LAS POL 204 Exam 2023 with complete solution
• What is a political party ?
o Seeks power to access to have decision making rather than just trying to influence a
political interest
o Seeks power as avenue to meets its interests and preferences
o Important mediator for conflict
what is politics?
is the art or the effort to reconcile conflicts/ to mediate/ to seek compromises/ forge
negotiations to competing interests
Who are mediators?
politicians/leaders/ pol parties, interest groups, social movements, social institutions
Functions of Political Parties
• 1. Select and support candidates - grooming people to run for election
• 2. Informs citizens - explains to citizens what the issues and solutions are (in theory at
least)
• 3. Occupy offices of power and run government - speak on behalf of government and
address society on behalf of the government
• 4. Organizations that run/ operate government because other state institutions (law
enforcement, judicial system) are run by civil servants
• 5. Link the different parts of government together
• Cements ties between state and federal level in theory
• But today the political parties have weakened because of the primaries
• 6. Train and socialize people to be part of government
• 7. Organize people who hold the same ideas
• 8. Act as watchdog over government
• 9. Mobilize for consent
• 10. Distribution of resources
o Pretty much what all conflicts are about
• 1 party system/ single party system
o Authoritarian regimes (china)
• 2 party system
o Describes the English speaking countries
o Britain, white settler societies (Canada, Australia, US)
• 4 party system/ dominant party system
o Mexico, South Africa
• Multi-party system/ 10 party system
o This is the most common system but doesn't exist in the US
what is a single party system
• Authoritarian/ non democratic system
Single party system
• Mobilization - fosters emotional bonds with society - national identity
Democratic regimes
• 1. Dominant party
• 2. Two party
• 3. Two party
, Dominate party
- elections are fair and square, transparent but the same party wins every election
o Japan, South Africa
what explains different party systems?
o Electoral rules
o Not cultural traits of a country - never an explanation (culture is shaped by the
institutions)
Different party systems
o US - republicans or democrats
o Australia - three party choices
o Swiss - radicals, christens democrats, socialist party, Swiss people party, liberal party,
Christian-social, Swiss labor party, green party, etc.
o Danish - conservative or liberals but 5 parties within each conservative or liberalism
o Electoral and party systems are
institutions
what is an institution?
(an organization with agents, usually have some type of financing system, procedures,
rules, regulations, norms, values to help shape what we expect when the institution is
functioning
o Comparative politics
examining and comparing different political parties in different countries
Institutions are created, often by accident
the institutions - they often survive changes in the external environment, they adapt,
they are relatively flexible but reforming them is difficult - do not change
what do Electoral/ voting systems do?
o Decide how parties compete, how to identify a winner, how to guarantee fair
competition
o Anchors political parties, politicians, voters, government, legislative system
what is National mobilization ?
countries with intense conflicts between church and state - linked to the struggle to
subordinate church and state
what is The social mobilization
caused by transformations instigated by the industrial revolution and economic
modernization
what is political mobilization
linked to the extension of voting rights and the abolition of voting restrictions
Divisions, which turn political in 4 different ways name and define them.
o 1. Center- periphery:
o Region/language/ethnicity
o Regional parties
o 2. Religion: major conflict
o Catholic/protestant; state/church; clerical/anti-clerical
o Conservative/Christian-democratic and liberal parties
o Bigger conflicts about religion and role of the catholic church
o How you build a nation - create a common sense of belonging
o Construct national identity - through education
• What is a political party ?
o Seeks power to access to have decision making rather than just trying to influence a
political interest
o Seeks power as avenue to meets its interests and preferences
o Important mediator for conflict
what is politics?
is the art or the effort to reconcile conflicts/ to mediate/ to seek compromises/ forge
negotiations to competing interests
Who are mediators?
politicians/leaders/ pol parties, interest groups, social movements, social institutions
Functions of Political Parties
• 1. Select and support candidates - grooming people to run for election
• 2. Informs citizens - explains to citizens what the issues and solutions are (in theory at
least)
• 3. Occupy offices of power and run government - speak on behalf of government and
address society on behalf of the government
• 4. Organizations that run/ operate government because other state institutions (law
enforcement, judicial system) are run by civil servants
• 5. Link the different parts of government together
• Cements ties between state and federal level in theory
• But today the political parties have weakened because of the primaries
• 6. Train and socialize people to be part of government
• 7. Organize people who hold the same ideas
• 8. Act as watchdog over government
• 9. Mobilize for consent
• 10. Distribution of resources
o Pretty much what all conflicts are about
• 1 party system/ single party system
o Authoritarian regimes (china)
• 2 party system
o Describes the English speaking countries
o Britain, white settler societies (Canada, Australia, US)
• 4 party system/ dominant party system
o Mexico, South Africa
• Multi-party system/ 10 party system
o This is the most common system but doesn't exist in the US
what is a single party system
• Authoritarian/ non democratic system
Single party system
• Mobilization - fosters emotional bonds with society - national identity
Democratic regimes
• 1. Dominant party
• 2. Two party
• 3. Two party
, Dominate party
- elections are fair and square, transparent but the same party wins every election
o Japan, South Africa
what explains different party systems?
o Electoral rules
o Not cultural traits of a country - never an explanation (culture is shaped by the
institutions)
Different party systems
o US - republicans or democrats
o Australia - three party choices
o Swiss - radicals, christens democrats, socialist party, Swiss people party, liberal party,
Christian-social, Swiss labor party, green party, etc.
o Danish - conservative or liberals but 5 parties within each conservative or liberalism
o Electoral and party systems are
institutions
what is an institution?
(an organization with agents, usually have some type of financing system, procedures,
rules, regulations, norms, values to help shape what we expect when the institution is
functioning
o Comparative politics
examining and comparing different political parties in different countries
Institutions are created, often by accident
the institutions - they often survive changes in the external environment, they adapt,
they are relatively flexible but reforming them is difficult - do not change
what do Electoral/ voting systems do?
o Decide how parties compete, how to identify a winner, how to guarantee fair
competition
o Anchors political parties, politicians, voters, government, legislative system
what is National mobilization ?
countries with intense conflicts between church and state - linked to the struggle to
subordinate church and state
what is The social mobilization
caused by transformations instigated by the industrial revolution and economic
modernization
what is political mobilization
linked to the extension of voting rights and the abolition of voting restrictions
Divisions, which turn political in 4 different ways name and define them.
o 1. Center- periphery:
o Region/language/ethnicity
o Regional parties
o 2. Religion: major conflict
o Catholic/protestant; state/church; clerical/anti-clerical
o Conservative/Christian-democratic and liberal parties
o Bigger conflicts about religion and role of the catholic church
o How you build a nation - create a common sense of belonging
o Construct national identity - through education
