Misc. Important Terms Flashcards
Human Development Index (HDI)
statistical index produced by the United Nations for every country of the world that seeks to measure health (life expectancy), literacy (average years of schooling), and income. Normally there is a high correlation between HDI and GDP.
GDP per capita
size of national economy based on population
Freedom House
a non-governmental organization (NGO) funded by the US government that ranks countries around the would based on level of political rights and amount of civil liberties (most free = score of 100).
governmental transparency
ability (or lack thereof) of citizens to access information about a government’s policy making and policy implementation as a means to hold government officials accountable.
Fragile States Index (formerly Failed States Index)
produced by the Fund for Peace; index which ranks countries based on their potential to weaken due to a range of factors including political, social, and economic turmoil
political system
the laws, ideas, and procedures that address who should have authority to govern and what the government’s influence on its people should be
GDP growth rate
rate at which a national economy grows (or declines)
rule of law
a system in which all individuals, including those in government, are subject to the law, regardless of their power or authority
free elections
selection of candidates for political office by means of open ballot that are neither fixed nor controlled by force and permit presence on the ballot and potential victory of candidates in opposition to the ruling government
independence of governmental branches
prevents or assures that no one branch of a government can control all governmental power
independent election or electoral commissions
attempts by government to reduce voter fraud, manipulation at the ballot box, and to enhance electoral competition
suffrage
the right to vote in political elections
civil rights
individual rights regarding equality accorded to every citizen by a government, usually on the basis of a constitution
civil liberties
individual rights regarding freedoms according to every citizen by a government, usually on the basis of a constitution
corporatistism
an aspect of non-democratic regimes who co-opt organizations such as churches, labor unions and agricultural associations in order to solidify their control over citizens by means of sanctioning limited numbers of groups to represent the interests of the public
coercion
use of government force to control citizens’ behavior and actions
sources of legitimacy
can include popular elections, constitutional provisions, nationalism, traditions, economic success, governmental effectiveness at governing, ideology, shared religious beliefs or individual charisma of a political leader
federal states
in a federal system, power is decentralized, giving local authorities power over social and educational services as well as over taxation, law enforcement, and regional security
sources of power
constitutions, religion, military forces, political parties, legislatures, and popular support
democratic consolidation
maturation of democratic regime to include election rules, separation of powers, and protection of civil liberties
democratization
transition from authoritarian to democratic regime
theocracy
state is controlled by leaders of a religion
military regimes
when the armed forces seize or usurp power from elected civilian officials and institute a military style of government, trading the barracks for political office.
one-party state
rival political parties are prohibited from access to the electoral process and to government
illiberal democracies (hybrid regimes)
states that feature aspects of democratic principles such as regular elections but where the rule of law is weak, political competition or opposition is non-existent and government institutions are independent in name but not in reality; often the executive branch wields the most power, legislatures are rubber stamps and cannot check the power of the executive and there are no mechanisms in place to remove the top executive
pluralism
citizens can affiliate with a range of independent interest groups regardless of government sanction or support
democratic electoral systems
consist of multiple parties; access to ballots is codified in law and upheld by the legal system
gender quotas
governmental or party rules intended to increase female representation in legislatures
democratic vs. authoritarian
cactors by which to evaluate whether a state is one or the other include: adherence to the rule of law; degree of government control over media; practice of free and fair elections; degree of government transparency; degree of political participation by citizens; degree of independence between branches of government
