Regime Types
Murica is a ____________, a regime type with these characteristics (explain a few).
Liberal Democracy
1.Freedom of association
2.Freedom of expression
3.Right to vote
4.Broad citizen eligibility for public office
5.Political competition
6.Alternative sources of information
7.Free and fair elections
8.Institutions that make government policies depend on various forms of citizen preferences
A ________ is an ongoing administrative apparatus that develops and administers laws and generates and implements public policies in a specific territory.
State
This country's executive started off relatively weak compared to the legislature, as its creators intended, but the balance changed over time.
United States
Checks and balances, a separation of powers, and a single HOG/HOS that serves a fixed term characterizes this governmental system.
Presidentialism
•Separation of powers defines system
•Executive and legislative branches distinct and separate
•The legislature becomes an independent, decision-making body
•Elected in separate elections
•Single executive
•Presidents and legislators serve fixed terms
•Executive power: weak but growing over time; stronger with fewer parties, as in the United States
•Legislative power: strong
•Accountability: horizontal stronger
Vladimir Putin
A ____________ is a regime type common in Western Europe, similar to the US but with added elements.
Social Democracy
•Usually add to the eight elements of liberal democracy the following:
•Greater public control of the economy, from extensive regulation to public ownership
•Generous social programs, with great importance to social rights
A group of people who perceive themselves as sharing a sense of belonging and who often have a common language, culture, and set of traditions.
Nation
A very, very large nation-state, this country has its history of repressive tactics against ethnic groups such as the Uighurs and semi-autonomous regions such as Hong Kong.
China
The "purest" form of majoritarian government, the Westminster model set the stage for the rest of the world.
Parliamentarism
•Originated in Great Britain
•Separate head of state and head of government
•Executive and legislative branches are fused via Parliament’s election of the chief executive
•Head of government: PM
•Member of the legislature
•Elected by legislators, not directly by public
•If no party has parliamentary majority, must form coalition government
•PM can dissolve parliament, call for new elections
•Cabinet serves as check on PM
This world leader, in a state known for its sensistivity to the past and criticism of the present, is not happy when people compare him to Winnie the Pooh.
Xi Jinping
Vladimir and Karl and Joseph and Mao are all names associated with ______________, a regime type less common in the world today, though not entirely extinct
Communism
•Liberal democracy serves capitalism and bourgeoisie, not workers
•Social revolution is inevitable, led by the proletariat
•Differences between Karl Marx’s ideas contained in the Communist Manifesto and the actual implementation of his political thought
A set of formal and informal political institutions that defines a type of government.
Regime
Once torn in two, this reunited nation-state (with elections this week) has dealt with its era of jus sanguinis though a small movement remains active in politics today.
Germany
Mixing things up, this governmental systems borrows from others to try and create the best of both worlds but in eras of cohabitation between its two executives, things get complicated quick.
Semi-Presidentialism
•Two executives: president and a PM
•President elected directly by voters
•PM elected by the parliament
•PM leads majority in parliament
•To work well, duties of each must be clearly specified—not always the case
•Works most smoothly if president and PM from same party
•When not, French call the result “cohabitation”
•Aims to combine best of presidential and parliamentary systems
•Sometimes produces instead gridlock or excessively strong president
•Executive power: initially strong, now nearly unlimited; appoints and can remove PM
•Legislative power: very weak; minimal appointment powers compared to most semipresidential systems; cabinet ministers do not need to be members of legislature
•Accountability: minimal
•Policy-making: strong but centered almost entirely in executive
•Recent trends: under Putin, even further expansion of presidential powers
Earlier this week the members of this country's parliament voted to oust their prime minister in a vote of no confidence. The second government collapse in the last year or so.
France
A _____________ typically eliminates all opposition while weakening state institutions with a ruler that holds on to power through patronage. Nigeria and the Philippines were once examples.
Personalist Rule
•Central leader dominates state
•Typically eliminates all opposition while weakening state institutions
•Ruler maintains power through patronage
•Often arise from one-party or military coups
•Examples: Mobutu Sese Seko (Zaire), Ferdinand Marcos (Philippines), Saparmurat Niyazov “Turkmenibashi” (Turkmenistan)
A decision by Parliament to remove a government (the PM and the cabinet) from power.
Vote of No Confidence
This theocratic nation-state has had its moments of rebellion and reform but continues to have a restrictive civil society and a Guardian Council that oversees the political system.
Iran
In this electoral system a geographic district chooses a representative typically through plurality voting or where the winner must receive a majority or compete in a follow up run-off election.
Single-Member District
The only other US president to serve two non-consecutive terms (no, it's not the convicted felon).
Grover Cleveland
Electoral Authoritarian
•Hybrid regime
•Formal opposition and some open political debate exist
•Elections are held
•However, opposition, political debate, and elections are so flawed that the regime cannot be considered democratic
The use of observations to judge the tenability of arguments.
Empiricism
This very, very large country has a weak upper house in parliament representing states; national government can change state boundaries and dissolve state governments though but its many ethnicities shape how federalism works here.
India
SMD + Plurality = Two Major Parties. Always. It's like a Rule of Gravity but for Political Science.
Duverger's Law
This country's president once played on TV. I'm not joking. He literally played the president on TV and is now a real HOG/HOS
Ukraine (Volodymyr Zelensky)