AP Comp General Terms Flashcards
accountability
the concept that government officials are responsible to, and may be removed from office by their constituents or other government officials
advisory opinion
an opinion of a court that does not decide a specific legal case, but instead simply advises other parts of the government on the proper interpretation of the constitution, law, or regulation
agents of political socialization
the societal structures through which political orientation is passed from some members of a society to others
agricultural society
a society in which most economic production comes from agriculture
apostasy
the formal abandonment of one’s religion
apportionment
the process of allocating power to a set of consituencies
arable land
land that is suitable for raising crops (it need not be cultivated to count)
authoritarian system
a system led by a group of leaders that has complete authority and is unaccountable to the population
authority
similar to power, but with a claim of legitimacy
autocracy
a system of government in which one person has unlimited power
big tent parties
political parties that seek to build large coalitions across the cleavages within their society
bureaucracy
a body of unelected government officials
bureaucrat
a member of a bureaucracy
cabinet
a council of high-ranking government officials wielding at least some of the executive power of government (members often serve as advisers to a president or prime minister)
civil disobedience
the intentional breaking of laws with the intention of exposing those laws’ lack of fairness or justice
civil law (code law)
a system of laws in which only legislative acts, and properly executed regulations, have the force of law (judicial precedents rarely, if ever, have the force of law in these systems
cleavages
divisions that cause people within a society to support different sides of an issue, support a particular party, or vote differently from their fellow citizens
clientelism
the practice of exchanging public resources for votes, and political support. Often seen in corporatist systems, although its existence is not limited to such systems
code law system
(civil law) a system of laws in which only legislative acts, and properly executed regulations, have the force of law (judicial precedents rarely, if ever, have the force of law in these systems
co-equal branches
the concept frequently found in presidential systems that the three branches of government are equal in power to each other, with no branch superior to the other two
coinciding cleavages
when membership in a particular segment of society correlates with membership in another segment of society. (ex: membership in a particular ethnic group tends to correlate with membership in a particular social class)
collectivization
the process of bringing individual property and resources under communal control (normally seen in communist systems)
command economy
a governmental and political system under which the government is very involved in the planning and operation of the economy. Market forces are not allowed to operate freely
common law
a system of laws created through judicial precedents rather than legislative or executive actions. In common law systems, judicial precedents have the force of law, unless a specific legislative act, or executive regulation, is passed that supersedes these precedents
communism
a political ideology which advocates a political system in which all property is held in common, usually by the state
conservatism
a political ideology which advocates a political system in which traditional institutions are respected and maintained, while allowing for slow and minimal change
constitution
a set of fundamental laws, usually found in a single document, which lay out the powers and structures of a government, as well as the relationship between the government and the people
constitutional monarchy
a governmental system in which the power of a monarch is limited
co-option or co-optation
the political tactic of winning over opponents by assimilating some of their positions into your own
corporatist system
a political system based on the cooperation of the government and key interest groups
correlation
the association of two events in time and/or space without a clear causal relationship
coup d’etat
the forceful removal of a government, often by the military
cross-cutting cleavages
cross-cutting cleavages exist when membership in one segment of society does not correlate with membership in another segment of society. For example, membership in a particular ethnic group does not tend to correlate with membership in a particular social class
de facto
a latin term meaning in fact. Often used in politics to describe situations in which political realities differ from those required by law
de jure
a latin term meaning in or by law. Often used in politics to describe situations in which political realities differ from those required by law
democracy
rule by the people
democratic centralism
a highly centralized system of government in which members of the ruling party in a single-party state are allowed to debate policy, but once a decision has been reached by majority vote, all members are expected to abide by the decision
democratization
movements in society towards free, fair, and competitive elections of policy makers
developed country
a country with an industrial or post-industrial economy and a high standard of living
developing country
a country with an economy that has yet to fully industrialize
devolution
the process by which a government under a unitary system transfers power to sub-national governments
economic development
the measure of the social and economic progress of countries
electoral system
the system by which voters choose their representatives
electorate
voters as a group
empirical
information gained through observation
ethnic group (ethnicity)
a group of people who identify with each other due to a shared culture and/or language
executive power
the power to execute or enforce laws
fascism
a political ideology that advocates a political system in which the nation, or race, is seen as most important; not the individual nor even the people as a collective
federal system
a system of government in which some power of government ultimately rests in regional governments rather than in the central government
gerrymandering
the manipulation of electoral district boundaries for political purposes
GINI Index
a statistical measure of income inequality in a society
Glasnost
the Russian word for openness. Describes the policy of increased political openness seen near the end of the U.S.S.R.
Government
the people in charge of a territory at a given time
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
the value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year
Gubernatorial
of, or having to do with, governors
Head of government
usually the person in charge of the executive power
head of state
the representative of a country to the world. A largely ceremonial position in many systems
Human Development Index
a statistical measure of the development of a society based on levels of health, education, and standards of living
identity politics
politics based on membership in a particular interest group or segment of society rather than individualized self-interest
ideology
a set of ethical principles that help provide an outline of the proper ordering of society and explain how society should work
illiberal democracy
a system in which elections are not free, fair, or competitive, and/or political liberties are not respected
industrialization
the process of moving from an agricultural society to an industrial society
industrialized
describes a society in which mechanized production of goods is common
industrial society
a society with an economy based in the production of machine-made goods
interest groups
groups of people organized to support a particular cause
judicial power
the power to interpret the laws
legislation
laws passed by a legislature
legislative power
the power to make laws
legitimacy
the generally held belief that the government has the right to rule or exercies power
liberal democracy
free, fair, and competitive elections are held, and political liberties such as free speech and press are respected
liberalism
a political ideology that advocates individual autonomy, respect for civil liberties, and rapid progress
Magna Carta
the first document that limited the power of the English monarch
Majority
more than 50%
market economy
a governmental and political system in which the governent lets market forces, for the most part, control
minority
less than 50%
monarchy
a system of government with a hereditary ruler
multiparty system
a system in which more than two parties vie for real power within the political structure
nation
a large group of people with ties to a particular piece of land or area who share a unified identity based in a shared culture, history, and language. Normally, the term is only used when such groups have or desire a government of their own.
nation-state
a sovereign state largely populated by people who share a unified identity based in a shared culture, history, and language
newly-developed country
a country that has recently moved significantly toward an industrial economy, and as a result, has seen a significant rise in its standard of living
normative
relating to an ideal
oligarchy
rule by the few
patronage
the privileges a government grants to its supporters
patron-client relationships
the relationships seen in systems of clientelism, in which governments hand out privileges to supporters
parliamentary system
a system of government where the ministers who hold executive power are chosen from within the legislature and are accountable to it
perestroika
the Russian word for restructuring, used to describe the liberalization of government structures in the Soviet Union under the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev
permanent crops
crops that need not be replanted after each harvest, such as coffee, olives, rubber, apples and oranges
public policy
the actions of a state regarding a particular issues
pluralist system
a system in which groups compete for influence and power
political accomodation
an informal agreement among a government and important interest groups, in response to the interest groups’ concerns about government policy or program benefits
political capital
describes the power of government officials derived from their political popularity
political culture
the way a nation, or other group of people approaches issues of government and politics
political participation
any means used by the people to express their opinions, and perhaps, influence political events and/or government actions
political party
an organization created to get and maintain power, usually within a government
political recruitment
the process through which citizens of a country are chosen to be involved in politics
political socialization
the process by which people get their ideas about politics
post-industrial society
describes a society in which a large portion of the economy is engaged in providing services rather than industrial or agricultural production
presidentialism
describes a system of government in which the president wields extraordinary power and the legislative and judicial branches of government are subordinate to the president
presidential system
a system of government where the executive power is held in a separate branch of government from the legislative power
procedural democracy
a system under which elections are held and the institutions and processes of elected government appear to be in place but for any number of reasons, the results of those elections may not be reflective of the political views of the population
regime
the system, rules, and laws in place in a particular territory at a particular time
rentier state
a state that regularly derives a substantial portion of its revenues from payments by foreign concerns in the form of rent
referendum
a vote by an electorate on an issue referred to it by the government
republic
a system of government where the citizens elect their leaders
right to self-determination
the concept that nations have a right to choose which government will exercise sovereignty over them
secretarian
having to do with religion
semi-presidential system
a political system with a dual executive, usually a president and a prime minister
social capital
the social norms that lead to cooperation within and among groups in a society. Ex: When neighbors keep an eye on each others houses when the other neigbhor is out of town
socialism
a political ideology that advocates a political system in which the means of production and distribution and held in common, usually by the state
sovereignty
having independent legal authority over a particular territory, the legitimate power to rule and make laws for that territory
state
the territory (or one of the territories) under the control of a government
sub-national government
a regional or local government
substantive democracy
a system of government under which elections are held and the results are likely representative of the political views of the population
supranational organization
organizations consisting of a number of sovereign states
theocratic system or theocracy
a system of government under which a deity is seen as the supreme ruler or the entity in which ultimate sovereignty rests
totalitarian system
a system that seeks to forcibly control all fundamental aspects of state, society, and the economy
transparency
the open and public operation of government
under-developed country
a largely outdated term used to describe countries that have not fully industrialized
unitary system of government
a system in which all power ultimately rests in the hands of the central government
veto
the power to reject a piece of legislation
vetting
evaluating for possible approval or acceptance
vote of confidence
sometimes called “no confidence” votes. The means of removing the prime minister and cabinet from power
voter turnout
a way to describe the degree of participation of eligible voters in an election. Can be described as a raw number or as a percentage
wasted votes
votes cast that do not influence the outcome of an election
welfare state system
a governmental system under which the government directly or indirectly provides pensions, healthcare, unemployment insurance, and assistance to the poor and others in need
