EXAM, FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, AUTUMN 2015
Department of Political Science, University of Oslo
STV2360 - Political Institutions and Politics in Democracies
3 hours
Answer both exercise 1 and exercise 2. Each exercise will be weighted equally (50% for each) in the final evaluation.
Exercise 1: Choose either essay A or essay B.
- Why do electoral systems matter? Describe the main differences between Proportional Representation (PR) and Majority Systems (MS). Describe also some of the differences between different PR systems. Discuss what impact different electoral systems have on democratic representation and the type of government formed. Select at least two countries with different electoral systems to illustrate your discussion.
- First: Discuss the role of parties in the U.S. Congress with particular attention to why American congressional parties often are considered to be weaker than parties in many other national legislatures. Second: Party influence in the U.S. Congress is often exerted through party leaders. Which functions do party leaders in the U.S. Congress serve? How may we explain variations in party leaders’ ability to influence the legislative process over time and between chambers?
Exercise 2:
Answer three of the following four questions giving short and factual answers. (These three questions will be weighted equally).
- What are the main differences between parliamentary and presidential systems? What is “semi-presidentialism”? Give some examples from both Western and East Central Europe.
- What are the most important institutional sources of cabinet duration in Central and Eastern Europe?
- Give a brief description of the constitutional powers of the US Congress and the president.
- What is a “party system”? In debates on political cleavages there is much discussion of the “freezing of party system”. What is meant by that?