Comparing the Electoral and Party Systems of China and Russia Essay Example for Free

Comparing the Electoral and Party Systems of China and Russia Essay The collapse of the international socialist network changed the world at the turn of the century. The failure of the many socialist regimes ended the confrontation between East and West and provided an opportunity to restructure the international order. The individual states of East Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, China and the former Soviet Union took differing paths and chose differing restructuring strategies, which themselves led to different courses of transformation. The former hard-line socialist regimes of Russia and China had to face the challenges brought by the new world order specifically on altering its political structures. This paper would compare the government and politics of China and Russia focusing on the electoral laws and their impacts on the party system. Moreover, this would try to recommend some possible measures to ensure the development of democracy for both countries and to address some of their problems. Russia is a vast country with an imperial and authoritarian past. By area, Russia is the largest country in the world, almost twice the size of the United States. The population includes numerous minorities, with 36 national groups containing more than 100,000 people, Russia’s rulers have in the past been autocratic empire builders, basing their imperial expansion on control of the serf society and a rural community. Russia’s experience in communism represented a culmination of a authoritarianism. The Union Soviet Socialist Republics encompassing 15 European and Asian Republics, formed the former Russian Empire. The politics of Russia take place in a framework of a federal presidential republic. According to the Constitution of Russia, the President of Russia is head of state, and of a multi-party system with executive power exercised by the government, headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed by the President by the parliaments approbation. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, while the President and the government issue numerous legally binding by-laws. Although Russia has traditionally been ruled by absolute monarchs and dictators, it currently has a democratic system of government. Since gaining its independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, Russia has faced serious challenges in its efforts to forge a political system to follow nearly seventy-five years of Soviet rule. With a new constitution and a new parliament representing diverse parties and factions, Russias political structure subsequently showed signs of stabilization. As the transition period extended into the mid-1990s, the power of the national government continued to wane as Russias regions gained political and economic concessions from Moscow. Although the struggle between executive and legislative branches was partially resolved by the new constitution, the two branches continued to represent fundamentally opposing visions of Russias future. One of the world’s oldest civilization consisting states and cultures dating back thousands of years ago is China. It is a cultural region, ancient civilization, and nation in East Asia. The deadlock of the last Chinese Civil War has resulted in two political entities using the name China: the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), administering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau; and the Republic of China (ROC), administering Taiwan and its surrounding islands. It has the worlds longest continuously used written language system, and the source of some of the worlds great inventions including paper, compass, gunpowder, and printing. The Peoples Republic of China is working within the framework of a single-party socialist republic. The will of Chinese citizens is expressed through the legislative bodies of the Peoples Congress system. Peoples Congress members at the county level are elected by voters. These county level Peoples Congresses have the responsibility of oversight of local government, and elect members to the Provincial Peoples Congress. The provincial Peoples Congress in turn elects members to the National Peoples Congress that meets each year in March in Beijing. Current political concerns in China include lessening the growing gap between rich and poor, and fighting corruption within the government leadership. The support that the Communist Party of China has among the Chinese population in general is unclear because national elections are mostly CPC dominated, as there are no opposition political parties and independent candidates elected into office are too scattered and disorganized to challenge CPC rule. According to Hague and Harrop, â€Å"Party systems are the interaction between the significant political parties. In a democracy, parties respond to each other’s initiatives in a competitive interplay. The party system also reflects legal regulation applying to all parties. In China, a dominant party system is in place wherein one party is a constant component of the executive, governing either alone or in coalition. The dominant party system was more common in the twentieth century than it is today and China is one rare example. The dominant party of the PRC is the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The leadership of the CCP is enshrined in the PRC Constitution. State power within the PRC is exercised through the CCP, the Central Peoples Government and their provincial and local counterparts. Under the dual leadership system, each local bureau or office is under the theoretically co-equal authority of the local leader and the leader of the corresponding office, bureau or ministry at the next higher level. The ruling Communist Party committee at each level plays a large role in the selection of appropriate candidates for election to the local congress and to the next higher level. China is a country that accepts involvement from multiple political parties. Apart from the CPC, the ruling party, there are eight political parties. They are China Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang, China Democratic League, China Democratic National Construction Association, China Association for the Promotion of Democracy, Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, China Zhi Gong Dang, Jiusan Society, and the Taiwan Democratic Self-government League. Most of them were founded during the anti-Japanese war and the national liberation war. They support the political leadership of the CPC, which has become their historical choice during the long years of cooperation with the CPC and through common struggles. Although there are other political parties present in China, these parties are not opposition parties, but parties participating in the discussion and administration of State affairs. Moreover, these parties serve to endorse CCP’s policies. Meanwhile, Russia is working on a multi-party system wherein the legislature comprises several minority parties, resulting in coalitions or minority government by the leading party. The multi-party system in Russia resulted to the rise of not just one political party unlike the case of China. Although, United Russia occupies the majority seats of the Duma, the seats obtained by the Russian Communist Party, as well as other parties, are significant in producing checks and balances to the Russian Assembly. Electoral systems were made to answer the question of how to convert votes into seats. In elections to the legislature, the main questions is whether an electoral system ensures that the seats obtained by a party are directly proportional to the votes received (Hague and Harrop 146). In China, the people do not directly elect delegates for the National People’s Congress (NPC). China practices democratic centralism wherein direct democracy is only practiced at the local levels and the elected delegates in the local people’s congresses in turn elect their representative at the NPC. Delegates for the local people’s congresses are elected using the first-past-the-post system (FPTP). FPTP is a type of non-proportional system wherein parties are not rewarded in proportion to the share of the votes obtained. Specifically, FPTP takes the plurality form of non-proportional representation where a candidate only needs a plurality of votes to win a seat and a majority of votes is not required. In Russia, seats in the Duma were formerly elected half by proportional representation (with at least 5% of the vote to qualify for seats) and half by single member districts. However, President Putin passed a decree that all seats are to be elected by proportional representation (with at least 7% of the vote to qualify for seats) to take effect in the December 2007 elections. Particularly, Russia is adapting the list system to confer delegates for the Duma. The list system is the most common method of proportional representation in which parties submit a list of their candidates and then the votes they obtain determines the percent of seats they get. In proportional representation, the goal is to represent parties rather than territories. For China, the adoption of the list system is recommended to develop a genuine opposition party. For many decades now, the rule of the CCP did not face any significant challenger in China. There have also been secessionist movements due to some ethnic and cultural cleavages such as the Tibetans who are lobbying from independence from China. The adoption of the list system would allow the voice of the minority to be heard in the NPC thus ensuring the democratic rights of the people. It will also make China less prone to violence, just like what happened in the Tiananmen Massacre were students on protest were open fired by Chinese military, since grievances can be acknowledge in government institutions such as the NPC. It is necessary to abolish democratic centralism since government processes are easily manipulated by local bureaucrats to advance their own selfish gains. Political reform in China is a matter of opening the ‘nominally open’ elections to other political parties. For Russia, the current electoral system is well on its way to democratize the Russian political system. However, the recent decree of Putin would make it difficult for smaller parties to obtain a seat in the Duma. Seven percent is such a high threshold and may cause the marginalization of the smaller parties and the domination of the more established ones. A lower threshold is hereby recommended and that Putin’s decree for the December 2007 elections should be repealed because it is a hindrance for the continuous democratization of Russia. These formerly hard-line socialist regimes have adopted measures to cope up with the new international order. However, not both were able to give way to democratization due to the electoral and party systems that they adapted.

The Endless Circle in William Faulkners Barn Burning :: Barn Burning Essays

The Endless Circle in William Faulkner's Barn Burning      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   William Faulkner's short story â€Å"Barn Burning† is the tale of a southern man forced into a role by society.   â€Å"Barn Burning† takes place in the post Civil War South where a mans place in society is derived by their actions during the war.   Ab Snopse, a man who served both the North and the South, is plagued with his non-allegiance and failure to accept authority.   When Ab comes into conflict with his employer, he finds himself taking control from the authority figure, and reverting back to his mercenary ways.   Having no allegiance, Ab makes the move from helping hand to the enemy by burning down barns.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Along with many of Faulkner's short   stories, â€Å"Barn Burning† is set in the imaginary Mississippi county of Yoknapatawpha.   During the restoration of the South, the time period following the Civil War, the only thing that kept the South alive and running where the memories of fallen heroes and the belief that the South would someday regain the status that it had once held.   Families like the Sartorises and the de Spains were glorified and praised for honors that their family members had achieved during battle.   The honor that families like these were granted placed them in public offices, and gave them opportunities to prosper where others could only dream about.   This same honor seemed to carry on to those who shared the names of the great war heroes.   â€Å"‘Hey', the Justice said. ‘Talk louder. Colonel Sartoris?   I reckon anybody named for Colonel Sartoris in this county can't help but tell the truth, can they?'† (Kennedy 163).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, the Snopses are viewed as dishonorable.   During the war, Ab Snopse was considered a mercenary for serving both sides of the way.   â€Å" ...nights passed during those four years in the woods hiding from all men, blue and gray, with his strings of horses (captured horses, he called them)† (165). Ab stole horses from the North and the South, to earn a living.   He was even shot by a confederate soldier, â€Å"His father turned, and he followed the stiff black coat, the wiry figure walking a little stiffly from where a Confederate provost's man's musket ball had taken him in the heel on a stolen horse thirty years ago...†(164). Actions like these caused the community to look down upon the Snopses, which in turn caused Ab to invoke revenge upon his adversaries.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When Ab comes into conflict with an employer, he reverts to his old Civil War ways of non allegiance to benefit himself.

Heinz Marketing Plan

Heinz Marketing Plan Heinz brand is trusted worldwide, has earned a reputation for quality, nutrition, innovation and value. Heinz has shown significant in marketing and productivity for 2013 to drive a continued excellent performance. The main strategy behind Heinz product strategy has been to streamline their product offering. In order to offer better quality products, Heinz decided to categorise their items. All there products now fall under three major brands; Sauces, Ketchup, Baby foods and Convenience meals. Predominant focus is on driving continued global growth in Ketchup and sauces, largest core category with sales of $5 billion.Heinz recognises that consumers due to the economic recession have become more disciplined and frugal resulting in the launch of smaller packaging with a more affordable price points-new 10 ounce Heinz Ketchup pouch and other Heinz condiments retailed at $1 in the U. S. Heinz sees packaging innovation as a key aspect to global growth in Ketchup and S auces. It will launch the fully-recyclable PlantBottle packaging in partnership with Coco-cola and is expanding its Dip and Squeeze Ketchup globally, a dual-function foodservice package, which sold more than 1 billion in the U.S last year. .Heinz is determined to take its iconic mature brand to new geographies, for instance the acquisition of Quero, a leading brand of tomato sauces and Ketchup has provided a strong growth platform in the Brazilian market. It recognises if they are to compete in sauces they need to focus on the applicability of its brand, to make sure that the product suits its culture. The dominant condiment in sold in China is soy sauce, acquisition of Foodstar expanded Heinz presence in China’s rapidly growing $4 billion soy sauce market, while providing a growth platform for Ketchup.Beyond Ketchup and Sauces, Heinz continues to extend Infant/Nutrition and Meals and Snacks business. Heinz will target new clientele for these product offerings. It will place more emphasis on the first transaction rather than on the relationship marketing. It will target single mothers, bachelors and college students who are too busy to cook and are in need of some convenience food. Heinz is leveraging an advantaged, well-balanced portfolio led by accelerated growth in emerging markets.It is actively looking for new growth opportunities with Sales in emerging markets are expected to approach 25% in 2013. In order to drive productivity and leverage our scale capabilities; we will open 11 new factories around the world. Heinz expects organic sales growth of at least 4% and growth of 5% to 8% in constant currency earnings per share from continuing operations. We also expect a strong operating cash flow of more than $1 billion, with Ketchup and Sauces to approach 60% of total sales and our sales in Emerging markets doubling from $5 billion.

Would you say that people can act irrationally - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 427 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: The Crucible Essay Did you like this example? Would you say that people can act irrationally, and often this behavior leads to questionable happenings? Many times in American history, egregious events have taken place. From the Salem Witch Trials in the 16th century, to the McCarthy hearings and internment of Japanese-Americans in the mid-20th century, these times often involved fear, unsubstantiated accusations, and punishment of innocent people. Similar to the Salem Witch Trials hundreds of years ago, the McCarthy hearings and the internment of Japanese-Americans violated the rights of American citizens, while being supported by little or no evidence. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Would you say that people can act irrationally?" essay for you Create order All of it was due to the widespread feeling of fear and hysteria all across the nation. The McCarthy hearings can be thought of as a modern-day event where peoplers emotions can cloud their judgement. Joseph McCarthy was considered the maestro of it all (www.history.com). During the hearings, his claims caused many people in the political arena to lose their jobs. People had their lives ruined because of one false accusation. The search for supposed communists was a witch hunt, due to the fact that they never actually found any hard evidence. McCarthy was labeled as judge, jury, prosecutor, castigator, and press agent, all in one (www.senate.gov). The internment of Japanese-Americans during WW2 was a time where one group of people were wrongly put together under one false stereotype. During a time of great uncertainty, President FDR issued Executive Order 9066 (www.history.com), which detained all Japanese-American citizens and put them into internment camps. The Pearl Harbor attacks sent the U.S. public opinion on a straight-line trajectory towards the hate of Japanese-Americans. Some even found themselves homeless after the government seized their property. From the words of a prisoner of the time, George Takei, I remembered some people who lived ac ross the street from us. They watched as we were taken away. After we were taken, everything we owned was also taken (www.brainyquote.com). Many times in history, people have been propelled into a state of fear and dread of what is to come. During these times, one can find themself thinking irrationally, and committing questionable acts in the process. The Salem Witch Trials, the McCarthy hearings, and the internment of Japanese-Americans are only a few examples of this behavior. Similar to the Salem Witch Trials hundreds of years ago, the McCarthy hearings and the internment of Japanese-Americans violated the rights of American citizens, while being supported by little or no evidence. All of it was due to the widespread feeling of fear and hysteria all across the nation.