PSC 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: John Stuart Mill, Social Representation, Direct Election
Document Summary
Institutions matter, but they are endogenous caused by social dynamics of society. A phenomenon that occurs with and seems to result from another. They reflect power, eg the military, economic actors, media, etc. Js mill: to what extent forms of government are a matter of choice! . Votes as paper stones a nonviolent way of measuring strength. Przeworski believes losers comply only when wealth is above a certain threshold. It is not the institutions themselves but the economic conditions that enable them, that are the driving force of outcomes. 1960s electoral systems were thought to be frozen in time need to step out of period and realize now is just a point in time. Britain: labor and other parties opposing first past the post system. 1993 new zealand: ended the english system of ftpt; instead, mixed-member system out of concerns with social representation and fairness. 1993 italy: mixed system, through pr to combat the plague of coalitions in power.
