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Explore different electoral systems, such as Single-member Plurality, Alternative Vote, Two-round System, and Proportional Representation. Understand the arguments for and against referendums and learn about the forms of modern state, including unitary and federal systems.
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Electoral Systems • Single-member Plurality • The candidate who receives most voters. • Alternative Vote • As the candidates are ranked, the candidates who receive the votes from a majority of all voters are elected; if not, the lowest-placed candidate is eliminated and transfers of their votes to the remaining candidates • Two-round System • If no candidate wins a majority of votes in the first round, a second round takes place in which only certain candidates are permitted to proceed to the second round. • Proportional Representation • Allocate to each party the same share of the seats as it won of the votes.
PR vs. Non-PR Systems • Single-member constituency systems all give an advantage to the strongest party in the constituency and leave supporters of other parties unrepresented. • While non-PR system do not give voters any intra-party choice, PR systems vary in the degree of choice that they give voters to express a choice among their party’s candidates. • Non-PR systems are more likely to engender a two-party system, while PR systems are more likely to lead to a multiparty system.
Argument for Referendum • Enhance democracy by enabling more people get a clear verdict from the people on an issue • Have more legitimacy than one made by the political class alone • Create a more informed electorate as people are exposed to arguments on either side of the issue • Enhance representative democracy
Argument Against Referendum • Non-expertise ordinary people might make lower-quality decisions • Lack of inferences about policy preferences from voting behavior in a referendum • Inability in protecting minority rights • Less consideration of the interests of moderate than those who feel most strongly on an issue • Encouragement of a “direct democracy” in which people cast votes on the “issue of the day”, thus trivializing the decision-making process.
Forms of Modern State The Modern Nation-State • The nation-state is the modern form of political organization with distinctive features of territorial organization. Unitary States • A centralized government • All power is top down • Nationalism is often a driving force Federal States • The decentralized state • Two or more levels of government. • Each level of government has its own jurisdiction in matters of legislation, taxation and administration
