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AP COMPARITIVE POLITICS > Introduction > Flashcards

Introduction Flashcards

1
Q

Normative

A

requires value judgements

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2
Q

Hypothesis

A

a speculative statement about the relationship between two or more factors known as variables

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3
Q

Variables

A

measurable traits or characteristics that change under different conditions

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4
Q

Causation

A

one variable causes or influences another

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5
Q

Three-world approach

A

Based in Cold War politics. The three worlds are 1) the United States and its allies 2) the Soviet Union and its allies and 3) “third world” nations that did not fit into the first two categories and were economically underdeveloped and deprived

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6
Q

Third-world nations

A

Under the three-world approach… nations that were not aligned with either the US or USSR and who were underdeveloped or deprived

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7
Q

Civil society

A

the way that citizens organize and define themselves and their interests

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8
Q

Informal politics

A

takes into account not only the ways that politicians operate outside their formal powers, but also the impact that beliefs, values, and actions of ordinary citizens have on policymaking

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9
Q

Three recent trends in the comparing of countries…

A
  1. the rise of informal politics
  2. the importance of political change
  3. the integration of political and economic systems
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10
Q

Advanced democracies

A

counties having well established democratic governments and a high level of economic development i.e. Great Britain

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11
Q

Communist and post-communist countries

A

these countries have sought to create a system that limits individual freedoms in order to divide wealth more equally.

Communist i.e. China post-communist i.e Russia

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12
Q

Less developed

A

lack significant economic development and tend to have authoritarian governments

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13
Q

Newly industrializing countries

A

experiencing rapid economic growth, and also have a tendency toward democratization and political and social stability.

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14
Q

States

A

the organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory

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15
Q

Institutions

A

stable, long lasting organizations that help to turn political ideas into policy

i.e political parties, legislatures…

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16
Q

Sovereignty

A

the ability of states to carry out actions or policies within their own boders independently from interference either from inside or outside.

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17
Q

Nation

A

a group of people that are bound together by a common political identity

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18
Q

Nationalism

A

the sense of belonging and identity that distinguishes one nation from another

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19
Q

Binational or Multinational state

A

a state that contains more than one nation. i.e. United Kingdom, USSR,

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20
Q

Stateless Nations

A

people without a state i.e Kurds

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21
Q

Core areas

A

cultural, population, economic, political hub of a state

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22
Q

Periphery

A

outlying areas outside of the core area

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23
Q

Multicore states

A

states with more than one core area i.e Nigera with Northern Muslim core and Southern Christian core

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24
Q

Regime

A

the rules that a state sets and follows in exerting its power… carry over across time although leaders leaders and issues may change

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25
Q

Parliamentary systems

A

citizens vote for legislative representatives, who in turn select the leaders of the executive branch

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26
Q

Presidential systems

A

citizens vote for legislative representatives as well as for executive branch leaders, and the two braches function with seperation of powers

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27
Q

Head of state

A

a role that symbolizes the power and nature of the regime i.e. QE2 in Great Britain

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28
Q

Head of Government

A

a role that deals with the everyday tasks of running government i.e. David Cameron in GB

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29
Q

Semi-presidential system

A

a prime minister coexists with a president who is directly elected by the people and who holds a significant degree of power

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30
Q

Authoritarian Regimes

A

decisions are made by political elites without much input from citizens

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31
Q

Elites

A

those who hold political power

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32
Q

Corporatism

A

an arrangement in which government officials interact with people/groups outside the government before they set policy

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33
Q

Common characteristics of authoritarians regimes

A

A small ggroup of elites exercising power over the state

Citizens with little or no input into selection of leaders and government decisions

No constitutional responsibility of leaders to the public

Restriction of civil rights and civil liberties

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34
Q

Authoritarianism doesn’t equal totalitarianism

A

m

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35
Q

Coup d’etat

A

forced takeover of government

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36
Q

Co-optation

A

the means a regime uses to get support from citizens

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37
Q

Patron-clientelism

A

a system in which the state provides specific benefits or favors to a single peron or group in return for public support

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38
Q

Pluralism

A

power is split among many groups that compete for the chance to influence the government’s decision-making

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39
Q

Democratic corporatism vs. Pluralism

A
  1. In pluralism, formation of interest groups is spontaneous whereas in dem. corporatism interest representation is institutionalized through recognition by the state
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40
Q

Legitimacy

A

right to rule, as determined by state’s citizens

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41
Q

Traditional legitimacy

A

rests upon belief that tradition should determine who rules and how

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42
Q

Charismatic legitimacy

A

base on the dynamic personality of an individual leader or small group… i.e. Hugo Chavez in Venezuela

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43
Q

Rational-legal legitimacy

A

base neither on tradition, nor on the force of a single personality, but rather on a system of well-established laws and procedures. Highly institutionalized.

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44
Q

Common law

A

based on tradition, past practices, and legal precedents. i.e. Great Britain

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45
Q

Code law

A

based on a comprehensize system of written rules of law divided into commercial, civil, and criminal codes i.e. China, Mexico, and Russia

46
Q

Factors that encourage legitimacy…

A
  1. Economic well-being
  2. Historical tradition
  3. Charismatic leadership
  4. Nationalism
  5. Satisfaction with the government’s performance.
47
Q

Political culture

A

the collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on

48
Q

Social capital

A

the amount of reciprocity and trust that exists among citizens and between citizens and the state

49
Q

Consensual political culture

A

although citizens may disagree on some political processes and policies, they tend generally to agree on how decisions are made, what issues should be addressed, and how problems should be solved

50
Q

Conflictual political culture

A

citizens are sharply divided, often on both the legitimacy of the regime and solutions to major problems

51
Q

Political ideologies

A

sets of political values held by indivudals regarding the besic goals of government and politics

52
Q

Liberalism

A

places emphasis on individual political and economic freedom

53
Q

Communism

A

values equality over freedom

54
Q

Socialism

A

shares the values of equality with communism and freedom with liberalism.

Accept and promote private ownership and free market principles but also promote strong state role in economy.

55
Q

Fascism

A

believes that the state has the right and the responsibility to mold the society and economy to eliminate obstacles that might weaken them

56
Q

Reform

A

type of change that does not advocate the overthrow of basic institutions

57
Q

Revolution

A

either a major revision or an overthrow of existing institutions

58
Q

Radicalism

A

a belief that rapid, dramatic changes need to be made in the existing society, often including the political system i.e. Bolsheviks

59
Q

Liberalism (change)

A

supports reform and gradual change rather than revolution

60
Q

Conservatism

A

less supportive of change in general than radicalism and liberalism. see change as disruptive, and emphasize the fact that it sometimes leads to unforeseen outcomes

61
Q

Reactionary beliefs

A

want to turn back the clock to an earlier era, and reinstate political, social, and economic institutions that once existed

62
Q

Three Global Trends

A

Democratization

Movement toward Market Economies

Revival of Ethnic or Cultural Politics

63
Q

Liberal Democracy Characteristics

A 
Civil liberties
Rule of law
Neutrality of the judiciary
Open civil society
Civilian control of military
64
Q

Substantive democracies

A

where citizens have access to multiple sources of information

65
Q

Why has democratization occurred?

A

Loss of legitimacy of authoritarian regimes

Expansion of an urban middle-class

US and EU emphasis on human rights

Snowball effect

66
Q

Steps in transition from Authoritarian Regime to Liberal Democracy

A

revolution of rising expectations (due to relative improvement in standard of living) —-> democratic consolidation —-> political liberalization

67
Q

Bourgeoisie

A

middle-class professionals or businessmen

68
Q

Command economy

A

economy in which the gov’t owns almost all industrial enterprises and retail sale outlets

69
Q

Two Factors Leading to Rise of Market Economies

A

Belief that government is too big

Lack of success of command economies

70
Q

Marketization

A

the state’s re-creation of a market in which property, labor, goods, and services can all function in a competitive market to determine their value

71
Q

Privatization

A

the transfer of state-owned property to private ownership

72
Q

Fragmentation

A

divisions based on ethnic or cultural identity

73
Q

Social cleavages

A

divisions based upon religion, ethnicity, race, social, or economic interests

74
Q

Coinciding cleavages

A

when every dispute aligns the same groups against each other

75
Q

Cross-cutting cleavages

A

divide society into many potential groups that may conflict on one issue but cooperate on another

76
Q

Social Movements

A

organized collective activities that aim to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society

77
Q

Civil society

A

voluntary organizations outside of the state that help people define and advance their own interests. strongest in liberal democracies.

78
Q

Cosmopolitanism

A

a universal political order that draws its identity and values from everywhere

79
Q

Political institutions

A

structures of a political system that carry out the work of governing

80
Q

Unitary system

A

concentrates all policymaking powers in one geographic place and the central government is responsible for most policy areas

81
Q

Confederal system

A

spreads the power among many sub-units and has a weak central government

82
Q

Federal

A

divides power between the central government and sub-units, and regional bodies have significant powers, such as taxation, lawmaking, and keeping order. i.e Russia, Mexico, and Nigeria

83
Q

Integration

A

process that encourages states to pool their sovereignty in order to gain political, economic, and social clout

84
Q

Nationalism

A

identities based on nationhood

85
Q

Centripetal forces

A

forces that unify nation

86
Q

Centrifugal forces

A

forces that fragment nation

87
Q

Government

A

the leadership and institutions that make policy decisions for a country

88
Q

Ethnonationalism

A

the tendency for an ethnic group to see itself as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy and independence

89
Q

Cabinet Coalition

A

cabinet formed by a coalition government in which positions are divided between more than one party

90
Q

Weber’s Characteristics of Bureaucracy

A

Hierarchical authority structure

Task specialization

Extensive rules

Clear goals

Meritocracy

Impersonality

91
Q

Discretionary power

A

the power to make small decisions in implementing legislative and executive decisions

92
Q

Patronage system

A

political supporters receive jobs in return for their assistance in getting the president elected

93
Q

Elite recruitment

A

identifying future leaders of the government i.e. House of Commons serves a role in elite recruitment in the UK

94
Q

Judicial review

A

mechanism that allows courts to review laws and executive actions for their constitutionality

95
Q

Linkage Institutions

A

groups that connect the government to its citizens

96
Q

Electoral systems

A

the rules that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature

97
Q

First-past-the-post

A

legislative constituencies are divided into single member districts in which candidates compete for a single representative’s seat. ex: UK

98
Q

Mixed System

A

combines first-past-the-post and proportional representation. ex: Germany and Mexico … In Mexico 300 of the 500 Chamber of Deputies members are election through winner take all and 200 via proportional repreentation

99
Q

Referendum

A

a national ballot, called by the government on a policy issue

100
Q

Plebiscite

A

a ballot to consult public opinion in a non binding way

101
Q

Initiative

A

a vote on a policy that is initiated by the people

102
Q

Transmission belts

A

used in authoritarian regimes. interest groups that convey to members the views of party elites

103
Q

State Corporatism

A

the state determines which interest groups are brought in

104
Q

Societal corporatism or Neocorporatism

A

interest groups take the lead and dominate the state

105
Q

Political elites

A

leaders who have a dispraportionate share of policy making power

106
Q

GDP

A

all the goods and services produced by a country’s economy in a given year, excluding citizens and groups earn outside the country

107
Q

GNP

A

like GDP, but also includes income citizens earn outside the country

108
Q

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

A

a figure like GNP, except that it takes into consideration what people can buy using their income in the local economy

109
Q

Gini Index

A

a mathematical formula that measures the amount of economic inequality in a society

110
Q

Human Development Index (HDI)

A

measure the well-being of a country’s people by factoring in adult literacy, life expectancy, and educational enrollment, as well as GDP

111
Q

Freedom House

A

organization that studies democracy around the world and developed freedom rankings

AP COMPARITIVE POLITICS (3 decks)

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