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POLI Semester 2 > POLI Second half > Flashcards

POLI Second half Flashcards

1
Q

bureaucracy

A

a subsidiary of the executive, tasked with implementing and executing the laws of the state

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2
Q

cabinet

A

the set of appointed officials (often referred to as secretaries or ministers) in a government who oversee specific policies such as healthcare, defense, and the like

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3
Q

coalition

A

partnership between parties who agree to govern together because nei- ther party has a majority on its own

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4
Q

competitive authoritarianism

A

political regimes where democratic institutions are put in place but authoritarian political leaders consistently undermine these institutions to stay in power

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5
Q

executive

A

the branch of governments tasked with implementing and executing the laws and policies in a state

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6
Q

head of government

A

oversees the day-to-day functions of the government

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7
Q

head of state

A

the country’s symbolic representative

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8
Q

one-party rule

A

one party possesses overwhelming control over the political process;
in general, other parties do exist, but they have limited power and are kept in check
by the dominant party

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9
Q

parliamentary system

A

a government system where the head of government is chosen from the legislature by the ruling party and also serves as the head of state

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10
Q

president

A

the chief executive in a presidential democracy; serves as both the head
of state and the head of government

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11
Q

presidential system

A

a government system where the legislative and executive
branch have separation of powers; unlike in parliamentary systems, the legislature is unable to remove the government

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12
Q

prime minister

A

the chief executive in a parliamentary democracy; serves as head of
state and typically is also head of the largest party in parliament

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13
Q

semi-presidential system

A

a mix between pure parliamentary and pure presidential systems. The legislature elects the head of government and has the ability to remove the government from office, but there is also a popularly elected head of
state.

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14
Q

separation of powers

A

a system in which different branches of the government pos-
sess separate and independent powers, so no specific political institution has too much power; this is also known as checks and balances and is typically divided into three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary

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15
Q

vote of (no) confidence

A

constitutionally mandated authority to remove the government through a vote of the legislature

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16
Q

bicameral legislature

A

legislative branches with two chambers as opposed to a uni- cameral legislature, where there is only one chamber

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17
Q

constituency service

A

services a legislator provides to constituents who are seeking assistance, such as helping them navigate bureaucratic processes; also known as casework

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18
Q

gatekeeping authority

A

the authority to block legislation from advancing to the chamber floor

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19
Q

legislative agenda

A

what bills will be heard on the chamber floor, when they will be discussed, and if they will come before the chamber for a vote

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20
Q

legislators

A

the individuals elected to hold office in the legislature

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21
Q

legislature

A

“a body created to approve measures that will form the law of the land”

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22
Q

malapportionment

A

apportionment is the ratio between the number of residents in
the district and the number of representatives from that district in the legislature; malapportionment happens when the votes of voters in some territorial sectors count more than others – that is, when the ratio between the residents and representatives is significantly different from district to district (as is the case in the US Senate)

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23
Q

negative agenda control

A

the ability to prevent bills from being heard on the cham- ber floor, typically because they are blocked in the committee process

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24
Q

seniority

A

legislators who have served the most terms in office are said to have legislative seniority

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25
Q

unicameral legislature

A

legislative branches with only one chamber as opposed to a bicameral legislature, where there are two chambers

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26
Q

appellate jurisdiction

A

when higher courts have the authority to hear appeals from lower-level courts

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27
Q

civil law

A

a legal system in which the law is a strongly constructed, detailed entity created by a legislature or other lawmaking political institution. Judges apply the law rather than interpreting it. Civil law is the most common legal system around the world.

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28
Q

collegial politics

A

how judges interact with their colleagues

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29
Q

common law

A

a legal system in which the laws are less detailed and in which judges
have considerable room for interpreting the law. Most Anglo-American states have common law systems.

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30
Q

constitutional courts

A

in many states, these are the only courts that have the power of judicial review.

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31
Q

constitutionalism

A

a system in which constitutions place limitations on government power

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32
Q

illiberal

A

freedom restricting

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33
Q

judicial independence

A

the idea that courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government or from private or partisan interests

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34
Q

judicial review

A

the power of a court to declare an act of government (or action of a
government official) unconstitutional

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35
Q

original jurisdiction

A

a court’s power to hear and decide a case before any appellate
review

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36
Q

religious law

A

a legal system in which the law is derived from the sacred texts of
religious traditions and in most cases claims to cover all aspects of life. At present,
found mainly in Muslim-majority states and Vatican City.

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37
Q

statutory interpretation

A

the process of determining what a particular statute
means so that a court may apply it accurately

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38
Q

empirical validity

A

refers to whether our explanation works in the real world

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39
Q

interdisciplinary

A

relating to more than one branch of knowledge or academic
discipline

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40
Q

methodology

A

the processes, strategies, and tactics we follow to investigate or study a phenomenon

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41
Q

policy analysis

A

the process by which experts identify and analyze potential solu-
tions to public issues (social problems, public health concerns, national security,
etc.); often focused on the economic ramifications of policy solutions

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42
Q

policy evaluation

A

a comprehensive analysis of a specific policy; its target popula- tions; the resources spent in creating, designing, and implementing the program;
and the costs and benefits that these programs may have generated

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43
Q

poverty

A

socioeconomic status in which the person or community lacks the financial resources to meet a minimum standard of living

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44
Q

regime

A

group of concepts that, taken collectively, help explain phenomena

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45
Q

target population

A

a group of individuals whose public affairs are important and
should be tackled and solved

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46
Q

Bretton Woods institutions

A

the collective name given to the international financial institutions set up as World War II ended. These institutions, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, were set up by agreement of 43 countries at a conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, in 1944.

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47
Q

Cold War

A

conflict between the two largest military powers in the world after World War II, the United States with its allies and the United Soviet Socialist Republics and its allies. The conflict was militarized in that both sides invested heavily in military power aimed at the other, but the conflict was “cold” because, despite a few incidents in which threat of use of force seemed imminent, neither side pulled the trigger.

48
Q

empirical

A

having to do with observation, data, or experience rather than theory or logic

49
Q

epistemology

A

a branch of philosophy concerned with asking questions about why and how we know what we know, and how we distinguish “fact” from “opinion” and “objectivity” from “subjectivity”

50
Q

Global North

A

those countries of Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan that were the first part of the world to industrialize in the nineteenth century and where economic and political power relied on the raw materials of countries from the Global South. May also refer to those parts of a political economy within a country that experience economic growth by relying on the labor and raw materials of others.

51
Q

Global South

A

those countries that were either legally or economically colonized by countries of the Global North, resulting in economic and political positions in the global political economy whereby they have marginalized voices in influencing the terms of international institutions, including trade, finance, climate, and security. May also refer to those parts of a political economy within a country that experience economic stagnation or decline even when other parts of that same economy grow, often because they provide labor and raw materials.

52
Q

international relations

A

an interdisciplinary field of study blending political science, law, history, anthropology, economics, linguistics, geography, philosophy, women’s studies, environmental science, and more that takes up questions of international, transnational, regional, and global politics and how these are influenced by and affect national and local politics

53
Q

positivism

A

in international relations, an epistemology that holds that knowledge is the result of empirical data interpreted through reason and logic, as it might be in the natural sciences and math

54
Q

racialize

A

process of constructing a political and social hierarchy by ascribing racial identities and political meaning to difference, often reified in social and political policies and institutions

55
Q

sovereignty

A

a state’s control of their own affairs both domestically (internal sovereignty) and externally (over foreign policy)

56
Q

structural violence

A

ways in which social structures or institutions systematically harm or disadvantage certain groups of people

57
Q

commodification

A

turning something or someone into nothing more than a com- modity, an object for sale

58
Q

commodity fetishism

A

an understanding of the economy as based on market relationships between commodities rather than social relationships between people

59
Q

everyday life

A

daily activities and routines that are subordinated to the imperatives of capitalism and reproduce the status quo in society

60
Q

exchange rates

A

the rate at which currency in one denomination (e.g., US dollars) is exchanged for currency in another denomination (e.g., British pounds)

61
Q

foreign currency

A

money in a denomination different from your own

62
Q

gross domestic product

A

the total measurable output of the national economy, valued in money terms

63
Q

hierarchies of difference

A

the stratification of status and wealth along the lines of race, gender, class, nation, and other socially constructed categories, and the normalization of these inequalities

64
Q

inflation

A

the increase in price levels without change of the underlying value, often over a short time period

65
Q

international political economy

A

the study of power and wealth across countries

66
Q

market

A

the physical or virtual site where goods and services are exchanged, but also
a way of organizing economic relations

67
Q

microfinance

A

loans and savings instruments targeted at individuals and groups with
no or little access to banking services

68
Q

remittance economies

A

funds that migrant workers send back to households located in their home country

69
Q

social construction

A

collective understandings that are the basis for shared assumptions about the world and how it works

70
Q

social reproduction

A

the socially necessary work that is central to the production of
life itself, including biological reproduction, caring for and maintaining households and intimate relationships, and the reproduction of labour and collective community

71
Q

environmental (in)security

A

(lack of ) safety from natural disasters, climate events, contaminants, or other environmental factors that may cause humans danger

72
Q

food (in)security

A

(lack of ) availability of basic food needs, including but not limited to an appropriate number of calories or a balanced diet, or (lack of ) certainty about where meals will come from and when they will be available

73
Q

health (in)security

A

(lack of ) health stability or (lack of ) access to adequate preventive or treatment mental or physical healthcare, or the (in)ability to protect one’s body from damage due to work or living conditions

74
Q

human security

A

an understanding that to be “secure” a person or group of people must have their basic needs met, including economic means, nutrition, health re- sources, environmental safety, personal physical integrity, and a secure community

75
Q

intersectional security

A

a broad-based approach to understanding security that takes account of a wide variety of axes on which people are rendered vulnerable or insecure

76
Q

nation

A

a group that understands itself to be “inside” of a political organization and understands those that are not included in the group to be “outside” of their political organization

77
Q

nuclear deterrence

A

this idea, more frequently discussed during the Cold War than after, is that a state (or non-state actor) can “deter” another state (or non-state actor) from engaging in the use of nuclear weapons by a credible threat of what’s called second-strike capacity: Once weapons were used against state/group X by state/ group Y, state/group X (or their allies) would still be able to nuke state/group Y; if this is the case, it is assumed that state/group Y will be “deterred” from using the weapons to begin with from fear of the level of retaliatory damage that could be caused.

78
Q

security/(in)security

A

the (lack of ) ability to be or feel “secure” along a number of dimensions, including but not limited to military security, state security, environmental security, cultural security, gender security, health security, and food security

79
Q

security narratives

A

stories that are told or repeated about the ways that people or groups are (in)secure, often told in terms of “the good guys” and “the bad guys” in a way that engenders and escalates conflict while neglecting human security

80
Q

womenandchildren

A

written this way, the term womenandchildren refers to situations where women and children are grouped into a category understood to be physically or mentally incapable of some activity understood as the purview of men. For example, people often talk about womenandchildren as civilians in war – those to be protected. This category betrays gendered assumptions about what women are.

81
Q

crimes against humanity

A

acts that are purposely committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population

82
Q

customary international law

A

rules that result from the long-term practice of states based on what they consider to be their legal obligations

83
Q

general principles

A

international legal principles recognized by nations

84
Q

genocide

A

the intentional action to destroy a people – usually defined as an ethnic,
national, racial, or religious group – in whole or in part

85
Q

human rights

A

set of rights that all human beings are entitled to without discrimination in order to live in dignity and free from fear and want

86
Q

Indigenous peoples

A

ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area, in contrast to groups who occupied or colonized these areas later. Indigenous rights claims condemn exploitation through colonialism and aim at collective self-determination.

87
Q

international conventions and treaties

A

written agreements between two (bilateral) or more (multilateral) states

88
Q

International Court of Justice

A

the main judicial body of the United Nations that set- tles disputes between states

89
Q

International Criminal Court

A

an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal with the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression

90
Q

international law

A

legal rules that regulate the relationship among states

91
Q

international organizations

A

organizations established by a formal intergovernmental
treaty, charter, or statute between three or more states with activities in several states

92
Q

public versus private spheres

A

areas of public interests, most commonly business and politics, versus areas of home and family

93
Q

self-determination

A

the right of nations and states to determine their own internal
and external affairs and organization

94
Q

slavery

A

any system in which principles of property law are applied to people, allowing individuals to own, buy, and sell other individuals

95
Q

socioeconomic rights

A

rights that allow a dignified life free from material wants, including access to housing, decent working conditions, social security, and education and the absence of child labour

96
Q

statism

A

the idea that states are central to the functioning and working of the inter-
national system

97
Q

torture

A

the act of deliberately inflicting severe physical or psychological suffering on
a person for the purposes of obtaining information, punishment, intimidation, or coercion carried out or tolerated by state officials

98
Q

universalism

A

the assumption that some ideas have general applicability or moral
standing. It is a position that is often criticized or rejected as disguised particular- ism (e.g., Western-centrism, a worldview centred on and biased toward Western civilization).

99
Q

war crimes

A

actions carried out during the conduct of war that violate accepted international rules of war, including intentionally killing civilians or prisoners, commit- ting rape, and recruiting child soldiers

100
Q

women’s rights

A

entitlements of women and girls to live as autonomous and self-determined as men and boys; requires overcoming androcentrism, meaning attitudes and practices that universalize male perspectives and thereby marginalize or subordinate female perspectives

101
Q

austerity measures

A

policies that aim to reduce government budget deficits, including spending cuts and tax increases; often used by governments that find it difficult to pay their debts

102
Q

balance of payments

A

the difference in total value between payments into and out of a country over a period

103
Q

export-processing zones

A

areas within developing countries that offer incentives and a barrier-free environment to promote economic growth and attract foreign investment for export-oriented production

104
Q

global governance

A

cooperative problem-solving arrangements usually structured as a set of rules or institutions, often taking the form of formal international organizations

105
Q

intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)

A

formal organizations with members from multiple states that place a variety of obligations on states in pursuit of a common goal

106
Q

loan conditionality

A

conditions placed on loans by the International Monetary Fund, often requiring loan recipients to make adjustments to national economic policies

107
Q

mandate

A

obligations specified by IGOs, often in an official agreement or treaty, and
required of states

108
Q

multinational corporation

A

an enterprise that operates in a number of countries with production or service facilities outside its country of origin

109
Q

non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

A

private, voluntary organizations whose members are individuals, groups, or associations from more than one country who come together in pursuit of a common goal or purpose

110
Q

subsidies

A

a sum of money granted by the government to assist an industry or business so that the price of a commodity can remain low or competitive

111
Q

veto power

A

the ability to prevent the passage of a measure through a unilateral act,
such as a single negative vote

112
Q

Washington Consensus

A

a collection of policy recommendations generally advocated by economists and policymakers in the Global North, including trade liberalization, privatization, and openness to foreign investment, among others

113
Q

politics of division

A

the intentional creation of wedges (divisions) between groups of people to help the majority maintain power in the face of growing numbers of minorities

114
Q

student evaluations of teaching (SET)

A

end-of-term surveys given to students os- tensibly to evaluate professors’ teaching abilities

115
Q

white supremacy

A

the belief that white people are racially superior to all other groups and therefore should dominate society

POLI Semester 2 (1 decks)

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