Introduction To Comparative Gov. Flashcards
Define normative statements
Issues that require value judgements
Define empirical data
Based on factual statements and statistics
Define independent variable
One that influences the dependent variable
Define dependent variable
Its action depends on the influence of the independent variable
Define causation
The idea that one variable causes or influences another
Define correlation
Exists when a change in one variable coincides with a change in the other
What is Max Weber’s definition of a state?
The organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory. In other words, the state defines who can and can’t use weapons and force, and it sets the rules as to how violence is used.
What’s the difference between centripetal and centrifugal forces within a state?
Centripetal forces bind together the people of a state, giving it strength.
Ex: nationalism
Centrifugal forces oppose centripetal forces. They destabilize the government and encourage the country to fall apart.
Ex: religion
Define integration
A process that encourages states to pool their sovereignty in order to gain political, economic, and social clout. Integration binds states together with common policies and shared rules.
Why are the differences between command, market, and mixed economies?
- In a command economy, the government owns almost all industrial enterprises and sales outlets, and competition and profit are prohibited.
- In a mixed economy, elements of command and market economies are present/mixed.
- In a market economy, the right to own property is accepted/guaranteed. Most industry is owned by private individuals. Competition and profit are not controlled by the government.
What is the difference between unitary, federal, and confederal system?
- A unitary system is one that concentrates all policy making powers in one central geographic place, and the central government is responsible for most policy areas.
- A confederal system spreads the power among many sub-units (such as states), and has a weak central government.
- A federal system divides the power between the central government and sub units, and regional bodies have significant powers, such as taxation, lawmaking, and keeping order.
What is a nation?
A group of people that are bound together by a common political identity
What is a stateless nation?
A people without a state
Give an example of a stateless nation
The Kurds in the Middle East
What are some fundamental features of an authoritarian regime?
- decisions are made by political elites (those who hold power) without much input from citizens
- the economy is generally tightly controlled by the political elite
- no constitutional responsibility of leaders to the public
- restriction of civil rights and civil liberties
What is corporatism?
An arrangement in which government officials interact with people/groups outside the government before they set policy
What is the difference between GDP and PPP?
- GDP is all the goods and services produced by a country’s economy in a given year, excluding income citizens and groups earn outside the country
- PPP is like GNP, except that it takes into consideration what people can buy using their income in the local economy
What does the Gini Index measure?
The amount of economic inequality in a society
What does a low score on the Gini Index mean?
More equal income or wealth distribution (more equality)
Define referendum
A national ballot, called by the government on a policy issue, which allows the public to make direct decisions about policy itself
What type of party system is likely to result from a plurality electoral system?
Two (or few) party system
What type of party system is likely to result from a proportional representation system?
Multi-party system
What is a linkage institution? Give an example.
Groups that connect the government to its citizens
Ex: political parties, interest group, print and electronic media
What is judicial review?
Mechanism that allows courts to review laws and executive actions for their constitutionality
What are some characteristics of the upper house of most bicameral legislatures?
-upper house generally represents regional governments and local interests
What’s the difference between beauracracts in authoritarian and democratic regimes?
- Democratic regimes base their authority on the will of the people
- in authoritarian regimes, decisions are made by political elites
What is a cabinet coalition?
Several parties join forces and are represented in different cabinet posts
What is common law?
Based on tradition, past practices, and legal precedents set by the courts through interpretations of statutes, legal legislation, and past rulings
Define liberalism
Places emphasis on individual political and economic freedom
Define socialism
Shares the value of equality with communism but is also influenced by the liberal value of freedom
What is a liberal democracy?
Display other democratic characteristics beyond having competitive elections:
- civil liberties
- rule of law
- neutrality of the judiciary
- open civil society
- civilian control of the military
Define democratic consolidation
The willingness on the part of the ruling elite to accept power-sharing agreements, as well as a readiness on the part of the people to participate in the process and lend it their active support.
Define economic liberalization
Process of limiting the power of the state over private property and market forces
Define globalization
Forces that tie people o the world together
Difference between coinciding and cross cutting cleavages?
- Coinciding: when every dispute aligns the same groups against each other
- cross-cutting: divide society into many potential groups that may conflict on one issue but cooperate on another
Define civil society
Voluntary organizations outside of the state that help people define and advance their own interests
Define reform
Type of change that doesn’t advocate the overthrow of basic institutions
Define revolution
Implies change at a more basic level, and involves either a major revision or an overthrow of existing institutions
Define coup d’etats
Replace the leadership of a country with new leaders
