Ethyl Wood Topic Two: Sovereignty, Authority, and Power Flashcards
Powerful Individuals In Today’s World
Power is territorially organized into states or countries that control what happens within their borders
States
“The organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory” = controls who can and cannot use weapons and force (sets rules to how violence is conducted)
What do States sponsor?
Armies, navies, and/or air forces that legitimately use power and sometimes violence. Individual citizens are very restricted
Institutions
Stable, long lasting organizations that help turn political ideas into policy. (Ex: bureaucracies, legislatures, judicial systems, and political parties)
Sovereignty
The ability to carry out actions or policies within their borders independently from interference either from the inside or the outside
Corruption
States that lack autonomy; not independent; exploited by leaders and/or organizations that see states as a resource to use their own ends. (Prevalent in LDC’s and NIC’s)
General Welfare
Health, Transportation, and Effective Communication Systems
What is a state that is unable to exercise sovereignty lacking?
Autonomy, because it is lacking independence it may be exploited, this results in high level corruption.
Nation
A group of people that are bound by a common political identity
Nationalism
Sense of belonging and identity between nations
Patriotism
The resulting pride and loyalty that individuals feel toward their nations
Binational/Multinational State
One that contains more than one nation
Stateless nations
People without a state
Core Areas
Expanding along their frontiers. The growth generally stops when they bump up against other nation-states, causing them to define boundaries.
States periphery
Outlying areas (towns get smaller/factories fewer)
Multicore states
States with more than one core area
Regime
Rules that a state sets and follows in exerting its power
Democracies
Based on the authority and will of the people
Indirect Democracies
The people elect representatives
Direct Democracies
Individuals have immediate say over many decisions the government makes
How many branches do democratic governments usually have?
Three major branches: executives, legislatures, and judicial courts.
Parliamentary Systems
A system where citizens vote for legislative representatives, who in turn select leaders of the executive branch
Presidential Systems
A system where citizens vote for legislative representatives and executive branch leaders
Parliamentary Sovereign
A principle closely related to a parliamentary system (democracy) that governs the decision making process.
(Theoretically) What does the legislature do?
(1) Makes the laws
(2) Controls finances
(3) appoints and dismisses the prime minister and the cabinet
(4) Debates public issues
(Realistically) What does the legislature do?
Strong party discipline within the legislature develops over time – the cabinet initiates legislation and makes policy; no separation of power exists because the power-holders are all leaders of the legislative branch.
Head of Government
Someone who controls power and direct a nation/states decision making policies (ex: Prime Minister of England)
Head of State
Someone who represents power (ex: the Queen of England)
In a Presidential system, the President hold what positions?
Chief Executive, Head of State, and Head of Governmeny
Checks and Balances
Between the legislative, executive (and sometimes) judicial branch – all three branches CHECKS and BALANCES each other
Separation of Powers
Branches ensures that power is shared and that one branch does not come to dominate the others
Semi-Presidential System
A system where a Prime Minister coexists with a President who is directly elected by the people and who holds a significant degree of power.
(Authoritarian Regimes) Communism
A theory developed in which the communist party controls everything from the government to the economy to the social life.
Corporatism
An arrangement in which government officials interact with people/groups outside the government before they set policy – generally business or labor related leaders
Common Characteristics of an Authoritarian Regime
(1) Small group of elites exercising power over the state
(2) Citizens with little or no input into selection of leaders and government decisions
(3) No constitutional responsibility of leaders to the public
(4) Restriction of civil rights and civil liberties
Authoritarian Regimes are still ________!!!!!!!
LEGITIMATE
Totalitarianism
These regimes usually have very strong ideological goals that many authoritarian systems lack
Military Rule
One form of nondemocratic rule.
Prevalent in Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia
Coup d’etat
A forced takeover of the government
Modern Corporatism is a method in which business labor, and/or other interest groups bargain what?
They bargain with the state over economic policy.
Co-optation
The means a regime uses to get support from citizens
Patron-clientelism
System in which the state provides specific benefits of favors to a single person or small group in return for public support
Pluralism
A situation in which power is split among many groups that compete for the chance to influence the government’s decision-making.
How is Democratic Pluralism different from pluralism?
(1) the formation of interest groups is spontaneous
(2) the dialogue between interest groups and the state is voluntary and the groups remain autonomous
Legitimacy
The right to rule as determined by their citizens.
(1) Traditional Legitimacy
The belief that traditional should determine who rules and how; revolves around myths and legends
(2) Charismatic Legitimacy
Based on the dynamic personality of an individual leader or a small group and has indefinable set of qualities that make people want to follow a leader
(3) Rational-legal Legitimacy
Based on neither Traditional or Charismatic , but rather on a system of well-established laws and procedures
Common Law
Based on tradition, past practices, and legal precedents set by the courts through past rulings
Code Law
Based on a comprehensive system of written rules (codes) divided into commercial, civil, and criminal codes.
In a Democracy, what is the legitimacy of leaders is based on?
Fair, competitive elections, and open political participation by citizens.
(Factors that encourage legitimacy)
1. Economic well-being
Citizens tend of credit their government with economic prosperity, and blame government for economic hardships
(Factors that encourage legitimacy)
2. Historical tradition/longevity
If a government has been in place for a long time, citizens and other countries are more likely to view it as legitimate
(Factors that encourage legitimacy)
3. Charismatic Leadership
Charisma is a powerful factor in establishing legitimacy, whether the country is democratic or totalitarian
(Factors that encourage legitimacy)
4. Nationalism/Shared political culture
If citizens identify strongly with their nation, not just the state, they are usually more accepting of the legitimacy of its gov’t
(Factors that encourage legitimacy)
5. Satisfaction with the governments performance /responsiveness
Chances are that the gov’t is a legitimate one if citizens receive benefits from the government such as protection from violence in crime, or winning a war.
Political Culture
The collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on.
Social Capital
The amount of reciprocity and trust that exists among citizens, and between citizens and the state.
(1) Consensual Political Culture
Although citizens may disagree on political processes and policies, they tend to agree on how decisions are made, what issues should be addressed, and how problems should be solved; accepts both legitimacy of the regime and solutions to major problems
(2) Conflictual Political Culture
Sharply divided citizens often on both the legitimacy of the regime and the solutions to major problems
Political ideologies
Sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics
Liberalism
Places emphasis on individual political and economic freedom
Communism
Places emphasis on equality over freedom.
Socialism
Places emphasis on the value of equality with communism but influenced by the liberal value of freedom
Facism
Rejects the value of equality and accepts the idea that people and groups exist in degrees of inferiority and superiority
