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Comparative Analysis of Political Systems > CAPS Glossary > Flashcards

CAPS Glossary Flashcards

1
Q

What is a state?

A

Main unit of poltical organisation

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2
Q

What are core feautures of a state

A

Territory, population, sovereignty (domestic / external)

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3
Q

Which kind of anomalies of states are there?

A

Supranational organisations (EU)
Partially recognised states (Taiwan/Palestine) which behave as countries but lack full external soverignty/ recognition
De facto states - behave as states, but are recognised by very small minority of states
Failed states - states which have external sovereignty but lack domestic sovereingty
Non-sovereign territories (Greenland, Puerto Rico) - non-sovereing states which maintain links with other states

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4
Q

What is a nation?

A

Imagined community, it is a social construct. A nation seeks self-determination and sovereignty (self-governance and political autonomy)

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5
Q

What is ethnicity?

A

A social construct, common descent and heritage
A material basis: Common genetic background and features
Can be internal or cross-cutting, some states have multiple ehtnic groups

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6
Q

What is the difference between ethnicity and nationalism?

A

Ethnicity does not want political sovereignty
Ethnicity can coincide or resist nationalism
Ethnicity and nationalism can be used by political leaders for support or opposing the formation of a nation, or for mobilisation and legitimacy

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7
Q

What is a direct democracy?

A

No distinction between the ruling class and the ruled, almost non-existent, difficult to facilitate in large polities

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8
Q

What is representative Democracy?

A

Distinction between rulers and the ruled, we choose representatives to rule on our behalf. It is criticised for its democratic elitism. Only true democracy with elections

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9
Q

What is a majoritarian democracy?

A

A majority of people should decide

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10
Q

What is a liberal democracy?

A

As many people as possible should decide. Emphasis on protection of minorities, freedom and rule of law. Can be seen as less democratic as majority preference is not always decisive

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11
Q

What is an Authoritarian Regime

A

The most important feautures are no competition for political power and limited freedoms for the population

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12
Q

What is a democratic regime?

A

Strong element of political equality.
Direct / representative democracy
Majoritarian vs Liberal Democracy

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13
Q

What are Hybrid / Illiberal Regimes?

A

Different degrees of Media Freedoms, Judicial Freedom, Civil Rights, Role of the Opposition, etc. Often unstable classification of progress or regress. Often unstable and plagued by massive political turmoil between pro-democracy advocates and authoritarian forces.

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14
Q

Totalitarian Regime

A

Want to transform society on an ideological basis. Participation ecourages or enforced, state controls all apsects of public and private life. System of terro usually enforced by a secret police. Single mass party, often led by a charismatic dictator

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15
Q

What is a cleavage?

A

Social division creating a collective identity among those on each side of the divide
Lipset and Rokkan ) cleavages are important for democracy because they establish regular channels for the expression of conflicting interests in democratic nation-states

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16
Q

Name 4 examples of cleavages

A

Class cleavage (owner / worker)
Religious cleavage (Church / State)
Urban / Rural
Politcal Centre / Periphery

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17
Q

What are dormant cleavages?

A

Cleavages that exist in society but do not translate to party competition / are not strongly politicised

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18
Q

Cross-cutting cleavages

A

Cleavages that cross-cut. Owners and workers living in both urban and rural areas

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19
Q

Overlapping Cleavages

A

Owners are catholic and workers are protestant. Cleavages dont cross-cut

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20
Q

Salient Cleavages

A

Cleavages that create divergent political interests. Not in authoritarian systems

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21
Q

Regime

A

The norms and rules regarding individual freedom and collective equality, the focus and use of that power

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22
Q

Presidential system

A

A legislative-executive system that features a directly elected president with most executive powers. (Ex. US and Brazil)

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23
Q

Semi-Presidential system

A

A legislative-executive system that features a prime minister approved by the legislature and a directly elected president (Ex. France, Russia, Iran (theocratic elements)

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24
Q

Parliamentary system

A

A legislative-executive system that features a head of government (often prime minister) elected from within legislature (Ex. UK, Germany, South Africa)

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25
Q

Head of Government

A

Individual who deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, such as formulating and executing policy

26
Q

Head of State

A

Individual who symbolizes and represents the people nationally / internationally, embodying and articulating the goals of the regime

27
Q

Electoral system

A

system that determines how votes are cast and counted

28
Q

Single-Member Districts

A

Districts in which only one representitive for each constituency and the candidate with the largest number of votes - not majority - winst the seat

29
Q

Multi-member Districts

A

Districts in which more than one legislative seat is contested

30
Q

Majoritarian electoral system

A

An electoral system where the winning candidate needs the majority of votes (ex. US, presidential elections in France)

31
Q

Plurality system

A

A system where you only need to acquire a plurality of votes (more than other candidates) Ex. UK, legislative elections in France

32
Q

Proportional representation

A

electoral system where the percentage of votes a party receives in a district dtermines how manhy of that district’s seats the party will gain
- Open-List PR (used in Brazil, Weimar Republic, French Fourth Republic) - Electoral system where voters have some influence over which candidates on a party list are elected ( =weak party discipline, fragmentation, personalistic voting)
- Closed-List PR (used in South-Africa) vote on the party not the candidate (=strong party discipline, weaker intra-party democracy)

33
Q

Mixed electoral system

A

electoral system that combines single-member districts and proportional representation
- Mixed member majoritarian (Russia)
- Mixed Member Proportional (Germany)

34
Q

First-Past-the-Post

A

Electoral system where the candidate that wins only needs to acquire a certain vote share to win (plurality / majority)

35
Q

Duverger’s Law

A

Majority / plurality (FPTP / SMD / two-round / alternative vote) systems tend to result in two-party
systems
Proportional / mixed (List PR, single transferable vote, mixed member proportional) systems tend to
result in multi-party systems
Majority systems limit the number of cleavages that can be expressed in party competition
Proportional / mixed systems allow for more to be expressed
But: Electoral system is just one of the factors determining party competition. It is the interplay between
cleavages, parties and elections that decides.

36
Q

Two-Round system

A

Majoritarian system that seeks to ensure the majority of the public support the elected candidate. Encourages electoral alliances (two-bloc system)(where creating a wide coalition is necessary to win the second round). Ex. France, Russia, Brazil, Iran

37
Q

Intra-Party Politics / Democracy

A

A vote for president. Not president in China, but in USA very much

38
Q

What two revolutions created cleavages?

A

Industrial Revolution = class cleavage
Frech Revolution = Centre-Periphery / Religion Cleavage

39
Q

Ideology

A

Collection of beliefs and values. Can be invoked to mobilise people around clevages

40
Q

What does the translation of cleavages into parties and party systems depend on?

A

Legitimisation of the cleavage - recognistion of opposition
Incorporation - does the cleavage matter
Representation - Are the cleavages represented in parties
Majority Power - If majority is so powerful, other cleavages become irrelevant

41
Q

Party families

A

Conservative
Communist
New Left
Liberal
Christian Democratic
Green
Radical / Far-Right
Populist
Ethnic
Regional / Secessionist

42
Q

Freezing hypothesis

A

Lipset and Rokkan ) Parties have remained even though cleavages might have changed

43
Q

Alignment

A

party identification on the basis of cleavage structure and ideologies.

44
Q

Realigment

A

Shifting party identification on the basis of changin cleavages or change in political systemd

45
Q

Dealignment

A

Declining party identification that is not replaced with new ones
- declining rates of political participation due to lacking identification
- political apathy and cynicism

46
Q

Silent Revolution

A

Inglehart: Value change in post-industrial democracies in the 1960s-70s
Rising material welfare = New group of yojng people emerge who do not identify with material values or economic position, but are concerded with new values: Democracy / human rights / environment / pacifism
System change: New Left, Green parties

47
Q

Unitary State

A

States that concentrate most political power in the national capital, allocating very little decision-making power to regions or localities: UK, France, China, South Africa, Iran

48
Q

Federal States

A

States whose power is divided between the central state and regional or local authorities (such as provinces, counties, and cities)
EX. US, Germany, Russia, Brazil

49
Q

Symmetrical Federalism

A

All units have the same power

50
Q

Asymmetrical Federalism

A

A system where power is devolved unequally across the country and its constituent regions, often the result of specific laws negotiated between the region and the central government

51
Q

Cooperative Federalism

A

States and federal government share power

52
Q

Competitive federalism

A

States oppose the actions of the central government and vice versa, especially states with ideological differences with the federal government

53
Q

Judicial Review

A

The mechanism by which a court can review laws and policies and overturn that are seen as violations of the state’s constitution
Ex. Germany, Iran, USA, Brazil, South Africa
(cannot in UK)

54
Q

Abstract Review

A

The power of judicial review that allows courts to decide on questions that do not arise from actual legal cases; sometimes occurs even before legislation becomes law.

55
Q

Concrete Review

A

The power of judicial review that allows the high court to rule on constitutional issues only on the basis of disputes brought before it.

56
Q

Common Law

A

legal system based on custom and precedent rather than formal legal codes

57
Q

Code Law

A

Law derived from detailed legal codes rather than from precedent

58
Q

Input legitimation

A

rulers derive legitimacy from being elected by the people

59
Q

Output legitimacy

A

rulers derive legitimacy from their performance. Authoritarian regimes need to maintain idea of stability and economic growth or they face a profound threat to their rule

60
Q

Charismatic Legitimacy

A

legitimacy based on a state’s identification with an important individual

61
Q

Clientelism

A

Reciprocal relation between patron (politician) and client (voter)
Client offers patron political support in exchange for material benefits (jobs, food, money, permits/loans)
Seen as anti-democratic or corrupt
Seen in all systems but particularly in new democracies and post-colonial states
Alternative for cleavage-based / programmatic politics

62
Q
A

Comparative Analysis of Political Systems (10 decks)

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