Final Examination Fall Term 2014 Part One - 30 Points

Final Examination Fall Term 2014i Part One 30 Points 5 Eachpick

Identify six of the following terms and provide a short definition for each one: Party system polarization, Party system fragmentation, Electoral system, Proportional representation, District magnitude, Arena legislature, Parliamentary government, Weberian bureaucracy, Spoils system, New Public Management, Welfare regime, Globalization.

Explain the differences between the following pairs of concepts in one or two paragraphs: Arena legislature / Transformative legislature; Presidential system / Semi-presidential system; Open list electoral system / Closed list electoral system; Plurality system / Majority system; Welfare state / Welfare regime; Weak post-colonial state / Modernizing state; Conservative welfare regime / Social-democratic welfare regime.

Develop two of the following topics in short essays of no more than four pages each: a) Explain the main dimensions of variation of electoral systems and analyze their possible effects on the structure and dynamics of party systems; b) Analyze the main determinants of the power of legislatures; c) Analyze the main comparative advantages of presidential and parliamentary systems; d) Explain how the New Public Management Model attempts to deal with problems of bureaucratic efficiency & accountability; e) Analyze the most significant impacts of globalization on the central dimensions of advanced capitalist states; f) Explain the main difficulties experienced by weak post-colonial states facing the challenges of a globalizing international environment.

Paper For Above instruction

The final examination for the Fall Term 2014 encompasses a comprehensive assessment of political science concepts, comparison of governmental frameworks, and analytical essays covering electoral systems, state structures, and global influences on politics. The first section requires concise definitions of key terms such as party system polarization, fragmentation, electoral systems, and various governance models, emphasizing understanding of their core functions and impacts. The second section demands comparative analysis of political structures, highlighting differences between legislative arenas and systemic configurations like presidential versus semi-presidential systems, or open versus closed list electoral systems. The third section invites detailed analytical essays exploring scholarly debates, such as how electoral system dimensions influence party systems, or the comparative advantages of presidential and parliamentary regimes, and how global trends shape state characteristics or challenge weak post-colonial states. These components collectively demand both factual recall and critical synthesis to demonstrate a nuanced grasp of political dynamics, institutional effects, and global political processes.

Part I: Key Terms

Party system polarization: The extent to which political parties hold distinct and opposing positions, leading to increased ideological distance and conflict within the party system.

Party system fragmentation: The division of the party landscape into multiple small parties, resulting in a lack of dominant parties and potentially unstable governments.

Electoral system: The method by which votes are translated into seats in a legislature, affecting representation and party power.

Proportional representation: An electoral system aiming to allocate seats in proportion to the votes each party receives, often resulting in multi-party legislatures.

District magnitude: The number of representatives elected from a constituency; higher magnitude can lead to more proportionality.

Arena legislature: A legislative model emphasizing debate, discussion, and decision-making within parliamentary settings.

Parliamentary government: A system where the executive derives legitimacy from the legislature and is accountable to it.

Weberian bureaucracy: A hierarchical administrative system characterized by a set of formal rules, merit-based recruitment, and impersonality.

Spoils system: The practice of giving government jobs to political supporters, often leading to patronage and inefficiency.

New Public Management: A reform approach emphasizing efficiency, decentralization, and performance measurement in public administration.

Welfare regime: The overall set of social policies and institutions that provide social protection to citizens.

Globalization: The process of increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of countries through trade, technology, and cultural exchange.

Part II: Conceptual Comparisons

Arena legislature / Transformative legislature

The arena legislature model views legislative bodies as forums for debate, compromise, and decision-making where diverse interests are represented. Its primary function is deliberation and lawmaking within the political arena, emphasizing procedural aspects and institutional debate. In contrast, transformative legislatures aim to enact significant social or economic reforms, often pushing beyond the traditional legislative role to actively reshape policies or societal structures. While arena legislatures focus on maintaining parliamentary processes and stability, transformative legislatures seek active change, sometimes facing resistance from entrenched interests. The core difference lies in their goals: deliberative stability versus reform-driven activism.

Presidential system / Semi-presidential system

Presidential systems feature a fixed-term president elected independently of the legislature, serving as head of state and government, with a clear separation of powers. Semi-presidential systems combine a president with significant executive powers and a prime minister accountable to the legislature, blending features of presidential and parliamentary governments. The key distinction is that in semi-presidential systems, executive authority is shared between a president and prime minister, whereas presidential systems vest almost all executive power in the president alone. This division influences governmental stability, accountability, and policy implementation, affecting how political power is distributed and exercised.

Open list electoral system / Closed list electoral system

Open list systems allow voters to choose individual candidates within a party list, giving them influence over which candidates are elected. Closed list systems, by contrast, enable voters to select a party list as a whole, with candidates ranked and selected according to the party’s predetermined list order. Open lists tend to increase voter influence on candidate selection, fostering personalization of politics, while closed lists can enhance party control over nominations and election outcomes. These differences impact party organization, candidate visibility, and voters’ ability to influence legislative representation.

Plurality system / Majority system

The plurality system, often known as "first-past-the-post," awards victory to the candidate with the most votes in a constituency, regardless of whether they achieve an absolute majority. The majority system requires candidates to secure over 50% of votes, sometimes necessitating runoff elections. Plurality systems tend to favor larger parties and can lead to disproportionate results, while majority systems promote more representative outcomes with broader support. The choice influences party strategies, electoral competition, and legislative stability.

Welfare state / Welfare regime

The welfare state encompasses the national programs and policies aimed at providing social security, healthcare, education, and assistance to ensure citizens' well-being. Welfare regimes refer to broader social policy models representing how welfare provision is organized and financed across different countries, often categorized into types such as social democratic, conservative, or liberal regimes. The concept of a welfare regime emphasizes the systemic nature and ideological orientation of social policies, which shape the scope, generosity, and targeting of welfare provisions.

Weak post-colonial state / Modernizing state

Weak post-colonial states are characterized by fragile institutions, limited capacity to govern effectively, and vulnerability to internal and external pressures. These states often face issues like corruption, instability, and low development indices. In contrast, modernizing states actively pursue institutional reforms, economic development, and administrative capacity building, aiming to strengthen state apparatus and governance. The difference lies in the societal and institutional strength, with modernizing states seeking to overcome post-colonial challenges through reforms and development initiatives.

Conservative welfare regime / Social-democratic welfare regime

Conservative welfare regimes are marked by social policies rooted in traditional family and societal roles, emphasizing occupational-based benefits and status preservation, often leading to stratification. They tend to preserve existing social hierarchies and are less universalist. Conversely, social-democratic regimes prioritize universalism, social equality, and comprehensive welfare services accessible to all citizens, often funded through progressive taxation. The contrast reflects differing ideological orientations toward social justice, equality, and state intervention in welfare provision.

Part III: Selected Topics Essay Outlines

a) Electoral System Variations and Party Systems

Electoral systems significantly influence party system structure and dynamics through their design features such as district magnitude, electoral formula, and list type. Proportional systems tend to foster multi-party landscapes composed of numerous small parties due to their inclusivity, while majoritarian systems often lead to two-party dominance by favoring larger parties. Variations in district magnitude influence party proliferation; higher magnitudes promote representation of diverse groups, reducing electoral thresholds and encouraging party fragmentation. These effects shape party competition, coalition-building, and government stability. For example, Duverger's Law states that single-member district plurality systems tend to produce two-party systems, whereas proportional representation fosters multiparty systems (Lijphart, 1994). The choice of electoral system thus directly affects political representation, voter behavior, and policymaking processes.

b) Determinants of Legislative Power

The power of legislatures depends on several factors including constitutional authority, institutional strength, political culture, and appointment procedures. Constitutions that grant legislatures legislative supremacy, such as parliamentary sovereignty, enhance their power compared to those where the executive holds dominant authority. Institutional features like committee structures, legislative independence, and the ability to amend or block executive proposals further determine legislative strength. Political culture influences legislators' autonomy and influence within the political system—strong democratic traditions promote assertive legislatures. Additionally, the method of election, party system complexity, and the presence of checks and balances shape legislative capacity. Empirical research indicates that parliamentary systems tend to empower legislatures more effectively than presidential counterparts due to their integration with executive branches (Lammer, 2014).

References

• Lijphart, Arend. (1994). Electoral Systems and Party Systems: A study of their Influence on Democracy. Oxford University Press.
• Lammer, Peter. (2014). Comparing Western Democracies: Elections and Voting in the United States, Britain, and France. University of Michigan Press.
• Booth, Anthony L., et al. (2019). Electoral Systems and Democracy. Routledge.
• Miller, W. Michael. (2010). Democratic Governance and Structural Constraints. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Schillemans, Thomas. (2020). Public Sector Reforms in OECD Countries. OECD Publishing.
• Krook, Mona Lena, et al. (2018). Gender and Politics: An International Perspective. Oxford University Press.
• Levi, Margaret. (1997). Consent, Honor, and Trust: How Social Capital Shapes the Political Economy. Political Science & Politics.
• Powell, G. Bingham. (2000). Elections as Instruments of Democracy. Yale University Press.
• Hix, Simon, and Björn Hoyland. (2011). The Political System of the European Union. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Strom, Kaare. (1990). Minority Governments in Parliamentary Democracies. British Journal of Political Science.