Chapter 1 Flashcards
Collective Action Problem
a situation wherein each individual has incentives not to participate in an action that benefits all members of the group (paying taxes)
State
A political legal organization with sovereign power over a particular geographic territory and the population that resides within that territory
Sovereignty
Supreme legal authority over people within a certain territory
Society
all formal and informal organizations, social movements, and interest groups that attempt to articulate their own interests or remain autonomous.
NAtion
a collectively held political identity
Early-forming state
a state that managed to consolidate sovereignty centuries ago
Late forming state
a state that only consolidates sovereignty in recent decades
Failed state
a state where soveirngty has collapsed or was never effectively established
Foreign Direct Investment
the purchase or creation of assets in one country by an individual, firm, or government based in a different country
Mulitnational Corps (MNCs)
firms that are headquartered in one country but operate in others
Democracy
political regime that allows for government accountability to all citizens through institutionalized participation and contestation
Non-democracy
a system in which rulers are not accountable to the ruled because rulers restrict political participation and contestation
unitary system
a state in which the constitution grants the central government exclusive, final authority over policy making w/in the nation
Federal system
system in which the constitution grants two or more governments overlapping political authority over the same group of people and same territory
presidential system
a democratic constitutional design in which voters directly elect a legislature as well as an executive
parliamentary system
a democratic constitutional design in which voters only elect a legislature and in which the legislature itself elects the executive to head the gov’t
prime minister
the chief executive in a parliamentary system elected by parliament members
semi-presidential
a democratic constitutional design in which the pres and prime minister share executive authority
plurality rule
an electoral system in which the candidate that receives the largest share of votes in the electoral district wins the seat
majority rule
an electoral system which requires candidates to win an actual majority of 50% +1 of the votes in an electorial district
proportional representation
electoral system that gives legislative seats to parties in proportion to the votes they receive in each district
mixed electoral system
combines a plurality or majority rule to elect some members of the national legislature while a proportional representation electoral rule is used to elect the remainder
Selectorate
small subset of national population in non-democracies that chooses and removes leader(s)
totalitarian regime
a non-democratic regime that attempts to shape the interests and identities of its citizens through the use of ideological mobilization
Authoritarian regime
controls political pluralism through coercion
Monarchy
head of state; birthright
oligarchy
“ruled by the few” small, social, economic, or political elite
single-party regime
one party dominates all government institutions
military regime
ruled by top members of the armed forces
theocracy
leaders who claim divine guidance hold the authority to rule
