Introduction Flashcards
Normative
requires value judgements
Hypothesis
a speculative statement about the relationship between two or more factors known as variables
Variables
measurable traits or characteristics that change under different conditions
Causation
one variable causes or influences another
Three-world approach
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
Third-world nations
Under the three-world approach… nations that were not aligned with either the US or USSR and who were underdeveloped or deprived
Civil society
the way that citizens organize and define themselves and their interests
Informal politics
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
Three recent trends in the comparing of countries…
- the rise of informal politics
- the importance of political change
- the integration of political and economic systems
Advanced democracies
counties having well established democratic governments and a high level of economic development i.e. Great Britain
Communist and post-communist countries
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
Less developed
lack significant economic development and tend to have authoritarian governments
Newly industrializing countries
experiencing rapid economic growth, and also have a tendency toward democratization and political and social stability.
States
the organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory
Institutions
stable, long lasting organizations that help to turn political ideas into policy
i.e political parties, legislatures…
Sovereignty
the ability of states to carry out actions or policies within their own boders independently from interference either from inside or outside.
Nation
a group of people that are bound together by a common political identity
Nationalism
the sense of belonging and identity that distinguishes one nation from another
Binational or Multinational state
a state that contains more than one nation. i.e. United Kingdom, USSR,
Stateless Nations
people without a state i.e Kurds
Core areas
cultural, population, economic, political hub of a state
Periphery
outlying areas outside of the core area
Multicore states
states with more than one core area i.e Nigera with Northern Muslim core and Southern Christian core
Regime
the rules that a state sets and follows in exerting its power… carry over across time although leaders leaders and issues may change
Parliamentary systems
citizens vote for legislative representatives, who in turn select the leaders of the executive branch
Presidential systems
citizens vote for legislative representatives as well as for executive branch leaders, and the two braches function with seperation of powers
Head of state
a role that symbolizes the power and nature of the regime i.e. QE2 in Great Britain
Head of Government
a role that deals with the everyday tasks of running government i.e. David Cameron in GB
Semi-presidential system
a prime minister coexists with a president who is directly elected by the people and who holds a significant degree of power
Authoritarian Regimes
decisions are made by political elites without much input from citizens
Elites
those who hold political power
Corporatism
an arrangement in which government officials interact with people/groups outside the government before they set policy
Common characteristics of authoritarians regimes
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
Authoritarianism doesn’t equal totalitarianism
m
Coup d’etat
forced takeover of government
Co-optation
the means a regime uses to get support from citizens
Patron-clientelism
a system in which the state provides specific benefits or favors to a single peron or group in return for public support
Pluralism
power is split among many groups that compete for the chance to influence the government’s decision-making
Democratic corporatism vs. Pluralism
- In pluralism, formation of interest groups is spontaneous whereas in dem. corporatism interest representation is institutionalized through recognition by the state
Legitimacy
right to rule, as determined by state’s citizens
Traditional legitimacy
rests upon belief that tradition should determine who rules and how
Charismatic legitimacy
base on the dynamic personality of an individual leader or small group… i.e. Hugo Chavez in Venezuela
Rational-legal legitimacy
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.
Common law
based on tradition, past practices, and legal precedents. i.e. Great Britain
Code law
based on a comprehensize system of written rules of law divided into commercial, civil, and criminal codes i.e. China, Mexico, and Russia
Factors that encourage legitimacy…
- Economic well-being
- Historical tradition
- Charismatic leadership
- Nationalism
- Satisfaction with the government’s performance.
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
Consensual political culture
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
Conflictual political culture
citizens are sharply divided, often on both the legitimacy of the regime and solutions to major problems
Political ideologies
sets of political values held by indivudals regarding the besic goals of government and politics
Liberalism
places emphasis on individual political and economic freedom
Communism
values equality over freedom
Socialism
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.
Fascism
believes that the state has the right and the responsibility to mold the society and economy to eliminate obstacles that might weaken them
Reform
type of change that does not advocate the overthrow of basic institutions
Revolution
either a major revision or an overthrow of existing institutions
Radicalism
a belief that rapid, dramatic changes need to be made in the existing society, often including the political system i.e. Bolsheviks
Liberalism (change)
supports reform and gradual change rather than revolution
Conservatism
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
Reactionary beliefs
want to turn back the clock to an earlier era, and reinstate political, social, and economic institutions that once existed
Three Global Trends
Democratization
Movement toward Market Economies
Revival of Ethnic or Cultural Politics
Liberal Democracy Characteristics
Civil liberties Rule of law Neutrality of the judiciary Open civil society Civilian control of military
Substantive democracies
where citizens have access to multiple sources of information
Why has democratization occurred?
Loss of legitimacy of authoritarian regimes
Expansion of an urban middle-class
US and EU emphasis on human rights
Snowball effect
Steps in transition from Authoritarian Regime to Liberal Democracy
revolution of rising expectations (due to relative improvement in standard of living) —-> democratic consolidation —-> political liberalization
Bourgeoisie
middle-class professionals or businessmen
Command economy
economy in which the gov’t owns almost all industrial enterprises and retail sale outlets
Two Factors Leading to Rise of Market Economies
Belief that government is too big
Lack of success of command economies
Marketization
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
Privatization
the transfer of state-owned property to private ownership
Fragmentation
divisions based on ethnic or cultural identity
Social cleavages
divisions based upon religion, ethnicity, race, social, or economic interests
Coinciding cleavages
when every dispute aligns the same groups against each other
Cross-cutting cleavages
divide society into many potential groups that may conflict on one issue but cooperate on another
Social Movements
organized collective activities that aim to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society
Civil society
voluntary organizations outside of the state that help people define and advance their own interests. strongest in liberal democracies.
Cosmopolitanism
a universal political order that draws its identity and values from everywhere
Political institutions
structures of a political system that carry out the work of governing
Unitary system
concentrates all policymaking powers in one geographic place and the central government is responsible for most policy areas
Confederal system
spreads the power among many sub-units and has a weak central government
Federal
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
Integration
process that encourages states to pool their sovereignty in order to gain political, economic, and social clout
Nationalism
identities based on nationhood
Centripetal forces
forces that unify nation
Centrifugal forces
forces that fragment nation
Government
the leadership and institutions that make policy decisions for a country
Ethnonationalism
the tendency for an ethnic group to see itself as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy and independence
Cabinet Coalition
cabinet formed by a coalition government in which positions are divided between more than one party
Weber’s Characteristics of Bureaucracy
Hierarchical authority structure
Task specialization
Extensive rules
Clear goals
Meritocracy
Impersonality
Discretionary power
the power to make small decisions in implementing legislative and executive decisions
Patronage system
political supporters receive jobs in return for their assistance in getting the president elected
Elite recruitment
identifying future leaders of the government i.e. House of Commons serves a role in elite recruitment in the UK
Judicial review
mechanism that allows courts to review laws and executive actions for their constitutionality
Linkage Institutions
groups that connect the government to its citizens
Electoral systems
the rules that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature
First-past-the-post
legislative constituencies are divided into single member districts in which candidates compete for a single representative’s seat. ex: UK
Mixed System
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
Referendum
a national ballot, called by the government on a policy issue
Plebiscite
a ballot to consult public opinion in a non binding way
Initiative
a vote on a policy that is initiated by the people
Transmission belts
used in authoritarian regimes. interest groups that convey to members the views of party elites
State Corporatism
the state determines which interest groups are brought in
Societal corporatism or Neocorporatism
interest groups take the lead and dominate the state
Political elites
leaders who have a dispraportionate share of policy making power
GDP
all the goods and services produced by a country’s economy in a given year, excluding citizens and groups earn outside the country
GNP
like GDP, but also includes income citizens earn outside the country
Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
a figure like GNP, except that it takes into consideration what people can buy using their income in the local economy
Gini Index
a mathematical formula that measures the amount of economic inequality in a society
Human Development Index (HDI)
measure the well-being of a country’s people by factoring in adult literacy, life expectancy, and educational enrollment, as well as GDP
Freedom House
organization that studies democracy around the world and developed freedom rankings
