The Impact of Electoral Systems on Economy, Inequality, and Political Parties - Prof. Dani, Study notes of Comparative Law and Politics

Download The Impact of Electoral Systems on Economy, Inequality, and Political Parties - Prof. Dani and more Study notes Comparative Law and Politics in PDF only on Docsity! March 14, 2012 Pls 140 Professor Carter Effect of Electoral system on econ: Price level, inequality, distribution Electoral systems and price levels  Majoritarian systems have lower prices than pr systems   Key question: how many votes does it take to win (representation in the leg)  Need more voted in Majoritarian system than PR Majoritarian system: appeases consumers  PR system: appeases producers (prices tend to go up) Electoral Systems and Inequality  PR systems have lower levels of income inequality than Majoritarian systems  Consenses (coalition) governments are more inclusive; this leads to greater redistribution which in turn lowers income inequality Electoral Systems and Redistribution  PR systems redistribute more than Majoritarian ones  Majoritarian systems produce center-right coalitions; PR systems produce center-left Why Parties?  Why do parties emerge?  Constructed by self-interested political elites  Two primary goals: Career and Policy  Party is structure through which these goals are realized  Key functions of political party  Interest articulation  Interest aggregation  Model of Responsible Party Governments 1. Parties formulate programs 2. Voters evaluate these programs/vote 3. Winning party translates program into laws and policies Challenges to the Responsible Party Government Model  Model is an ideal type, reality often does not conform to this because of:  Internally fragmented parties  Voter ignorance  Divided or coalition government  Lack of party discipline Types of Parties  Cadre  Parties of the elite  Mass  Emerged from political and economic changes  Ethnic/identity  Ideological Linkages between Parties and Citizens  Partisan: voter consistently identifies with one party and votes for its candidates.  Partisan alignment  Partisan de-alignment  Party re-alignment Party System  Arena within which parties operate  Shaped by:  Number of parties in the system  Relative strength of parties Types of Party systems  Dominant party system  Multiple parties exist, but one wins every election and governs continuously  E.g., India under Congress (to 1989); South Africa under ANC  Two-party system  Only two parties able to win, although more may compete  E.g., United States  Two and a half party system