What matters more in determining the nature of a party system: social cleavages or electoral rules?

Research

Theory

Cases

Plan

Social Cleavages

Electoral Rules

Party System

Definition

System of interactions resulting from inter-party competitions.

The role of parties in a political system.

Types

Dominant Party System - one party successive wins.

Non-partisan - elections occur without reference to parties.

One party system - single party has the right to form a government. Same with two/three party systems.

Multi party system multiple political parties.

Satori - by ideology.

Small ideological distance - moderate party system.

Large ideological distance - polarised party system.

Open or Closed

Closed party system - predicable and familiar outcomes, difficult for outside parties to breakthrough.

Open party system - differing patterns of alternation of governing parties, unpredictable outcomes.

Definition

Divisions in Society

Division of Voters

Examples

State v Church

Rural V Urban

Workers V Employers

Thawing of Old Cleavages

Thawing

Some cleavages become less relevant and start disappearing - defrosting.

Some new cleavages arising out of postmodernism - nationalist/cosmopolitan etc.

Globalisation cleavage - winners and losers.

Parties and Cleavages

Parties exist to represent cleavages.

Requirement of voting numbers - e.g. 50% of vote required for governance.

Influence how cleavages are translated into parties.

Determines whether there is latent demand for representation.

When voting systems are disproportional smaller parties are punished - PR v FPTP, forces strategic voting.

Duverger's Theory

Many parties - high PR, high social heterogeneity

Few parties - every other mixture.

Nationalisation of party systems.

Fiscal Centrilisation

Political Centrilisation

Concurrent Presidential Elections

National Cleavage Patterns

Party Systems and Cleavages

Do cleavages determine the party system (the number of parties).

The greater the demand for distinctive representation, the greater the demand for political parties.

Cleavages create demand for increased number of political parties.

Electoral Rules and Party Systems

Electoral institutions determine whether this latent demand for representation actually leads to the existence of new parties.

Non-proportional electoral systems act as a break on the tendency for social cleavages to be translated into new parties.

Depends on how votes are translated into seats - when electoral systems are disproportional, the effect is that small parties are punished and parties are geographically concentrated - voters start voting strategically, two left wing parties may combine.

UK

Cleavages

Class

Environment v Economy

Cosmopolitanism v Nationalism

Rise of UKIP

Rise of the Greens

UK becoming more of a multi-party system.

But despite this - still impossible for new parties to come into power.

Electoral Rules

First past the post is not proportionate.

Leads to smaller parties being unrepresented.

In turn strategic voting starts occurring.

Leads to fewer parties and a smaller party system

Labour v Tory

Structure

  1. Introduction
  1. Party Systems
  1. Social Cleavages
  1. Impact of Social Cleavages on Party Systems
  1. Impact of Electoral Rules on Party Systems
  1. Conclusion

Argument

Electoral rules and systems have more influence as restrains the UK to a two party system - although cleavages allow for more parties, these parties will never gain power.
Idea of voting green doesnt count, wasted vote etc.

Variables

Issues

Unit of Analyisis

UK

Design

Dependent - Two Party Systems

Selection bias - basing on dependent variable will lead to bias.

US

Moderate Two Party System

Fewer parties but just as much a chance of each winning in Presidential elections.

Disproportional voting.

Still social cleavages - just not represented in parties.

USA

Independent

Role of social cleavages.

MSSD

The type of party system cannot wholly be measured by the number of parties.