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Comparative Politics > Comparative Government and Politics - Key Concepts > Flashcards

Comparative Government and Politics - Key Concepts Flashcards

1
Q

What is a concept

A

an idea, term or category

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2
Q

what is political science

A

the study of the theory and practice of government and politics, focusing on the structure and dynamics of institutions, political processes and political behaviour

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3
Q

what is social science

A

the study of human society and of the structured interactions among people within society

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4
Q

what is government

A

the institutions and structures through which societies are governed

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5
Q

what is an institution

A

a formal organization or practice with a political purpose or effect, marked by durability and internal complexity

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6
Q

what is Hobbes’s case for government

A

without a ruler/government, society enters a state of humanity that is ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short’, as they would be engaged in a war against every other man

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7
Q

where does Hobbes lay out his case for a government

A

Leviathan (published in 1651)

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8
Q

what is a political system

A

the interactions and organizations through which a society reaches and successfully enforces collective decisions

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9
Q

what is governance

A

the process by which decisions, laws, and policies are made, with or without the input of formal instutitons

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10
Q

what is politics

A

the process by which people negotiate and compete in the process of making and executing shared or collective decisions

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11
Q

what is power

A

the capacity to bring about intended effects and is a synonym for influence, or more forceful modes of influence.

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12
Q

where does the group Boko Haram operate

A

Nigeria

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13
Q

when was the first presidential election in Nigeria where the incumbent was defeated by their opponent

A

2015

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14
Q

when did Nigeria gain independence

A

1960

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15
Q

what is Nigeria ranked on the democracy index rating

A

hybrid regime

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16
Q

what is a hybrid regime

A

a regime which is a mixture of authoritarianism and democracy

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17
Q

what ruled Nigeria for 30 years

A

the military

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18
Q

who outlined three dimensions of power

A

Lukes

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19
Q

what is the core question of the first dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

Who Prevails when preferences conflict?

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20
Q

what is the core quality of the first dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

decisions are made on issues over which there is an observable conflict of interests

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21
Q

what is the core question of the second dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

who controls whether preferences are expressed?

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22
Q

what is the core quality of the second dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

decisions are prevented from being taken on potential issues over which there is an observable conflict of interests

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23
Q

what is the core question of the third dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

who shapes preferences?

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24
Q

what is the core quality of the third dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

potential issues are kept out of politics, whether through social forces, institutional practices, or the decisions of individuals

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25
what is legitimacy
the condition of being legitimate. A legitimate system of government is one based on authority, and those subject to its rule recognize its right to make decisions
26
what is ideology
a system of connected beliefs, a shared view of the world, or a blueprint for how politics, economics, and society should be structured
27
what are the typical features of anarchism
all forms of governmental authority are unnecessary, and society is best structured around voluntary cooperation and free association
28
what are the typical features of marxism
elimination of the state system and private property will lead to the creation of a classless, non-exploitative and self governing society
29
what are the typical features of liberalism
individuals are the best judges of their own interests. Advocates a tolerant society which maximises personal freedom, and favours a government which is limited but freely elected
30
what are the typical features of conservatism
traditional institutions and practices work best, the free market is the most efficient at meeting societal needs, and government should be as decentralised as possible
31
what are the typical features of fascism?
supports the achievement of national unity through an authoritarian state, strong leadership, mass mobilization, and an emphasis on nationalism and militarism
32
what is the study of internaitonal relations
the study of relations between and among states, including diplomacy, foreign policy, international organizations, war and peace
33
what is comparative politics
the systematic study of government and politics in different countries, designed to better understand them by drawing out their contrasts and similarities
34
what is the study of national politics
the study of politics and government in the setting of individual states, including institutions and political processes
35
what is the study of political philosophy
the study of issues such as authority, ethics and freedom
36
what is the study of political theory?
the study of abstract or generalized approaches to understanding political phenomena
37
what is the study of public policy?
the study of the positions taken or avoided by governments in response to public needs
38
what is a typology
a system of classification by which states, institutions, processes, politics, cultures, and so on are divided into groups or types with common sets of attributes
39
what is the three worlds system
a political typology that divided the world along ideological lines, with states labelled according to the side they took in the Cold War
40
what is the first world?
the wealthy, democratic industrialized states, most of which were partners in the Western alliances against communism
41
what is the second world?
communist systems, including most of those states, ranged against the Western alliance
42
what is the third world?
poorer, less democratic, and less developed states, some of which took sides in the cold war, but some of which did not
43
what is Aristotle's classification of government
a way of cateogirsing leadership and rule based on the number of individuals in charge and the form of leadersihp
44
what is the perverted leadership of one individual
tyranny
45
what is the genuine leadership of one individual
kingship
46
what is the perverted leadership conducted by a few individuals
oligarchy
47
what is the genuine leadership of a few individuals called
aristocracy
48
what is the perverted leadership of many called
democracy
49
what is the genuine leadership of many called
polity
50
what is the study of public policy
the study of positions taken or avoided by governments in response to public needs
51
what did the Economic Intelligence Unit use to classigy political systems
a democracy index
52
what is the democracy index developed by the EIU based off of
60 different measures
53
what country ranked highest on the EIU democracy index
Norway - 9.87
54
what country ranked lowest on the EIU democracy index
North Korea - 1.08
55
what index did Freedom House develop in 1972
the Freedom in the World Index
56
what does the Freedom in the World Index classify countries as
free partly free not free
57
what is gross domestic product
the core measure of the size of economies, calculated by giving a monetary value to all goods and services produced within a country in a given year, regardless of who owns the different means of production
58
what is government meant to provide
security and predictability
59
what is the risk of Hobbes' commonwealth
it will abuse its own authority, creating more problems than it solves
60
what was Locke's criticism of Hobbes' argument
there is no profit in avoiding the dangers of foxes if the outcome is simply to be devoured by lions
61
what is an example of a system that has a process of governance but no government
international politics; there is no global government
62
what is the role of governance in reference to government
we need the concept of governance as a supplement, rather than a replacement, for the notion of government
63
what are key examples of politics
debates between the President and Congress over the budget the holding of non-binding referendums in Catalonia in 2014 and 2017 over independence
64
what are some question raised over politics
when one country invades another, is it engaged in politics or merely in war?
65
what are the three clear aspects of politics
- it is a collective activity, occurring between and among people. - it involves making decisions regarding a course of action to take or a disagreement to be resolved - Political decisions become authoritative policy for the group, binding and committing its members
66
why is politics unavoidable
we live in groups that must reach collective decisions about using resources, relating to other, and planning for the future
67
what did Aristotle say about politics
'man is by nature a political animal'
68
what is an example of the difference between power and authority?
while Russia may exercise some power over Russians living in countries like Ukraine, the Baltics and Kazahkstan, its formal authority stops at the Russian border
69
what are Weber's three ways of validating political power
- by tradition or the accepted way of doing things - by charisma or intense commitment to a leader and his or her message - by appeal to legal-rational norms, based on the rule-governed powers of an office, rather than a person
70
who coined the idea of ideology
Antoine Destutt de Tracy during the 1790s, in the aftermath of the French Revolution
71
what was Dogan and Pelassy's (1990) defence of comparative politics
because the comprehension of a single case is linked to the understanding of many cases, because we perceive the particular better in the light of generalities, international comparison increases tenfold the possibility of explaining political phenomena. The observer who studies just one country could interpret as normal what in fact appears to the comparativist as abnormal
72
what is the benefit of comparative politics
it opens up new horizons and exciting new possibilities as we learn more about the sheer variety of forms in which government and politics can be found
73
what is the ideal typology
one that is simply, neat, consistent, logical, and as real and useful to the casual observer as it is to journalists, political leader, or political scientists

Comparative Politics (24 decks)

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