surpass 50%

the majority requirement is raised (ex. 2/3, 3/4) in order to protect the rights of minorities

• everyone agrees
• offers the greatest protection for minorities because then no one could be required to do anything against their will

participation

• a system where individuals would assemble to discuss public issues
• not very practical, difficult to assemble more than a few thousand ppl to discuss
• the quality of decisions made at large meetings can be suspect, where emotional rhetoric can easily sway votes

• having representatives elected by the community for a limited period of time address both problems of direct democracy
• rulers are kept in check and directed by the majority through the machinery of elections

• elected officials have their own political agendas and disregard the wishes of the public
• once they get to ottawa, they don't usually come back to get ur opinion

only when it extends to those whose opinions differ from the opinions of those in authority

• right to speak freely and criticize the government
• right to form associations, including political parties that may oppose the government
• right to vote without intimidation
• right to choose from a slate of at least two candidates

• elite rule
• majority vs minority rights

• a common criticism of liberal democracy is that democracies are ruled by elites and undemocratic
• a minority of the population which takes the major decisions in society

• liberal democracies operate on the majoritarian principle but need to protect minorities from the "tyranny of the majority"
• protection through parliament, as elected representtives need to appeal to a broad coalition of groups in order to be re-elected
• protection of minority rights through a constitution and the judicial process

• pluralist democracy
• corporatist democracy
• consociational democracy

liberal democracies in which highly autonomous groups compete freely and openly in the political process

• liberal democracies in which there is a significant lack of autonomy for groups
• the state is the dominant force in society and the activities of all interests in society are subordinate to that force
• ex. germany?

• liberal democracies in which elites and organized interests play a special and distinctive role
• ex. a society is so sharply divided along linguistic, ethnic, or religious lines that the segments have their own social institutions and live largely apart from one another

• crisis of governability: inability of representative governments to respond to the demands of their citizens at a time when action is most needed
• globalization
• debt

self-rule, doing whatever you want if you have the power

• rule is arbitrary and not bound by law
• rule is exercised in the interest of the rules and not in the common interest
• rule is based on coercion and fear

• authority may or may not rest on wide popular support but isn't put to the test of free elections
• power can be legitimate or illegitimate

• right-wing (conservative): interpret their mission as protecting society from harmful influences
• left-wing (revolutionary): claim to be building a new society with economic and social reconstruction, see certain inequalities in the system and want social regeneration

• limited political pluralism
• no elaborate or guiding ideology
• no extensive political mobilization
• bias towards statism
• major political role for the military

heavy intervention of the state in societal affairs, especially the economic system

• limited social pluralism
• have an official ideology
• political mobilization of the masses
• police terrorism is used
• rigours of central planning are softened
• foreign travel is allowed, as are foreign publications

• a forcibile and unconstitutional change of government
• often how authoritarian leaders come into power and are overthrown

• "everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state"
• differs from authoritarianism bc it has an emphasis on ideology - to remake society according to a utopian vision

• attempt to remake society
• one-party state
• all-powerful leader
• psuedo-democratic rule
• control of communications
• use of terror
• subordination of the law to the state
• planned economy

when democratic or autocratic systems fall into political decay

• sovereign state
• confederation
• federalism
• devolution
• unitary states

• single central government is sovereign
• powers and responsibilities are concentrated within central government authorities
• ex. ireland, france, japan

• the granting of government responsibilities, including limited legislative responsibilities, to regional governments
• step toward decentralization though the powers are not entrenched in the constitution
• so cities can make bylaws, but they have to be consistent with the overall constitution

• powers and responsibilities are divided between a federal (or national) government and various regional governments
• constitutionally, sovereignty is divided between different governments instead of being concentrated in one government, but never perfectly
• disputes, overlapping jurisdictions, and joint efforts occur

system of government where sovereign constituent governments create a central government but the balance of powers remains with the constituent governments

• a written division of powers
• bicameral legislature in the central government
• judicial review - the power to declare legislation unconstitutional

a written document (like a constitution) must explicitly assign powers to two levels of government

• almost all federal systems have bicameral legislatures at the national level of government
• provides the provinces or regions with a special form of representation within the central government

provincial governments (premiers) have become the main advocates of regional interests and now deal with each other and the federal government (quasi-diplomatic)

• the power of the courts to declare legislation passed by elected bodies as unconstitutional (because the other government has that authority)
• courts guard against the exploitative tendency of political elites
• political elites act along the lines of democracy, the courts act along the lines of liberalism
• courts are supposed to protect minority rights, politicians are supposed to protect majority rights

• reservation
• disallowance

power by which the lieutenant governor of a province can refuse royal assent to a bill and refer it to the federal cabinet for a decision

a power by which the federal cabinet can nullify any provincial law within one year of passage, even though it has recieved royal assent form the lieutenant governor of the province

• a federal system of government in which powers are unevenly divided among the constituent units, allowing some units (provinces, states, regions, etc) greater powers and more autonomy than others
• ex. Quebec seen as more autonomous?

• advocacy groups
• social justice movements
• political parties
• the media
• these informal institutions interact with formal institutions
• are 'informal' because they are not established by a constitution

• the complex activity of making public decisions for a society
• in modern democracies it involves institutions of government, institutional processes

• whatever you put into the policy process will lead to a specific outcome
• if you put in bad policies and there is a bad outcome, there will be feedback and create a new input?
• inputs reflect the political culture/ethos of the people in the society

• interest groups
• political parties
• the mass media
• legislatures
• executives
• the judiciary

• interest articulation (making the position of the group known)
• interest aggregation (combining the positions of a number of interests
• communication
• making laws
• administering laws
• adjudicating disputes

• when they control individual and group behaviour in society
• ex. speed limits

• when taxes are taken from citizens to pay for government
• ex. personal and corporate income taxes

• when they extend payments and services to individuals
• ex. public education, health care, garbage collection

• when they represent the community
• ex. images of a flag, national anthem

• created explicitly by the constitution
• elected assemblies, executives, judiciary

• to capture political power/get into office
• even if a party doesn't form government, they are there to influence the make-up and dynamics of the political culture in the area

• concerned primarily  with programs that it believes have the greatest appeal to the public 
• don't have a solid ideology

• the ideological party emphasizes ideological purity more than the immediate attainment of power
• often criticized for their inflexibility and their adherence to party doctrine over electoral success

• converts their interest group into a full-fledged political party that runs candidates and attempts to obtain power
• they feel its better for them to act as a party rather than trying to influence existing parties 
• its narrow basis of support makes it hard tow in control of the state
• ex. greens, labour party in the UK

• founded around a single, influential political leader
• these parties may not die with their founder

a political movement that evolves into a party apparatus

• influence the manner in which parties carry out their roles
• one party
• two party
• multiparty

• includes true single-party systems and one-party dominant systems
• single party systems: there is only one party in the political system, and no political alternative is legally tolerated
• one-party-dominant state: a single party domainates the political process without the official support of the state

• exists only when two parties are credible contenders for power and either is capable of winning any election
• ex. the US

• three or more political parties have a realistic chance of participaing in government
• in most cases, the parties are either interest parties or ideological parties, which consider the interests of their supporters as their first priority

• any interest group is "any organization that seeks to influence government policy, but not to govern"
• don't seek control of the entire machinery of government, they seek to influence the political process to achieve certain legislative or policy ends

• anomic: spontaneous groups formed by citizens concerned about a specific issue, usually disband resolution of the single issue
• associational: formal organizations set up to articulate the interests of theier members over a long period of time (ex. tobacco growers association)
• institutional: organizations closely associated with government that act internally to influence public decisions
• non-associational: unorganized group of individuals who percieve a common identiy on the basis of culture, race, religion, or some other distinctive quality

• people who see the opportunity to put their expertise to work in the private sector
• work in lobbying, thinktanks

• the objective is to influence governors and the public so that they will be favourably disposed to the interest group's position on an issue
• in canada, lobbying isn't as institutionalized in the US

• numbers
• cohesion
• organizational skills
• leadership
• nature of the issue

• loose organizations of groups and individuals working to bring about wholesale change by influencing governments, business, and individuals
• objective is to change not only public policy and legislation but also political priorities, social values, and individuals and behavior
• want to radically change an entire society, while interest groups normally influence those they are championing for

• old social movements: agrarian, labour, and religious reform movements
• new social movements: environmental, women's equality, peace, and anti-globalization

• legitimate elections
• free and fair elections, known to all participants and individuals

• provide an opportunity for changing political leaders without bloodshed and competitive political elections are the basis of democratic legitimacy
• "formal expression of preferences by the governed"

• must occur at regular intervals and under free and fair conditions
• there must be wide opportunity for all run for office so that voters have a genuine choice across candidates and parties
• the limits on universal adult sufferage must be minimal
• must embody a high degree of political freedom

• how many votes citizens will have and whether they will vote for candidates, a political party, or both
• how the ballots will be counted
• how the count will be translated into seats

• aka "first past the post" system
• one candidate is elected in each constituency, and each elector has one vote to cast
• winning candidate is the one who receives a plurality of valid ballots, even if it is substantially less than a majority

• resembles SMP except the winner must obtain a majority of the votes cast
• if no candidates receive a majority, additional rounds of balloting are held
• trailing candidates are successively dropped until someone obtains a majority

• similar to the run-off system except that to win on the second ballot a candidate needs only a plurality of valid votes cast
• used to choose some party leaders in Canada and the US

• attempts to capture information not only about voters' first choices but also about their second, third, further choices
• electors rank candidates in order of preference
• voters first choice counted up on first count and if theres no majority, the lowest candidate is dropped and a second count taken - votes from the dropped people accorded to the second preferences of those people

strives to ensure proportionality by rewarding parties with a percentage of seats in the legislature that reflects the percentage of votes earned in the election

• a type of proportional representation system
• the elector votes not for individuals but not for parties
• each party has a list of as many candidates as there are seats to be awarded
• higher the individal's name on the list, the greater their likelihood of being elected

• a type of proportional representation system
• extension of the alternative or preferential ballot to single-member to multimember constituencies
• electors vote for individuals rather than party lists, but they rank the candidates in their order of choice

combine the proportionality of proportional representation systems within the constituency representation of single-member districts

religion, class, ideology, party identification, region, education, and gender

• voters are less likely to vote when it is troublesome to do so 
• older citizens and those with higher education and income are more likely to vote
• factors like the relative ease with which one can register to vote, can be manipulated

• consists of those officers of state who are in some sense politically responsible
• includes the head of state, the head of government, ministry of cabinet
• incl personal advisors and assistants to those officers

prime minister appoints members of parliament or the senate to specific minsterial responsibilities

• to initiate policy proposals for the assembly
• to supervise the administration of laws passed by the assembly

• the department of finance
• the treasury board
• the prime minister's office (PMO)
• the privy council office (PCO)

• the minister of finance, advised by officials from the department, prepares the annual budget of the federal government
• minister of finance has the right to consult the prime minister about the allocation of funds

• an extended wing of the department of finance
• ensures that money that's collected from various parts of the economy is used properly

• prime minister's office 
• consists of support staff appointed by the prime minister to provide political advice

• privy council office
• special organization designed to serve the cabinet and cabinet committees 
• responsible for helping that body to manage overall government priorities and coordinating the process by which these priorities are achieved 
• supposed to be truthful, candid, neutral

• the white house staff
• the executive office

• composed of the personal advisers to the president
• ex. chief of staff, communications director, special legal counsel
• first lady?

• ex. office of management and budget
• council of economic advisors
• national security council
• "sell" their policy proposals to congress

• involves devising tradeoffs that will lead to a majority vote for legislation in congress
• "you scratch my back I'll scratch yours"

the people who carry out policy and make sure it gets executed properly

• any sort of system that has an organized, hierarchical and set way of doing things
• a particular kind of social structure for carrying out organized work

specialized

• advises the political executive - through preparatory work and drafting 
• administers the laws and policies enacted by assembly - by distributing, staffing, monitoring, regulating

• line departments, other agencies directly supervised by ministers
• regulatory agencies, administer laws in certain fields and attempt to impose public policies on the market
• crown corporations, owned by the government and assume a structure similar to that of a private company that operate semi-independently of the cabinet (ex. CBC)

hierarchical control and responsibility

• "to the winner belongs to the spoils" 
• in america - the custom for the incoming president to make wholesale changes in the top ranks of the federal civil service

• administrative officials, with their knowledge and experience, wield a great deal of power in the political process
• observers of politics fear that too much power is vested in the public service, which is not as subordinate as it should be to cabinet and parliament
• to control this, federal HoC has appointed an independent auditor general to review the annual expenditures of the public service