Key Terms Flashcards
Key Terms
State
The central political institution that exerts a monopoly on the legitimate use of force within a given territory (as recognized by members of the society)
Modern State
A concept used to distinguish states in the modern world from earlier forms of political centralization. Includes features such as extensive bureaucracy, centralization of violence, and impersonality
State Capacity
The measurement of a state’s ability to accomplish its goals.
Fragile/Failed State
A state that cannot or does not perform its expected functions
Civil Society
A space in society outside the organization of the state in which citizens come together and organize themselves
Can engage in social exchange and public deliberation not fully controlled by the state
Interest groups in civil society
Bellicist Theory of State Building
Argues that interstate wars were decisive in the creation of the modern state
(associated with scholars like Charles Tilly)
Predation Theory of State Development
Marxian Economic Theory of State Development
Tentative* Capitalists create the state as an organization so that they can manipulate the circumstances to maximize profit, ultimately exploiting labor.
Cultural Theory of State Development
Changing beliefs and values explain the rise of states. For example the notion of state building involved a dramatic discipline in the daily life of individuals
Diffusion Theories of State Development
The process through which a practice or idea spreads locally, nationally, and globally
*Comparative Politics
Study of similarities and differences in political developments either 1) among two+ countries or 2) across subnational units within a country
*Government
Set of leaders or political elites in charge of running the state
*Regime
Set of formal + informal rules + norms that define where power is located and how it is used
(CH6: A form or type of governmental system with an emphasis on institutions and rules)
Ratchet Effect
revenue increases sharply when a nation is fighting but does not decline to the pre-war level when it is all over
Role of Taxation in State-Building
Allowed states who could raise money quickly to more successfully threaten rivals with a war with bigger consequences
Role of Nationalism in State-Building
Creates something to unify around?
*State Scope
What functions/goals the government takes on, what the state chooses to do
*State Capacity/Strength
What policies/rules the government plans/implements, how much the state can get done
*Failed State
A state cannot perform expected duties
(has lost physical control over the territory, lacks monopoly on the legitimate use of force, unable to interact with other states as a full member of the international community, cannot provide public services, cannot collect taxes)
Market-Led Development
Approach to economic management in which the government interferes (controls) in the economy as little as possible
State-Led Development
An approach to economic management in which the state plays a large role in coordinating economic actors and intervening in the economy
Inclusive Economic Institutions
Institutions that allow and encourage participation by the great mass of people in economic activities that makes best use of talents/skills
Enables individuals to make the choices they wish to
Must feature secure private property, an unbiased system of law, and a provision of public services that provides a level playing field
Also must permit entry of new businesses + people choosing their careers
Extractive Economic Institutions
Opposite of an inclusive economic institution.
Designed to extract incomes and wealth from one subset of society to benefit another subset.
Inclusive Political Institutions
Political institutions that are sufficiently centralized and pluralistic.
Extractive Political Institutions
Opposite of inclusive political institutions.
Power concentrated in the hands of elites and few constraints are places on the exercise of this power.
*Economic Development
Process by which a society changes/advances
*Import Substitution Industrialization
Dependency Theory
Structure of international economy (dis)advantages some countries
Without structural changes, low-income countries will remain in a subordinate economic position
Culture + Development
L4
Geography + Development
L5?
Democracy
A form of regime associated with the rule of the people.
Signifies rights and liberties for citizens, including political rights (participating in elections) and civil liberties (freedom of speech)
Procedural Definitions of Democracy
A conception of democracy that emphasizes the minimal standards, procedures, or rules that a country should have in place to govern political life
Substantive Definitions of Democracy
A conception of democracy that views a polity’s democratic status as dependent on the satisfaction of certain substantive ends
Examines the notion of democratic depth and quality
Democratization
The process of a regime becoming more democratic, including both democratic transition and consolidation
Democratic Breakdown
The process through which a democratic regime partially or completely loses its democratic status
Democratic Transition
The movement from an authoritarian regime to a democratic one.
Can be accomplished through multiple means including revolutions or gradual/negotiated means
Democratic Consolidation
Domestic Institutional Theories
Agency Based Theories
*Modernization Theory
*Cultural Theory
*Participant Political Culture
*Subject Political Culture
*Parochial Political Culture
First Wave
Second Wave
Third Wave
Reverse Waves
Feckless Pluralism
Dominant Power Politics
Authoritarian Regime
Non-democratic regimes.
Typically associated with certain ideologies, behavioral tendencies of an individual, or restriction of human rights to a certain degree
Authoritarian Persistence
The ongoing continuation of an authoritarian regime, such that democratic transition does not take place
Hybrid Regime
A class of regime that appears to be neither fully democratic or authoritarian, such as electoral authoritarianism, delegative democracy, or illiberal democracy.
Totalitarian Regime
Form of authoritarian regime that aims to control everything about the lives of its subject population (Soviet Union, Nazi Germany)
Theocracy
An authoritarian state controlled by religious leaders or a state with very strict religious restrictions that uses religion as its main mode of legitimation
Personalistic Dictatorship
Form of authoritarianism in which the personality of a dictator is highlighted. Domination of a political system by a single individual. May not aim to establish an overarching ideology to the extent of a totalitarian regime.
Bureaucratic Authoritarian Regime
Type of authoritarian regime associated with control of the state more by a group of elites (often military) than by a single leader.
Competitive Authoritarian Regime
Problem of Authoritarian Control
The political problem of balancing the majority excluded from power
Problem of Authoritarian Power-Sharing
Political problem of dictators dealing with those that they share power with
Ruling Coalition
A set of individuals who support a dictator + hold enough power to guarantee a regime’s surviv
Promissory Coups
Framing the ouster of an elected government as a defense of democratic legality and make a public promise to hold elections and restore democracy asap. Emphasis on temporary nature, but not really.
Classic Open-Ended Coups
Illegal attempts by military or other state elites to oust a sitting executive
Executive Aggrandizement
When elected executives weaken checks on executive power one by one, a series of institutional changes that hamper the power of the opposition in challenging executive preferences
Executive Coups
Freely elective chief executive suspending the constitution outright in order to amass power in one swift sweep
Longer-Term Strategic Harassment and Manipulation
Blatant Election Day Vote Fraud
Count falsification, ballot stuffing, ballot box fraud
Legislature
Deliberative bodies composed of decision makers who represent the population at large.
Make laws and political decisions.
Constituency
A group of voters or a geographic district that legislators or other elected officials represent
Single-Member District
Electoral system in which voters choose a candidate and the winner is elected by the most votes or through winning a runoff vote
First-Past-The-Post/Plurality
Electoral system in which the candidate with the most number of votes is elected regardless of whether a majority has been attained
Runoff System (in SMD)
Electoral system in which the top candidates compete in more than one round of voting until a candidate receives a majority
Multi-Member District
More than one representative is elected from each district. District constituencies have more than one representative.
Proportional Representation
An electoral system in which voters choose a preferred party and seats are allocated to parties according to the percentage of the vote the party wins
Open-List Proportional Representation
Electoral system in which voters choose a candidate but votes are aggregated by political party to determine the allocation of seats across parties.
Alternative Vote
Voting system in which voters rank candidates and the votes of low ranking candidates are reallocated until a winner is determined
aka instant runoff vote or preferential vote
Single Transferrable Vote
Electoral system in which voters rank candidates and the winners’ surplus votes are reallocated to other, lower-ranking candidates until a slate of representatives is chosen
Strategic Voting
Voting in a way that does not reflect a voter’s ideal preference, so as to prevent a less-desired outcome
Not picking personal favorites, but popular (least bad) option
Indirect Election
Electoral system in which representatives are chosen by other elected officials, rather than directly by citizens.
With regard to executives, an electoral system in which most voters never cast a ballot directly for the individual who becomes the head of government.
Apportionment
The process by which legislative seats are distributed among geographic constituencies
Districting
The process by which districts or other geographic constituencies are created for the purposes of elections
Malapportionment
Apportionment in which voters are unequally represented in a legislature, such as through relatively greater numbers of legislators per capita for low-population areas and lesser number of legislators per capita for high-population areas
Political Party
A political organization that seeks to influence policy, typically by getting candidates and members elected
Party System
The degree to which a party system is stable and remains so over time, as measured by such characteristics as the persistence of parties, the stability of their ideologies, and the degree to which they are distinct from the specific individuals that lead them
Interest Group
Organizations that make demands in the political system on behalf of their constituents and members
Elite Party
Political parties in which membership and scope were largely restricted to a small number of political elites
Mass Party
Parties consisting of large numbers of citizens as members and that undertake massive political mobilization
Catch-all Party
Political parties that are flexible on their ideological positions and aim to attract support from a broad range of interest groups and voters
Multiparty System
A political party system consisting of more than two significant parties that have opportunities to govern
Party System Institutionalization
Degree to which a party system is stable and remains so over time, as measured by the persistence of parties, stability of their ideologies, and the degree to which they are distinct from the specific individuals that lead them,
Dominant Party System
Party system in which a country contains only one large political party that predominates politically, often controlling the legislative and executive branches of the government
Fragmentation v. Concentration of Party System
Fragmentation - the extent to which political power and representation in a party system are characterized by relatively large numbers of relatively small parties
Concentration - the extent to which political power and representation in a party system are characterized by relatively small numbers of relatively large parties
Single Party System
An authoritarian system in which parties besides the single dominant party are banned or disallowed
Two Party System
A political party system consisting of two significant parties that have a duopoly on opportunities to govern
*Coalition Government
Group of 2 or more political parties that govern together. Share executive power and duties. Share cabinet positions.
Executive
The branch of government, or the individual(s) at the top of that branch, that executes or administers policies and laws in a country
Head of State
A person with executive functions that is a country’s symbolic representative, including elected presidents and unelected monarchs
Head of Government
Top executive official responsible for forming governments and formulating and implementing policies
Bureaucracy
A form of organization that (in its ideal form) has individuals operating and working under established, specified, and complex rules.
In government, the organization of unelected officials (often considered part of the executive branch) that implements, executes, and enforces laws and policies
Presidentialism
A system of government in which a president serves as chief executive, being independent of the legislature and often combining the functions of head of state and head of government
Parliamentarism
A system of government in which the head of government is elected by and accountable to a parliament or legislature
Semi-Presidential / Hybrid
A mixed or hybrid system combining aspects of presidentialism and parliamentarism
Formal Powers
The powers possessed by a political actor as a function of their constitutional or legal position
Informal Powers
Those powers possessed by an office holder that are not official but rather based on custom, convention, or other sources of influence
Minimum-Winning Coalition
A governing coalition that contains no surplus parties beyond those required to form a government
Grand Coalition
A governing coalition composed of two or more major parties that hold a supermajority of legislative seats and represent a supermajority of the electorate
Patronage
The use of government favors, typically in the form of employment, to garner political support
Clientelism
The state uses its own resources to benefit supporters. People exchanging goods for political support. L16
Informal Institutions
Societally shared rules of the game. Enforced, but outside official channels. Typically unwritten. Complementary, Substitutive, Accommodating, Competing. L16
Formal Institutions
Official rules/procedures shaping behavior. Stems from official channels.
Effective v. Ineffective Institutions
Effective means it is functioning well.
Convergent v. Divergent Outcomes
Going for or against what the formal institution accomplishes
Complementary Informal Institutions
Filling on gaps of an effective formal institution L16
Accommodating Informal Institutions
Creates incentives for people to behave in ways that alter the spirit of formal rules. Might emerge in situations where many people are opposed to the outcome but no one can change anything. Allowed to exist by state leaders to reduce sweeping changes from the population. L16
Competing Informal Institutions
Emerges when there are formal rules not systematically enforced, allowing actors to openly violate them. L16
Substitutive Informal Institutions
Wants the outcome to be compatible with the formal institution. Substitutes what the formal institution should be doing. L16
Civil Society Organization
Space that exists outside the state, market, and family
Organize around common interests, purposes, values. L17
Revolution
A form of collective action in which some large-scale, structural change is either attempted or accomplished
Contention
Referring to the pursuit of collective goods largely outside of formal political institutions.
Extra institutional political behavior trying to change the social, economic, or political agenda of the government, regime, or state
Social Movement
Ongoing, organized collective action oriented toward a goal of social change
*Constructivism
Argues ethnic identities are created or constructed through social and political processes. Ethnicity is fluid
Trying to emphasize ethnicity to get people to mobilize
Ethnic differences are constructed and thus can be overcome
Identity
The social label ascribed to an individual or group that locates the individual/group in political society more broadly
National Identity
An identity that locates one’s social position in relation to national membership
Nation
A group thought of as sovereign and equal, typically comprised of a large, often geographically bounded position
Nationalism
The view that the world is and should be divided into nations that are thought of by nationalists as sovereign and egalitarian
Civic Nationalism
You are a member of the nation if you are a citizen of its state
Ethnic Nationalism
You are a member of the nation because of your ancestry
Primordialism
Continuous with pre-historical (primordial) forms of identity
Primordial Bonds (Explanation of Ethnic Violence)
Conflict takes place when preexisting groups feel that their group/identity is under threat
Structuralism
A view in social and political theory holding that social structures, rather than agents or culture, make most of the difference
Constructivism/Culturalist/Cultural Boundaries (Explanation of Ethnic Violence)
Conflict is the result of the distinct ways in which groups and their boundaries are constructed
Instrumentalism
You can explain something by showing how its development or persistence is in the (usually material) interest of powerful individuals or groups
Instrumentalism/Material Interests (Explanation of Ethnic Violence)
Certain conditions in given cases make it politically expedient for some actors to deliberately form ethnic boundaries and conflict
Crisis Frame
Crisis frame grounded in times of conflict, people held responsible for their collective ethnic identity
Ethnic Cooperation and Peace Frame
During normal times, crisis frame is dormant. Ethnic relations cooperative and neighborly.
*Instrumentalism
Ethnicity is a device
Ethnic identification is a strategic choice
Ethnicity used to optimize other (often economic) outcomes
In/out groups mobilized towards an end
Conspiracy
Conspiracy Theory
Claim a secretive group of conspirators caused an event that harms the in-group, but benefits conspirators.
Accusatory perceptions
Can be false or true
Conspiracy Belief
The belief in a specific CT
Conspiracy Thinking/Conspiratorial Predisposition
Propensity to see the world in conspiratorial terms
