Electoral Systems Essay

Critically evaluate the argument that electoral systems can produce effective (decisive) government, or representative government, but not both. New Zealand’s current electoral system is MMP or Mixed Member Proportional; this is the system which will be used to evaluate the question. A comparison of MMP and FPP or the First Past the Post system will also be included, since it is being debated as to which is better for New Zealand. MMP is an appropriately representative government which also creates a rather effective government at the same time. On the other hand FPP causes a seemingly effective government but is far less representative. Some electoral systems can create effective and representative government while others may not. This will be shown by; firstly detailing how these systems of governance compare under effectiveness and representativeness, followed by an explanation as to why electoral systems can be both effective and representative and why they cannot. For a government to be classified effective it must sufficiently achieve its objectives as a governing body. It also must create a strong impression on the community (dictionary. om, 2011). MMP tends to have a less efficient form of law making than FPP. Under MMP the major parties must form coalition governments with the smaller parties to form a fifty per cent majority over the house. These coalitions may cause a time delay in passing legislation, as the major supporter of the bill tries to convince their support parties to agree with the legislation. MMP may take time to make decision but this doesn’t mean that the government is less decisive although; Many people argue that proportional forms of government lead to a less decisive and durable government. Their argument is based on the fact that the decisions must gain the support of coalition parties which cause a lower quantity of bills passing. However it is not the quantity of laws which cause an effective government it is the quality. MMP due to its more timely approach to law making allows time for scrutiny within a bill meaning any flaws which lie dormant in a bill may be fixed before the legislation is passed. A contrast to this is FPP with its single party majority which works very efficiently to pass laws rapidly. This is because there is no need for a compromise with its support parties since none are required. The effect of this rapid law making ability gives the community a view of effectiveness however the validity of the laws has been compromised. The laws passed may be riddled with flaws which really show the government is un-effective as the laws have no real impression on the community. Effective government is based around three criteria government durability, decisional efficacy and responsiveness (Boston, Church & Bale, 2003). From these three different terms of effective government we can see how different opinions on the idea of effective government can differ. For a government to be classified representative it must consist of many individuals who represent a variety of different constituencies (dictionary. com, 2011). Also there must be some form of diversity among the constituencies such as race or gender differentiation. (Royal Commission, 1986) MMP is a highly representative form of governance as it uses a two votes system; this allows minor party representatives to gain a seat in the house if they gain a majority vote among their constituents. The fact an MP has to win their constituency causes a close link to the electorate as they will more likely than not represent the major view of the region. This single MP vote allows the house to represent the community from a broader aspect while still having the majority party in power with the 2nd vote, the party vote. This causes a greater diversity among the house. When MMP was adopted â€Å"Maori representation increased from 5-7% to 16%† and â€Å"the number of women of women doubled to 34%† (Haddon, 2011). This increasing diversity has continued as the royal commission predicted. New Zealand’s house of parliament has become more representative and diverse as shown by the 39 women, 21 Maori, 4 Pacific Islanders, and 2 Asian MPs out of the 121 in the house (Elections Commission, 2006). Also under MMP campaign promises of minor parties tend to not get placed on the new government agenda. The minor parties must rely on negotiation with party leaders in order to get their main policies on the agenda or must wait for the bill to be drawn from the ballot box in parliament, which may never come. This causes a slight decrease in the diversification of the legislation passed. This lack of diversification can decrease the representativeness of the majority. However this does not decrease the overall representativeness of the government. The diversity of MMP is contrasted by FPPs system where there are only electorate votes so people tend to vote solely for the major parties that are likely to get into parliament. The winning party in a FPP election will get a proportionally larger share of the seats that its share of the votes this has the opposite effect for minority parties whom gain a lesser proportion of the seats that their votes. This lack of proportionality is a major flaw in representation as there is very little diversity among the house. Electoral systems can be both effective and representative, â€Å"The best voting system for any country will not be one which meets any of the criteria completely but will be one which provides the most satisfactory overall balance between them† (Royal Commission, 1986). Although systems cannot be highly representative and highly effective they still can be both. MMP shows this, it may not be highly efficient at creating effective legislation but it creates quality legislation which is effective governing. Also MMP shows its representativeness by having a largely diverse house of representatives but due to the need for coalitions loses some of the broader views of the minor parties. â€Å"A proliferation of minor parties actually increases stability and effectiveness† (â€Å"NRT on MMP threshold,† 2011). This shows how a representative government actually helps to form an effective government. The increase in the number of coalition majorities available will help to reduce the ability for any party to have strong bargaining power over another. This was shown in our most recent parliamentary election by ACT and the Maori party not having a large bargaining power with National as they both had possible coalitions with National. They were acting as a check on the other so neither gained an arbitrary power over Nationals decision. This allowed for national to make what they saw as the best decision. This shows that MMP is representative as well as being effective even if it is not top in each discipline. Many critics of MMP have agreed that MMP does lead to a government reflecting the views of New Zealander’s and supporters of MMP conceded to agreeing that it leads to a more unstable government which can infer that it may be not highly effective (Palmer & Palmer, 2004). While FPP contrasts MMP it shows the opposite idea. It shows that there is a tension between effective and representative government. This tension causes a highly representative government to have a very low effectiveness and vice versa. The tension has large effect on how the government operates and this can put a strain on which system will be best. FPP shows how a system cannot be both effective and representative whereas MMP seems to have the balance between being both an effective form of governance while still being rather highly representative. My research has shown that MMP is both an effective form of government and a representative form of government. However it is neither the most representative nor the most effective. The research has identified that an electoral system can be both as I have explained above. This is not to say all electoral systems are. There are always going to be strengths and weaknesses to an electoral system and a compromise between effective and representative will always be required, FPP for example is much more effective than it is representative. The tension between these two disciplines will always have an effect on how the system operates and which system is best suited to the situation. FPP is clearly a system which cannot be both while MMP is the perfect example of a system of governance which is both representative and effective.

Water Molecules

I love to travel and can be found In every home in the United States. I can change into many different shapes and can go almost anywhere If I am given the chance. My story starts in a well in my back yard at my home. I come from an underground aquifer. I can travel through the pipes into my kitchen faucet. I have many uses. I can be hot, warm or even cold. I can be mixed with dish soap in the kitchen sink or ran through a dishwasher to clean the dishes.I can wash clothes or be used to cook with. I can be mixed with something or drank plain. There are a lot of foods made with me. I am used for many things. People clean with me. Drink me and cook with me. I travel swiftly and In many shapes. I also can rise Into the clouds and evaporate Into a gas. It starts to rain. I fall down to earth. I lay in puddles. The plants soak me up. Rain barrels fill with me in them and the animals drink me. Plants and animals cannot survive without me. I make the plants and grass grow.After lying on top o f the soil for a while, what does not evaporate soaks into the soil. I am now groundwater traveling through the ground. I make my way back Into the underground aquifer and back Into my well. This Is a never ending process. I start my cycle all over again. I am used many times thru out the day. I go through my cycle over and over each day and night. Everyone needs me. Not everyone has easy access to me. Some people have easy access at their homes while others have to buy water or walk for miles to attain enough water to survive.In many cases water is being wasted. Hydrogen bonding holds water molecules together. At 32 degrees the kinetic energy is so low that the water freezes. When the temperature rises the kinetic energy thaws and we then have liquid water again. When the molecules absorb energy from the sunlight evaporation takes place and this is called water vapor which is the gas state. References: Wright, r. , & bores, d. (2014). Water: Hydrological Cycle and Human use. Enviro nmental Action.

Women of Kievan Rus

The women of Kievan Rus were in a much different setting and social structure than their western counterparts. With the arrival of Christianity in Kievan Rus can new changes to family relations and positions of women in society and the household. The church divided women into two groups, the â€Å"good† and the â€Å"evil† women. The determination of who fell into what group was determined on how they compared to the norms of behavior of saints. With women divided into two groups the church focused more on the conduct of â€Å"evil† women.The church handed down instructions on the conduct of women. The core of these instructions was based on the submissiveness of women to god and their husbands. They urged women to stay silent and be socially dependent. But women’s lives were not totally controlled and they were not treated sub-humanly. As seen in the treaty between Novgorod and Gotland slave women had rights and were defended against harm. The example it gives is the denial to rape or harm slave women. Their social roles were protected and offenders would have to stand trial and pay a heavy fine.Their counterparts, free women were also protected and held interesting privileges. Women were well protected from anything stemming from simple insults to rape. They also had a choice in their marriage partner and if they were forced into a marriage then the parents would have to pay a hefty fine. There were documents unearthed, which showed that Novgorod women lent money and owned land. Women in Novgorod and Kievan Rus were a unique sect of society with both freedoms and restrictions.

Youth sports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Youth sports - Essay Example The highlighted that youth sports are very important for the social skills development, where the youngsters interact with other individuals and are the best way to make friends as well as acquaintances. It does not only help them in interacting with other socially, but at the same time gives them a sense of belonging and unity as well. Apart from the social benefits, the physical advantages are also great where the athletic youngsters mature and grow in physique and body composition in a better manner in comparison to the non athletic youngsters. The normal structural growth of the body and the bones has to be supported by the proper physical exerting activities and exercise has proved itself to be the best way for the improvement of the bone width and the mineralization. (Volkwein-Caplan, K. A. E., 2009) Most importantly, the benefits of the youth sports is not only limited to the development of the physique and the social skills, but the physical activities lead to the psychological advantages for the youngsters as well. Sports give these youngsters a sense of accomplishment and achievement where they start believing in their abilities and their talent. Winning is associated with the motivation and even participating at some level gives them a fair opportunity to build confidence. The psychological advantages associated with the youth sports are very important, but at the same time the personality traits and characteristics are also nourished and expanded. The sense of belonging to a team makes the youngsters self disciplined individuals and they do not only commit themselves to a certain team but in order to strive for success, they put in a lot of hard work to practice sessions and then succeed at the end of the day. (Volkwein-Caplan, K. A. E., 2009) The development of confidence plays a vital role and the challenging training sessions is

Law practice management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law practice management - Essay Example The customer can also pay a USD 100 fee, for the first call for service. Ordinarily, the first hour of services will cost a customer not more than USD 250. The center will target its services at young customers, and will guarantee them the legal services help they need, before they say or do anything that may place then in compromising situations. Through the outlook, the center is reorganizing its traditional business, so that it can stand out from the crowd of legal service providers, towards pacing-up to the innovativeness adopted by different industries (Suskind 172). The group chose this legal practice area, following the increment of the sentiments of customers that the flexibility of legal services is low. Many legal services consumers have also expressed the sentiments that the costs of legal services is very high, and bulky, therefore many customers may not be able or willing to purchase the customized service packages offered by lawyers (Suskind 57). Through unbundling the legal services, splitting the different areas of service into component parts will help the center, in offering the different services in the most efficient manner. Due to this outlook, the lawyers at the center will not offer the services based on the undivided time of a single lawyer serving the wide range of the legal needs of their client (Suskind 59). The lawyers at the center will offer customized services to different clients, and some aspects served simultaneously for different customers, so that the center and the customer can reap from the economies of scale. The choice of this service line was also based on the fact that the unbundled services will be marketed in a relatively decentralized manner, and sold in a way which is similar to that of other service sectors like document processing and tax preparation (Suskind 157). Qn.2. The urgent legal services center will be characterized by the unbundling of the service packages offered by a lawyer. The unbundling of the servi ces into different component parts will help the different team members to offer the different services in the most efficient way possible. The center will offer its services to current and potential customers around the clock, which will increase the flexibility of service consumption (Van Zandt 1130). Though the adoption of a more flexible service delivery pattern, the center will exploit the potential clientele that are restrained from seeking legal services due to time and the costs of services. The marketing of the services of the center will be done through the lawyer-client relations developed after the formation of the center and those from the contacts of different lawyers. Through adopting this marketing outlook, the center will benefit from the diversity of social interactions, which will reach potential customers that the center or the different lawyers could not reach. The center will offer unbundled services to different customers, depending on the characteristics of t he services required by the given client. This outlook was chosen, because unbundling will be easier for comparatively routine services, where many personal issues or complex links are not involved (Van Zandt 1130). An example

Research Method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research Method - Essay Example Inamulhaq (2012) discussed that there are different techniques which can be adopted by nurses and other health practitioners in order to ensure and improve hand washing techniques. One of these methods is health education, and this would necessitate the actual training of the staff in relation to proper hand washing techniques in the clinical setting (Inamulhaq, 2012). The availability of antibacterial soaps was also highlighted as an important means of ensuring the application of hand washing techniques. Moreover, facilities where hand washing can be carried out can also be made available in as many places as possible for the hospital staff (Inamulhaq, 2012). In the paper by Erasmus and colleagues (2010), the importance of action planning, was established as one of the effective ways hand washing among nurses can be improved. Action planning involves active participation in the hand washing process, for example, nurses may list when they are supposed to wash their hands. Covering 17 participants in a pilot study on hand hygiene behaviour, the authors established that where an action plan for the nurses is established before or during the shift, the possibility of ensuring that hand washing is carried out becomes greater (Erasmus, et.al., 2010). The action plan then soon becomes part of the nurse’s routine and the possibility of compliance is significantly improved (Erasmus, et.al., 2010). In the study by Nicol, et.al., (2009) the authors emphasized the theory of planned behaviour. The study revealed that the theory of planned behaviour could sufficiently help improve the education and training of nurses in hand hygiene behaviour (Nicol, et.al., 2009). This study was also able to demonstrate that deep-seated habits which are incorporated well into a person’s activities have a significant potential of improving a certain activity or behaviour (Nicol, et.al., 2009). The theory of planned

Reflection On Crime Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Reflection On Crime - Research Paper Example Various crime theories have emerged assuming diverse perspectives ranging from psychological, biological, sociological and even patterns of interconnected scientific explanations. Criminologists have remained vigilant in discovering innovative points of views that could link outcomes of criminal behavior to their root causes. In this regard, the current reflective paper aims to proffer issues related to three specific topics, to wit: (1) the study of crime; (2) biological and psychological explanations of crime; and finally, (3) deterrence, incapacitation, retribution and rehabilitation. Significant applications related to the issues would be discussed. Likewise, the discourse would address how one can apply what is learned from the topics towards becoming a more valuable member of society. The study ultimately aims to determine how theoretical concepts learned from the modules would contribute to improving the peace and order by deterring crimes in society through an individual†™s proactive view. The Study of Crime A crime is a conduct forbidden by law for which punishment is prescribed. Thus, the ideas of crime and punishment are intimately connected. To commit a crime is to run the risk that punishment will be imposed. Diverse theories have tried to explain the origin of criminal behavior. In the article entitled Criminology: the study of crime and behavior, Aristotle identified poverty as â€Å"the parent of revolution and crime† (Criminology, n.d, par. 1) tracing the explanation to elements in the environment as contributory to the criminal behavior. The same discourse provided different criminology theories that were discussed in the modules, initially detailing the classical theory where â€Å"people choose to behave wrongly when they believe the benefits outweigh the costs† (Criminology, n.d, par. 5). Culen & Agnew (2002) have clearly illustrated variables and assumptions for theories of crime ranging from strain, routine, strain, co ntrol theories where factors as diverse as the facets of personalities and external influences attempt to provide meaning to their occurrences. Where poverty was identified by Aristotle providing the impetus for sociologists to examine both social and cultural forces that impinge on individuals to commit errant behavior, other distinct findings prove genetics and biological factors increase susceptibility to crimes. Theorists like Lombroso and Hoorten seek to find some patterns from individuals’ personal traits as evidence for stronger links to the occurrence of crime (Criminology, n.d, pars. 22 & 23). Aside from variables, assumptions, factors and the dominant groups of criminologists, psychologists and sociologists supporting these criminology theories, the study of crime also encompasses new professionals in the capacity of economists as interested in this field of endeavor. The study conducted by Bushway and Reuter (n.d.) emphasized a â€Å"focus on rational self-seeking behavior and analysis of the consequences of interactions among groups of actors that create equilibria in a system† (1). This just proves that the study of crimes is indeed a multidisciplinary approach that intrigues professionals from other fields to explain the rationale for their occurrence and existence despite sanctions and punishments prescribed by the legal