AP Comp Gov Unit 2 parliamentary vs presidential, head of state, single member district, PR etc

why is party discipline and ideology more pronounced in a PR system?

1. the diversity of parties is related to their need to carve out distinct idealogical spaces. - different from SMD - where partie want to reach as many people as possible to win a plurality or majority 2. PR may lead to more internally. disciplined parties, since those who do not follow the party rule can be dropped from the party in the next election.

mixed electoral systems

An electoral system that uses a combination of single-member districts and proportional representation

semi presidential systems

An executive system that divides power between two strong executives, a president and a prime minister

prime ministers hold the right to call....

ELECTIONS. the constitution may specify that elections must be held a specific time frame (such as every 4, 5 years,) prome ministers can often schedule these elections when they imagine it will serve their party best.

which system is more representative, PR or SMD?

PR - it wastes fewer votes and in doing so allows for a geater range of interests to be expressed politically.

how do PR systems compare to SMD systems?

PR enable even a small percentage of the vote to win representation. and elections are not centered on competitions between individuals (like they are in SMD), but political parties draw up in advance a list of their candidates for each electoral district, often proposing as many candiates as there are seats.

what might the conflict between an independent legislature and president pave the way for?

a more active judiciary, drawing int disputes between the president and legislature, as has often been the case in the United States.

head of state

a role that symbolizes and represents the people, both nationally and internationally, embodying and articulating the goals of the regime. Conducting foreign policy and waging war are also sometimes considered part of the head of state's duties.

what does the tight connection between legislature and executive mean in parliamentary systems?

although these two branches of gov't have separate powers and responsibility, they DO NOT check and balance each others power to the degree they do in presedential systems.

what happens to SMD systems as a result of people not voting for smaller parties and only bigger ones?

an SMD system is then more likely to produce a legislature dominated by two parties - as in the US, canda and UK, and to marginalize or eliminate smaller parties.

PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION system

an electoral structure in which political parties win the number of parliamentary seats equal to the percentage of the vote the party receives

what are the powers of the president in a presidential systems?

as a directly elected executive, the president is able to draw on a body of popular support in a way that no member of a legislature, or even a prime minister can. only a pres. can say that they have been elected by the whole of the people in a single national vote.

what does PR attempt to do?

attepst to decrease the number of votes that are wasted, thus increasing the number of parties in the legislature.

what do those who favor SMD systems emphasize?

benefits of single member districts and winner takes all elections - individuals connect with their elected reps more easily than in PR. SMD also allows for bigger parties that muster the majorities needed to govern without being held hostage by smaller ,often fringe parties.

how can prime ministers be removed?

by a VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE.

what is the separation of powers in presidential system more likely to lead to?

checks and balance and divided government

parliamentary systems

comprised of two basic elements: prime ministers and their cabinets (the other ministers who make up the government) COME OUT of the legislature.

who is the head of state in a parliamentary system

could be a president who is either directly elected by the public or indirectly elected by the legislature, or a monarch who has inherited the office.

Head of Government

deals with the everyday tasks of running the state (such as formulating and executing domestic policy) alongside a cabinet of ministers who are charged with specfic policy areas. head of gov't usually directs the activities of other members of the executive branch

what may the outcome of a vote of no confidence be? (on the gov't)

depending on the constitution, this outcome may trigger a national parliamentary election or search for a new gov't and prime minister from among the parties.

what does the fusion of prime minister's power with with the lower house and weakness of upper house mean in parliamentary systems?

fewer opportunities arise for real for real constitutional conflicts that would empower constitutional courts.

judicial systems in parliamentary systems

frequently much weaker, take backseat to prime minister along with legislature. the idea of checks and balances is subordinated to a concentration of power that gurantees greater poltiical autonomy.

what happens in MAJORITY based SMD systems?

function in largely the same way plurality based systems do, except they use certain mechanisms to ensure that the winner is elected by a majority of the voter in the district. the simplest way to do this is by having two electoral rounds: after first round - the top two vo getters go to a runoff election. FRANCE USES!

why are the votes casted for other candidates in SMD systems 'wasted?"

if a candidate for whom a vote is cast does not win, their votes do not count toward any other candidates electoral bid.

how do presidential systems differ from parliamentary systems?

in parliamentary systems, prime ministers and their cabinets come from the legislature and must command majority of support to stay in office. HOWEVER in presidential systems, the president and legislature serve for fixed terms, typically between 4 - 7 years, and election dates are not altered easily, and nor can presidents or legislatures be removed by anything resembling a vote of no confidence. (only in the case of malfeaasance can elected officials lose their seats)

FIRST PASS THE POST SYSTEM system

in these systems, as in ALL SMD systems, electoral constiuencies are single member district - only one rep per constituency.

what happens when a part holds a plurality of seat (more seats than any other party but fewer than 50%)

it must commonly form a coalition government with one or more other parties.

when/how are members of the legislature voted in vs prime minister?

members of legislature are voted in and out of office in direct elections, but prime ministers serve in office for as long as they command the support of their party and its allies.

what does PR rely on? (instead of SMD's?)

multimemember districts - more the one legislative seat is contested in each district

what are electoral systems?

or voting system) is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined.

vote of no confidence

parliaments retain the right to dismiss a prime minister at any time simply by taking a vote of no confidencce. in such vote, the absence of majority support for prime minister will bring down the gov't.

what happens in semi presidential systems?

power is divided between the head of state and head of gov't - a prime minister and a directly electe president both exersise power. Presidents enjoy fixed terms while prime ministers remain subject to the confidence of the legislature and, in some cases the confidence of the president as well.

what is another difference between presidential and parliamentary systems?

president and legislature can easily check eachothers abaility to pass legislation in a way unlikely to occur in a parliamentary system.

Presidential systems

president is directly elected by the public for a fixed term and has control over the cabinet and legislative process.

what ability does the president have unlike prime ministers?

presidents can choose a cabinet,many or perhaps all of whom are not members of the legislature. unlike prime minister presidents do not need to be concerened that their cabinets are comprised of party leaders, or be concerned with a coalition gov't.

presidents role in semi presidential systems

presidents often set forth policy but expect the prime minister to translate those policy ideas into legislation and ensure that it is passed. presidents also take lead in foreign policies and serve as commander in chief.

who is the head of government in a parliamentary system

prime minister

what are the prime minister's powers in a parliamentary system?

prime minister(head of gov't) holds the overwhelming majority of power. the prime minister is elected from the legislature - reflecting the balance of power between parties in the legislature. typically prime minister is the head of party in lower house that holds the largest number of seats.

why does the president not have to be concerned about a coalition gov't?

since the president is directly elected, minority parties have no effective control obver the executive

why are PR voters more likely to vote for smaller parties than in SMD systems?

since the smaller parties stand a better chance of winning at least some seats in the legislature.

under SMD systems, people are unwilling to vote for...

smaller parties - bc they are unlikely to win a plurality of votes

SINGLE MEMBER DISTRICT system

system in which the people elect one representative per district. With a winner-take-all rule, this system strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties.

what happens in plurality based SMD systems?

the candidate who receives the most votes - whether a majority or plurality.

what happens if no candidate wins an outright majority?

the candidate with the lowest number of first preferences is eliminated, and elimination is continued until one candidate has a majority

distinction between head of state and head of government

the distinction is between direct policy management and international and symbolic functions.

what does the legislature do in parliamentary systems

the instrument that elects and removes the prime minister from office.

constituencies

the people and interests the senators represent (a geographic area that an elected official represents)

Who is the head of state and head of gov't in presidential systems?

the positions of head of state and head of gov't are typically fused in the presidency. (very significant difference w parliamentary)

who is the head of government in a presidential system

the president

who is the head of state in a presedential system

the president

as the head of state and head of gov't, what does the president serve as in a presidential system?

the president serves as an important national symbol as well as the overseer of policy.

what is a HUGE difference between presidential and parliamentary systems?

the president's power is not directly beholden to the legislature, and vice versa. neither branch has the ability to easily remove the other, creating a much stronger SEPARATION OF POWERS between executive and legislature.

where does the prime minister come from in a coalition gov't vs the cabinet in a coalition gov't (in a parliamnetary system)?

the prime minister will come from the largest part while other members of the cabinet come from coalition parties.

what do parliamentary systems NOT do compared to presidential systems?

the two branches of gov't (executive + legislature) DO NOT check and balance each others power to the degree they do in presedential systems. a party with a majority of seats in a legislature can choose its own prime minister and cabinet with little concern for other parties.

why can presidentialism weaken political parties?

their leaders are concerned with winning a single national and directly elected office. IN CONTRAST..... to become prime minister, an individual must come up through the ranks of the party.

what are the head of state's powers in a parliamentary system?

they may hold some reserve powers, such as the ability to reject legislation or forward it to a constitutional court if it is seen as undemocratic. but their powers are rarely exersised.

How do PR systems work?

voters cast their ballot for a party rather than for a candidate, and the percentage of votes a party receives in a district determines how many of that districts seats the party will gain. in simple theoretical version.. a party that won 17 percent of a vote in a district would reciev 17 percent of that districts seats.... if it one 100 percent, it would win all of the seats

what happens in mixed electoral systems?

voters not only get two votes but also have option to split their choice, voting for a candidate from one party with their SMD vote while choosing a different party with their PR vote.

who directly elects the country's leader in a parliamentary system?

NOT THE PUBLIC. the task is left to the parties. as a result, the length of time the prime minister serves in office is uncertain.