POSC 233, The Global Resurgence of Democracy Fall Term 2004

Small Group Simulation

Your group has been given the task to design the perfect democracy. Using the readings and in-class discussion materials, construct a democracy using a mix of institutions from three areas:

(1) electoral laws, (2) presidentialism/parliamentarism, (3) political party systems, (4) intergovernmental relations.

Phase 1: Deliberation (Before Thursday, October 28)

During Phase 1, the group will deliberate over their choice of institutions in each of the four areas. They will then decide how these institutions should be combined to form a model of democratic governance for the selected country. The combination should attempt to maximize both representation and governability and enhance the Aefficient secret@ of policy-oriented government (as opposed to particularism).

Phase 2: Presentation (Thursday, October 28 or Tuesday, November 2)

Once the members of the group have decided on the institutional design of their perfect democracy, they must demonstrate the following:

(1) How does the design minimize the risk of executive - legislative gridlock?

(2) How does the design guarantee strong parties?

(3) How does the design enhance democratic representation?

(4) Does the design allow for decisive action during political or economic crises?

Phase 3: Defense (Thursday, October 28 or Tuesday, November 2)

After presenting their model, group members will answer pointed questions regarding how well their system withstands challenges to representation and governability. The professor will begin these questions, but will defer to members of other groups who will have an interest in making the proposed model look bad.

Final Round (Tuesday, November 2)

After all groups undergo their defense, the professor will determine which two groups have earned the right to compete in the final round. Each of these groups will receive a randomly selected country and prepare their institutional design within 20-30 minutes. At the end, the class will vote (in ASurvivor@ fashion) on which system best satisfied the demands of representation, governability, and the Aefficient secret.@

Country Selections: South Africa, Venezuela, Brazil, Taiwan, Hungary