- List of Boxes
- About the Authors
- Guided Tour of the Textbook Features
- Guided tour of the Online Resources
- World Map
- 1. Introduction: The Nature of Politics and Political Analysis
- 2. Politics and the State
- 3. Political Power, Authority, and the State
- 4. Democracy and Political Obligation
- 5. Freedom and Justice
- 6. Traditional Ideologies
- 7. Challenges to the Dominant Ideologies
- 8. Institutions and States
- 9. Political Culture and Non-Western Political Ideas
- 10. Law, Constitutions, and Federalism
- 11. Votes, Elections, Legislatures, and Legislators
- 12. Political Parties
- 13. Executives, Bureaucracies, Policy Studies, and Governance
- 14. Civil Society, Interest Groups, and the Media
- 15. Democracies, Democratization, and Authoritarian Regimes
- 16. Introducing Global Politics
- 17. Traditional Theories in Global Politics
- 18. Critical Approaches to Global Politics
- 19. Security and Insecurity
- 20. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
- 21. International Organizations in Global Politics
- 22. Global Political Economy
- 23. Conclusion: Towards a Globalizing, Post- Western-Dominated World
- Glossary
- References
- Index
(p. 240) 11. Votes, Elections, Legislatures, and Legislators
- Chapter:
- (p. 240) 11. Votes, Elections, Legislatures, and Legislators
- Author(s):
Peter Ferdinand
- DOI:
- 10.1093/hepl/9780198820611.003.0011
This chapter examines some of the central issues associated with voting and electoral systems, along with the functions of legislatures. It begins by discussing the two paradoxes of voting. First, the huge number of citizens in any modern state means that no individual’s vote is likely to make the difference between two or more choices, making it potentially ‘irrational’ for any individual to bother to vote at all. Yet votes make democracy possible. The second voting paradox concerns the difficulty of relying upon votes to determine the objective preferences of the public. The chapter proceeds by considering measures that aim to establish quotas to increase gender equality in legislative recruitment. It also describes different types of legislatures and the internal structure of legislatures. Finally, it analyses trends in the backgrounds of legislators in various countries, specifically focusing upon the criticism that they constitute a ‘political class’.
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- List of Boxes
- About the Authors
- Guided Tour of the Textbook Features
- Guided tour of the Online Resources
- World Map
- 1. Introduction: The Nature of Politics and Political Analysis
- 2. Politics and the State
- 3. Political Power, Authority, and the State
- 4. Democracy and Political Obligation
- 5. Freedom and Justice
- 6. Traditional Ideologies
- 7. Challenges to the Dominant Ideologies
- 8. Institutions and States
- 9. Political Culture and Non-Western Political Ideas
- 10. Law, Constitutions, and Federalism
- 11. Votes, Elections, Legislatures, and Legislators
- 12. Political Parties
- 13. Executives, Bureaucracies, Policy Studies, and Governance
- 14. Civil Society, Interest Groups, and the Media
- 15. Democracies, Democratization, and Authoritarian Regimes
- 16. Introducing Global Politics
- 17. Traditional Theories in Global Politics
- 18. Critical Approaches to Global Politics
- 19. Security and Insecurity
- 20. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
- 21. International Organizations in Global Politics
- 22. Global Political Economy
- 23. Conclusion: Towards a Globalizing, Post- Western-Dominated World
- Glossary
- References
- Index
