Democracy

(Subjective Def.)

Subjective def: favor individual freedom over collective equality

Athenian Democracy & Roman Republicanism

Direct participation

People functioned as the state & govt.

Roman Repbulicanism

Indirect participation

Exercised on behalf of people.

1215

the original institution that spread our modern day democracy

From the U.K.

Magna Carta

Rights of King checked by lower aristocracy

"rule of law"

legal supremacy over people & political leaders

Conventional & unconventional

Voting

Campaign activity

(violent, non-violent)

Protest activity

ie: Revolution, coup d'etat

Electoral Systems

(definition)

SMDP

(3 names)

(Single-Member District Plurality)

Winner take all

first-past-the-post

SMDP

(definition)

-form of election where electoral constituencies are structured as single-member districts

-one representative is elected from one district, person who gets plurality of votes wins

-used in a MINORITY of democracies

the most

highest percentage wins

Majority

problems with SMDP

electoral system hurts small parties

major parties get more seat % and less vote %

minor parties get more vote % and less seat %

merits of SMDP

-electoral system that allows for closer relationship between constituents & representatives

-holds individual representatives more accountable

U.S.

U.K.

Canada

India

(PR) Proportional Representation

(definition)

-used in MAJORITY of democracies

-encourages coalitions to form however coalitions can be easily broken, slowing down policy implementation

-individual candidates are not held that accountable 

merits of PR

-increases the number of parties in legislature (includes small parties better)

-more equal representation

-higher electoral participation

-allows for greater range of political interests to be expressed

Italy

South Africa

PR govt

-encourages larger parties in fewer amounts

2-party system

-encourages more parties

-multi-party system

Mixed Member Proportional Representation

50% SMDP

Germany

Italy

New Zealand

allows the public to make direct decisions about policy issues

top-down (by govt & legislature)

 -binding on govt.

publicly initiated naitonal referendum where the govt is obliged to schedule a ballot

-bottom-up

binding on govt.

non-binding referenda

asking public opinion

branch that carries out laws & policies of state

leads the country

sets priorities on national agenda

head of state

&

head of government

symbolic figure of nation @home and abroad

- president or monarch

-directly elected

-indireclty elected by legislature

-hereditary (Monarch)

President or Prime Minister

-in charge of everyday tasks running state

-policy maker

 -can be removed by a vote of no-confidence

Head of govt & head of state in 

Parliamentary

Head of govt & head of state in

Presidential

USA

Nigeria 

Brazil 

Mexico

much of Latin America

Canada

most of W. Europe (except France)

Japan

U.K.

Presidential system

Federal (state)

Congress

upper chamber: Senate (100)

lower chamber: House of Representatives (435)

Parliamentary

unitary

bicameral;

upper chamber: House of Lords (~751)

lower chamber: House of Commons (646)

Germany

Parliamentary

federal (16 Lander)

bicameral;

upper chamber: Bundesrat (69)

lower chamber: Bundestag (598)

-combination of Presidential and Parliamentary

-charged w/domestic policy

-sometimes elected soemtimes givent to someone w/majority party

-sets broader agenda, foreign relations and national security

-directly elected

FRANCE

Nicolas Sarkozy (Pres)

Francois Fillon (PM)

Russia

South Korea

Taiwan

makes laws

passes bills

upper & lower chambers

commonly used under FEDERALISM (one house represents local community)

traced back to U.K.

ability to rule on constitutional issues from cases brought to court

(Presidential system)

ability to rule on constitutional issues w/out need of court case

(Parliamentary system)

1. civil rights and civil liberties

2. civil society 

peoples relationship to & role in politics and communit affairs

-organized life outside of the state

-Tocqueville "art of association"

-the foundation that liberal democratic institutions are built on