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Unit 4 Overview: Party, Electoral Systems, and Citizen Organizations

3 min readโ€ขdecember 29, 2022

Harrison Burnside

Harrison Burnside

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

kelly-cotton

kelly-cotton

Harrison Burnside

Harrison Burnside

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

kelly-cotton

kelly-cotton

Unit 4 Overview: Party, Electoral Systems, and Citizen Organizations

This unit really builds on political institutions from Unit 2 and political culture and participation from Unit 3. In this unit, the focus is on how various ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ work in our course countries (UK, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, China, Nigeria) and how individuals participate in those systems via political parties, interest groups, and systems that support various interest groups. There are six topics you are expected to address at the end of this unit, let us quickly discuss each:

Unit 4 Topics

  1. Describe and among the course countries. The word describe is important! It is telling you that you need to know the characteristics and qualities of the systems, and it is clear that your understanding is across ALL course countries.

  2. Explain how accomplish different regime objectives like access to ballots, election wins, and constituency accountability. Once again the word explain is important because it means you need to make the development of an idea clear.

  3. Describe characteristics of and .

  4. Explain how and memberships link to .

  5. Explain how and interest groups affect social and political change.

  6. Describe pluralist and .

Like previous units, this unit builds on itself. In other words, it is expected that you know the details of the and characteristics of institutions like political parties ๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™‚๏ธ and interest groups before you can progress. You will take what you have learned about the systems and explain the impacts on different regimes and their authority, for example, or how regimes impact the system to maintain their authority.

As you move further into the course, you notice that each unit builds on the units prior, meaning to be truly successful with , you need to understand factors you have previously studied like political organizations (What branches do people vote for in our course countries?) and political culture (How much impact do citizens have on their institutions? Is there rule by law or rule of law being employed)?

Key Terms

Here are some key concepts that you should know before you jump into this Unit's topics:

  • Elections ๐Ÿ—ณ- refers to the formal process in which voters cast their ballots to select individuals for office.

    • Questions to keep in mind: What makes elections fair and competitive? Why are they important?

  • % - refers to a voting system in which the number of seats won by a political party refer to the number of votes they got for an election.

    • Questions: Which nations use ? How is it different?

  • Plurality vs. Majority ๐Ÿ‘‘ - whereas majority refers to the greater part, or more than half, plurality refers to the system of voting that elects that candidate that essentially has the most number of votes.

    • Questions: Which countries have a majority and a plurality voting process? What is the difference?

  • Party ๐Ÿ‘ฏ - consits of a group of people that have similiar ideology and goals and that seek to influence public policy and that typically have a formal system and rules (which we will investigate in this unit!)

    • Question to keep in mind: What is the importance of parties in a democracy vs. authoritarin regime?

  • Interest Groups ๐Ÿค” - consists of organizations that attempt to shape public policy and advocate for certain issues.

    • Question: How do interest groups influence politics? What is the difference in their activity in authoritarian vs. democratic regimes?

  • Corporatism ๐Ÿค‘ - ideology that advocates for a creation of a society that works in collaboration between the government, businesses and labor.

    • Question: What is corporatist interest?

Now that we know what to expect, let's transition to our first topic, 4.1: and Rules.

Key Terms to Review (13)

Citizen Participation

: Citizen participation refers to the involvement of individuals in the political process, such as voting, attending public meetings, or engaging in activism.

Corporatist Interest Group Systems

: Corporatist interest group systems are political systems where interest groups are organized into a few major associations that work closely with the government in decision-making processes.

Election Rules

: Election rules encompass the specific regulations and guidelines that govern various aspects of the election process, including voter eligibility criteria, campaign financing limits, ballot design requirements, and procedures for vote counting and reporting results.

Electoral Systems

: Electoral systems refer to the rules and procedures that determine how elections are conducted, including how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats.

Majority System

: A majority system is an electoral system in which a candidate must receive more than 50% of the votes to win. If no candidate achieves this in the first round, a runoff election may be held between the top two candidates.

Party Membership

: Party membership refers to the formal affiliation of individuals with a specific political party, granting them certain rights and responsibilities within that party.

Pluralist Interest Group Systems

: Pluralist interest group systems refer to political systems where multiple interest groups compete for influence and power, with no single group dominating the decision-making process.

Plurality System

: A plurality system is an electoral system in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins, regardless of whether they have obtained an absolute majority.

Policymaking

: Policymaking refers to the process by which governments create laws, regulations, and actions designed to address societal problems or achieve specific goals.

Political Party Systems

: Political party systems refer to the ways in which political parties organize themselves and compete for power within a country's political landscape. It includes factors such as the number of parties, their ideologies, levels of organization, and patterns of competition.

Proportional Representation

: Proportional representation is an electoral system in which seats in a legislative body are allocated based on the proportion of votes each political party receives.

Single-Member District

: A single-member district is an electoral system in which each geographic district elects only one representative to a legislative body.

Social Movements

: Social movements are collective efforts by a group of individuals who come together to bring about social, political, or cultural change. They often aim to challenge existing power structures and advocate for specific causes or issues.

Unit 4 Overview: Party, Electoral Systems, and Citizen Organizations

3 min readโ€ขdecember 29, 2022

Harrison Burnside

Harrison Burnside

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

kelly-cotton

kelly-cotton

Harrison Burnside

Harrison Burnside

I

Isabela Padilha Vilela

kelly-cotton

kelly-cotton

Unit 4 Overview: Party, Electoral Systems, and Citizen Organizations

This unit really builds on political institutions from Unit 2 and political culture and participation from Unit 3. In this unit, the focus is on how various ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ work in our course countries (UK, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, China, Nigeria) and how individuals participate in those systems via political parties, interest groups, and systems that support various interest groups. There are six topics you are expected to address at the end of this unit, let us quickly discuss each:

Unit 4 Topics

  1. Describe and among the course countries. The word describe is important! It is telling you that you need to know the characteristics and qualities of the systems, and it is clear that your understanding is across ALL course countries.

  2. Explain how accomplish different regime objectives like access to ballots, election wins, and constituency accountability. Once again the word explain is important because it means you need to make the development of an idea clear.

  3. Describe characteristics of and .

  4. Explain how and memberships link to .

  5. Explain how and interest groups affect social and political change.

  6. Describe pluralist and .

Like previous units, this unit builds on itself. In other words, it is expected that you know the details of the and characteristics of institutions like political parties ๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™‚๏ธ and interest groups before you can progress. You will take what you have learned about the systems and explain the impacts on different regimes and their authority, for example, or how regimes impact the system to maintain their authority.

As you move further into the course, you notice that each unit builds on the units prior, meaning to be truly successful with , you need to understand factors you have previously studied like political organizations (What branches do people vote for in our course countries?) and political culture (How much impact do citizens have on their institutions? Is there rule by law or rule of law being employed)?

Key Terms

Here are some key concepts that you should know before you jump into this Unit's topics:

  • Elections ๐Ÿ—ณ- refers to the formal process in which voters cast their ballots to select individuals for office.

    • Questions to keep in mind: What makes elections fair and competitive? Why are they important?

  • % - refers to a voting system in which the number of seats won by a political party refer to the number of votes they got for an election.

    • Questions: Which nations use ? How is it different?

  • Plurality vs. Majority ๐Ÿ‘‘ - whereas majority refers to the greater part, or more than half, plurality refers to the system of voting that elects that candidate that essentially has the most number of votes.

    • Questions: Which countries have a majority and a plurality voting process? What is the difference?

  • Party ๐Ÿ‘ฏ - consits of a group of people that have similiar ideology and goals and that seek to influence public policy and that typically have a formal system and rules (which we will investigate in this unit!)

    • Question to keep in mind: What is the importance of parties in a democracy vs. authoritarin regime?

  • Interest Groups ๐Ÿค” - consists of organizations that attempt to shape public policy and advocate for certain issues.

    • Question: How do interest groups influence politics? What is the difference in their activity in authoritarian vs. democratic regimes?

  • Corporatism ๐Ÿค‘ - ideology that advocates for a creation of a society that works in collaboration between the government, businesses and labor.

    • Question: What is corporatist interest?

Now that we know what to expect, let's transition to our first topic, 4.1: and Rules.

Key Terms to Review (13)

Citizen Participation

: Citizen participation refers to the involvement of individuals in the political process, such as voting, attending public meetings, or engaging in activism.

Corporatist Interest Group Systems

: Corporatist interest group systems are political systems where interest groups are organized into a few major associations that work closely with the government in decision-making processes.

Election Rules

: Election rules encompass the specific regulations and guidelines that govern various aspects of the election process, including voter eligibility criteria, campaign financing limits, ballot design requirements, and procedures for vote counting and reporting results.

Electoral Systems

: Electoral systems refer to the rules and procedures that determine how elections are conducted, including how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats.

Majority System

: A majority system is an electoral system in which a candidate must receive more than 50% of the votes to win. If no candidate achieves this in the first round, a runoff election may be held between the top two candidates.

Party Membership

: Party membership refers to the formal affiliation of individuals with a specific political party, granting them certain rights and responsibilities within that party.

Pluralist Interest Group Systems

: Pluralist interest group systems refer to political systems where multiple interest groups compete for influence and power, with no single group dominating the decision-making process.

Plurality System

: A plurality system is an electoral system in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins, regardless of whether they have obtained an absolute majority.

Policymaking

: Policymaking refers to the process by which governments create laws, regulations, and actions designed to address societal problems or achieve specific goals.

Political Party Systems

: Political party systems refer to the ways in which political parties organize themselves and compete for power within a country's political landscape. It includes factors such as the number of parties, their ideologies, levels of organization, and patterns of competition.

Proportional Representation

: Proportional representation is an electoral system in which seats in a legislative body are allocated based on the proportion of votes each political party receives.

Single-Member District

: A single-member district is an electoral system in which each geographic district elects only one representative to a legislative body.

Social Movements

: Social movements are collective efforts by a group of individuals who come together to bring about social, political, or cultural change. They often aim to challenge existing power structures and advocate for specific causes or issues.


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ยฉ 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

APยฎ and SATยฎ are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.