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Comp Gov. > Intro Unit Vocab > Flashcards

Intro Unit Vocab Flashcards

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1
Q

Civil rights

A

protections granted by the government to prevent discrimination against groups
ex. ethnic groups, religious groups, minorities, women

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2
Q

Civil liberties

A

protect individuals from government infringement
ex. freedom of speech

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3
Q

Regime

A

fundamental rules and norms of politics
- embodies long term goals that guide the state regarding individual freedom and collective equality, where power should reside and how power should be used

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4
Q

Hybrid regime

A

a government with both authoritarian and democratic elements

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5
Q

Democratic regime

A

the public gets a large role in governance as well as certain individual rights and liberties

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6
Q

Nondemocratic regime

A

limits public participation and favors those in power

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7
Q

Totalitarian

A

Government has control over EVERYTHING
ex. Nazi, Germany

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8
Q

Authoritarian

A

Government control over politics and economics
Elections are not free/fair
Civil liberties and rights are lacking
Ex. China

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9
Q

Military

A

Government is under the control of the military

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10
Q

Theocracy

A

Government controlled by religious leaders
ex. Iran

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11
Q

illiberal democracy

A

Government with elections that are not completely fair/free and or lacking some civil rights/liberties

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12
Q

Liberal democracy

A

Governments with free/fair elections and civil rights/liberties
ex. US, UK

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13
Q

Unitary system

A

all power is held by the central government and state power is not protected

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14
Q

Federal system

A

power is shared between the nation and state systems and some state power is protected

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15
Q

Devolution

A

the national power grants more power to the states

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16
Q

Legitimacy

A

the people’s belief that the government has the right to rule

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17
Q

Rational/legal legitimacy

A

based on a fair, understandable system of laws that are followed and apply to everyone

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18
Q

Traditional legitimacy

A

the way that things have always been
-established on example rather than legal documents

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19
Q

Charismatic legitimacy

A

based on a ruler’s engaging personality
-ruler is able to convince the people that they have the right to rule
Ex. Hitler

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20
Q

Authority

A

the government’s legitimate right to rule
- sources include constitutions, religion, military forces, elections

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21
Q

Democratization

A

the transition from an authoritarian state to an illiberal democracy or a liberal democracy

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22
Q

Democratic consolidation

A

when the democratic regime matures and is unlikely to go back to an authoritarian regime without an external shock

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23
Q

Transparency

A

the ability of citizens to see what the government is doing
- the more transparent, the more liberal democratic

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24
Q

Revolution

A

an overthrow of the government based on broad popular support

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25
Coup
a change in the leader brought about by a small group - often a military leader
26
Corruption
the abuse of entrusted power for private gain
27
GDP
the total value of goods and services produced in a country
28
GDP per capita
GDP divided by the populations - does not account for the value of currency across different countries
29
PPP (purchasing power parity)
Currency conversion to be able to compare GDPs
30
GDP growth rate
measure how fast the economy is growing by comparing one quarter with the previous quarter
31
Gini index
measures income inequality 0 = perfect equality 100 = perfect inequality Right now our world is between a 25-65
32
HDI (Human development index)
measures things like life expectancy, death rates, education, quality of life Runs from 0-1 Closer to 1 = higher human development (better)
33
Fragile states index
measures a country’s ability to manage internal and external pressures on sovereignty Goes from 0-200 Most stable states are closer to 0 States with the most fluctuation are closer to 200 - instability is what creates pressure on sovereignty
34
Freedom house
measures political rights and civil liberties available in each country 0-100 0 = bad 100 = good
35
Transparency Int'l
corruption perceptions index 0-100 Higher = less corrupt
36
Political economy
relationship between government policies and the economy
37
Parastatal
company owned by the government to help things run smoothly Ex. US postal service, amtrak, etc.
38
Economic liberalization
the move to a free market by reducing tariff, trade barriers and government control over the economy
39
Welfare state
the government provides citizens with support Ex. unemployment benefits, health care, etc. Only possible if the system is stable
40
Rentier states
derive a significant portion of their revenue from rent Ex. renting land to oil companies The government must respond to the companies When the oil market drops, these countries become less stable -No tax payers paying taxes -Unresponsive to the people who live there -No incentive to care for the people
41
Structural adjustment programs
require countries to increase taxes and cut spending to improve budgets
42
Post-Materialism
societies in which basic needs are met and citizens can concentrate on higher goals like the environment
43
Bicameral legislature
has two houses ex. US
44
Unicameral legislature
has one house ex. Iran, China
45
FPTP (first past the post) plurality
awards one seat to the candidate with the most votes in a district
46
Proportional representation
awards sets to political parties based in the percentage of votes received -Awards the parties with seats and then the pirates choose who sits in those seats -Allows for more minority candidates
47
Referendum
a measure sent by the legislature to the citizens for approval
48
Common law system
court decisions are written down and serve as precedents for future cases
49
Code law system
systems are based on rules written by the legislature - Decisions made on a case-by-case basis
50
Judicial review
the ability of the supreme court to overturn a law or executive action if it’s unconstitutional
51
Nationalism
the belief that a group of people has it’s own unique destiny, often including a desire for a separate state
52
Political efficacy
the citizens’ faith and trust in the government and their belief that the can understand and influence political affairs
53
Political ideology
an individual’s belief system about the role of government
54
Political socialization
the process through which an individual acquires their political beliefs or behaviors
55
Political culture
the shared beliefs of a group of people
56
Facism
extreme nationalism that favors authoritarian rule and the rights of the ethnic majority over that of ethnic minorities and the political opposition
57
Communism
belief in the abolition of private property with government control over the economy
58
Socialism
the belief in the reduction of income disparities and the nationalization of major private industries
59
Neoliberalism
belief in limited government intervention in the economy and society
60
Individualism
belief in individual civil liberties and freedom over government restrictions
61
Populism
supports the interests and rights of the common people over the elite
62
Pluralism
many groups compete in policy making
63
Corporatism
large businesses and labor unions are brought in policy making processes
64
Civil society
voluntary associations outside of government control which strengthen society Ex. Red Cross, Goodwill, etc.
65
Political cleavage
division over a policy issue
66
Cross-cutting cleavage
bringing different kinds of groups together, strengthening society

Comp Gov. (1 decks)

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