Unit 4 Course & Exam Description

The Course and Exam Description (CED) outlines the essential framework for studying comparative politics. 

Unit 4 One Page Readings & Flip Notes

One-Page Readings (OPR):

Short readings that explain the main ideas of each lesson so you can learn the content before class instead of listening to a lecture.

Flip Notes (FN):

Guided notes that help you pull out the most important ideas from the reading and get ready to use them in class.

Lesson 4.1 Electoral Systems & Rules

This topic focuses on how electoral systems structure representation and shape political competition across regimes. You’ll examine single-member districts, proportional representation, and mixed systems, analyzing how election rules reflect democratization and influence party development.

Lesson 4.2 Objectives of Election Rules

This topic focuses on why regimes design election rules to achieve specific political objectives. You’ll examine ballot access, majority versus plurality systems, and regulatory bodies, analyzing how rules shape accountability, competition, representation, and regime legitimacy.

Lesson 4.3 Political Party Systems

This topic focuses on how party systems differ across democratic and authoritarian regimes. You’ll examine dominant-party, two-party, and multiparty systems, analyzing how party rules, competition levels, and membership structures reflect regime values and political control.

Lesson 4.4: Role of Political Party Systems

This topic focuses on how party systems connect citizens to policy making within different regimes. You’ll examine party organization, coalition building, and legislative discipline, analyzing how participation translates into representation, governance outcomes, and policy influence.

Lesson 4.5 Impact of Social movements & Interest Groups

This topic focuses on how social movements and interest groups shape political and social change. You’ll examine grassroots activism, organized advocacy, and state responses, analyzing how collective action pressures regimes to reform, repress, or adapt policies.

Lesson 4.6: Pluralist & Corporatist Interests 

This topic focuses on how interest group systems structure access to political power. You’ll examine pluralist and corporatist models, analyzing how states manage citizen input and how interest representation affects competition, accountability, and policy making.

Unit 4 Review

Students choose one of two review options to prepare for the Unit 4 assessment. Each option reinforces key Comparative Government concepts by applying course countries, core vocabulary, and analytical thinking aligned to the CED.  Please select ONE option to complete for the reviw.