POL 002 Midterm 1 Study Guide

Why the EU referendum in UK occurred

David Cameron promised to hold the referendum if he won again, he did not think they would choose to leave

BREXIT 2016 Presidential Election

Demonstrated that an anti-establishment and anti-immigrant platform could win in Europe's closes political ally, as well as showing that this platform had become Mia steady in the US Le Pen was highly supportive of Trump's campaign

Populism and populist parties

Emphasize the thought of the "people" and look down upon elites, are usually radical Similarities and differences between US, French, and British populist parties Why is it gaining support?

Implications of Proportional Electoral systems (good and bad)

Equal representation Minorities are represented Increases chances that no one gets a majorty Increases amount of parties Increases stability

EU Institutions

European Council European Parliament European Commission

Review the three major institutions of the European Union: European Council, European Parliament, European Commission What are the differences between these institutions - focus on membership and responsibilities (what they do).

European Council - Comprised of all the heads of states such as Presidents and Prime Ministers - Sets the agenda for the EU - Has no legislative powers European Parliament - Only directly elected EU institution - Elections occur every five years via proportional representation - Each member country elects members to the EP; elections are held at the same time across the EU - Responsible for passing, amending, or rejecting laws proposed by the - European Commission - Cannot initiate legislation European Commission - 27 commissioners, one from each member country--approved by European Parliament - President of the Commision acts as the EU's Prime Minister - Each commissioners supervises one or more commission department - EU ministers - Each department has an administrative head, the Director-General; ' highest-level civil servants in the European Commission (and EU) bureaucracy - Administrative institution of EU - Seen as head of EU bureaucracy; least accountable to citizens - Drafts the EU budget - Proposes legislation

Changes in French Party System Overtime

European Immigrant Crisis of 2015: Refugees from North Africa and the Middle East sought asylum in European countries

Semi Presidential System

When there is a president as well as a PM and gov Powers: Head of State, Head of Government

District Magnitude

# of seats assigned to each district

Calculate a quota

# of votes / # of seats

Similarities in political ideology of populist parties and politicians in Britain and France (and the Trump campaign in the US)?

(For the right-populist parties specifically) Euroscepticism, anti-immigration, anti-establishment, socially conservative

Regime

A government, especially an authoritarian

Veto Players

A political actor that has the ability to decline a choice being made, also checks others

Government

A system or group of people governing an organized community

Coalition, coalition government

An alliance used for combined action

Political Party

An organization that coordinates candidates to compete in an election

Why no gridlock in parliamentary systems:

Because there are procedures that would allow either the prime minister to be removed from Parliament and replaced by someone more cooperative or for the Prime Minister to hold a special election that could change and modify Parliament for it to be in their favor.

Which government system would you prefer to live under and why?

Brian: This is an opinion based question. But I can leave some examples for each. Presidential system → Cabinet members can be selected outside of the President's party. The president has to win a country wide vote and not just win the district they live in, decision making is done faster since the PM would have to answer to Parliament if they do anything, fixed tenure in office (although this can be a disadvantage as well), separations of powers between the branches of government. Parliamentary system → More responsibility towards the constituents and rest of parliament. Jacob: I would prefer to live under a semi-presidential system since there is a dual executive and the prime minister can be voted out with the no confidence vote. In addition, it separates the traditional idea of a president, splitting it with the prime minister.

What is populism?

Can occur in left and right wings; by taking on an authoritarian aspect, it deepens to votes pitting common people against the elite. Mainstream politicians carry a type of rhetoric. Take actions to eliminate their objectives that go against "human rights" by advocacy. Seen in the Netherlands, Denmark, and many northern countries in Europe.

Dissolution of parliament

Fall of the government

European Union

Founded: April 18, 1951 Original members: The original six members were Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and West Germany.

Party System

How a democracy is governed

Why are coalition governments the norm in parliamentary systems with PR?

In Parliamentary systems with PR, coalition governments are often necessary when it comes to creating a majority rule. Due to increased proportionality, there are many parties up for election and oftentimes no single party achieves an absolute majority, thus the cooperation of other parties to form a majority rule (coalition) is common in these systems.

How does BREXIT demonstrate the ways in which parliamentary systems function?

In a parliamentary system, the prime minister can be forced by parliament to resign, with a vote of no confidence, due to the fact that there are not any term limits, whereas in a presidential system there are term limits and impeachment of the president is a long process. Furthermore, the way in which BREXIT caused David Cameron to resign and Theresa May to resign within a span of a few years, instills the parliamentary principle of executive removal.

What are the key differences between single member district plurality systems (SMDP) versus single member district two round (or runoff) systems?

In a single member district plurality (SMDP) the candidate who wins the most votes simply wins the election. However, in a single member district two round, one candidate must get a majority in the first round and if no candidate receives a majority in round one, then only the top two vote getters move onto the second round. Another key difference is that for the two-round system, voters can be incentivized to vote in a certain way to gauge the candidates who are on the ballot for the second round. Also in a SMDP, a candidate can win as a minority candidate and is thus representing a minority. However, in a SMD runoff, the candidate is representing a majority.

What are the key differences between single member district systems and proportional systems?

In a single member district system, there is an electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official. A proportional system is an election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.

Why, in general, does PR allow more parties to gain substantial seats than SMD systems?

In single member district systems, only one representative is voted for. In PR systems, the number of seats in the legislature are divided based on vote percentages. This allows for parties with a smaller number of votes to still hold power and have representation in the legislature.

What are some of the reasons why support for the National Front, especially in presidential elections, has increased in recent years?

Increased immigration into the European Union (in this case, France in particular), as supporters of the National Front are strongly anti-immigration. Marine le Pen largely distanced the party from her father's xenophobic and anti-immigration rhetoric, creating a more "centrally based" far-right, thus appealing to a wider audience. "These recent successes of the party can be partially explained by the dissatisfaction with the governing elite and its inability to respond to the perceived negative effects of European integration and immigration" (Intro to Comp Politics textbook page 72) French unemployment with incoming European integration

Checks and Balances

Institutional Political parties

What is gridlock, and why does it happen so often in pure presidential systems?

It is when the government cannot get anything done because of key differences between the legislature and the executive branch. Since the executive branch is a veto player, and the legislative branch is its own veto player (may vary if there are upper and lower houses). This can lead to gridlock especially if the legislative and executive are controlled by different parties. The Legislature can have a different set agenda from the executive branch in which they won't pass any bills, thus preventing the executive from signing it. AND the executive can veto the bill if they do not like the bill the legislative branch sent. (i.e. 2014-2016 → Executive: Barack Obama (Democratic) and Legislative: Controlled by the Republicans).

When and why was the EU founded?

It was founded April 18, 1951 when the Treaty of Paris was signed. Originally called European Coal and Steel Community, was created to organise the free movement of coal and steel and to free up access to sources of production.

Majoritarian and proportional systems

M: Only one person wins and is allowed representation, bad for minorities P: Representation is equal, good for minorities

Gerrymandering

Manipulating voting boundaries to favor one party

Threshold

Minimum amount of votes to receive a seat

Does the role of political parties differ across these three systems?

No, because political parties organize people to win elections with certain ideologies and platforms in mind. This remains true in a presidential, parliamentary or semi presidential system of democracy. There will always be elected officials that are a part of a certain political party advocating for certain platform ideas.

Cohabitation

Occurs in semi-presidential systems, when the president has a different party than the majority of the parliament

Single Member District

Only one person represents the district Majoritarian implications

Open List vs Closed List PR systems

Open list: Creates competition between candidates, reduces party cohesion Close list: Can't change the order of the list

Why are parliamentary systems said to be more efficient than presidential systems?

Parliamentary systems are more efficient than presidential systems because the executive and the legislature come from the same party. The PM is the leader of the majority party in the assembly/parliament. The cabinet is selected from the party or coalition, which allows for the fastrack of laws that may need to be faced.

What is the relationship between the executive and legislature in each system?

Parliamentary: executive can be removed from office with a vote of no confidence, and a new leader is chosen from within the majority party/coalition government. The PM sets the legislative agenda and is able to pass laws due to their party being the majority in Parliament. Presidential: executive can be removed from office through impeachment, but if not serves a fixed term. President can be from a different party as the majority in the legislature which could lead to gridlock. Presidents from the same party as the majority in the legislature will pass laws really easily with party support. The President sets the legislative agenda, which the legislature may or may not follow depending on the situation. Semi-presidential: dual executive; president appoints the PM and Cabinet, can dissolve the assembly and call new elections, cannot be removed from office, can't veto legislation; PM and Cabinet, leader of the majority party, oversees daily government function

Which electoral system do you prefer and why?

Personally, I prefer the French electoral system. It seems to offer more partisan variety, and the election of a president strictly through popular vote seems like the best way to represent majority opinion.

How do the electoral rules used to elect the American and French presidents differ?

Presidential elections in France are held every 5 years, versus in America where they are held every 4. French presidents are elected by direct popular vote, versus in America with the combination of the popular vote and the electoral college. France has a multi-party system and two-ballot system. The French hold a two-round presidential election, in which the top two candidates move on to the second round if nobody gets a majority in the first round

Review differences between three systems we have covered - presidential, parliamentary and semi-presidential systems

Presidential: - Executive serves for a fixed term and is only removed by popular vote at the end of their term (unless they have been impeached, which is unlikely to happen, or reached a term limit) - Divided government (gridlock) is one of the most serious problems that can occur in a presidential system - Executive turns to executive orders to pass their agenda, which leads to an increase in executive power Ex. USA Parliamentary: - Voters elect members of the House of Commons - Prime Minister is the head of government - PM and Cabinet can be dismissed through a vote of no confidence, which requires a parliamentary majority - Executive is responsible to Parliament Ex. Britain Semi-presidential: has 3 key features - A president who is popularly elected - The president has considerable constitutional authority - There exist a prime minister and cabinet, subject to the confidence of the assembly majority

Identify the executive in each of the three systems of government

Semi-presidential: dual executive, President elected by the voters, and Prime Minister who is the leader of the majority party in Parliament or the assembly Presidential: President elected by the voters Parliamentary: Prime Minister who is the leader of the majority party or majority coalition government in the Parliament

BREXIT

The British Exit from the European Union

How does France's electoral system influence the role of the National Front in French politics?

The National Front started out as a smaller party, but has been able to amass a loyal following that has expanded ever since they won seats in the National Assembly since 1986 where they were able to gain 10% of the vote and 35 seats. Ever since then, the National Front has been able to get 10%-15% overall since 1986, allowing them to have at least 1 seat in the National Assembly, and therefore representation of its ideals. In 2012, Jean-Marie Le Pen stepped down and his daughter Marine Le Pen took over the party and went away with the views of no longer supporting expulsion of French citizens who immigrated to France, no longer anti-Semitic, and continues to oppose immigration and EU membership.

What are the benefits of the semi-presidential systems over pure presidential systems?

The benefits of the semi-presidential systems over a pure presidential system is having the no deadlock like in the presidential system and being able to get laws passed. Usually the president is the head of state and is able to dissolve the assembly but serves a fixed term. The prime minister is usually the leader of the majority party and is subject to a vote of no confidence.

Who were the original six members of the EU.?

The original six members were Belgium, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and West Germany.: remember "BIFLN WG"

How and why did the Referendum on the European Union happen? What were the main reasons that it passed at that time?

UKIP had gain momentum for their anti-immigration rhetoric and eurosceptic views in the Parliament, as a result of this the sitting prime minister at the time, David Cameron (Conservative) campaigned for the party stating that if his party won, he would hold a referendum in an election. Once his party won a majority in government in 2015, he held the referendum (which he actively campaigned against). Referendum resulted in a majority of people wanting to leave the European Union. Cameron resigned, May took over (that was a shitshow), and Johnson finished the BREXIT process, and the UK was fully out of the EU on January 31st, 2020.

Powers of President and Premier in France

Under cohabitation P: Foreign policy PM: Legislature work, controls cabinet, does most domestic policy Single Party Rule They just do all of the above stuff together

What are the key features of parliamentary systems that ensure that the executive is accountable to the legislature?

Vote of no confidence - This rule allows the Parliament to vote out the Prime Minister if the Parliament feels they can no longer have confidence in the Prime Minister, this is usually done for political reasons. However, it is somewhat difficult since it requires a majority of the Parliament, and it is unlikely that MPs will vote against their leader unless for a good reason.

Plurality

When a candidate wins most of the votes but not a majority

Majority

When one party holds a majority of the seats in the legislature

Are parties more important in some models?

Yes, parties tend to be more important in systems like a parliamentary system than a presidential system. In a presidential system, the president can be of any party without needing the support of the legislature. However, in the Parliamentary system, it is quite difficult to be elected as a Prime Minister since being in a major party is more beneficial than being in a smaller party.