POLI Second half Flashcards
bureaucracy
a subsidiary of the executive, tasked with implementing and executing the laws of the state
cabinet
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
coalition
partnership between parties who agree to govern together because nei- ther party has a majority on its own
competitive authoritarianism
political regimes where democratic institutions are put in place but authoritarian political leaders consistently undermine these institutions to stay in power
executive
the branch of governments tasked with implementing and executing the laws and policies in a state
head of government
oversees the day-to-day functions of the government
head of state
the country’s symbolic representative
one-party rule
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
parliamentary system
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
president
the chief executive in a presidential democracy; serves as both the head
of state and the head of government
presidential system
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
prime minister
the chief executive in a parliamentary democracy; serves as head of
state and typically is also head of the largest party in parliament
semi-presidential system
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.
separation of powers
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
vote of (no) confidence
constitutionally mandated authority to remove the government through a vote of the legislature
bicameral legislature
legislative branches with two chambers as opposed to a uni- cameral legislature, where there is only one chamber
constituency service
services a legislator provides to constituents who are seeking assistance, such as helping them navigate bureaucratic processes; also known as casework
gatekeeping authority
the authority to block legislation from advancing to the chamber floor
legislative agenda
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
legislators
the individuals elected to hold office in the legislature
legislature
“a body created to approve measures that will form the law of the land”
malapportionment
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)
negative agenda control
the ability to prevent bills from being heard on the cham- ber floor, typically because they are blocked in the committee process
seniority
legislators who have served the most terms in office are said to have legislative seniority
unicameral legislature
legislative branches with only one chamber as opposed to a bicameral legislature, where there are two chambers
appellate jurisdiction
when higher courts have the authority to hear appeals from lower-level courts
civil law
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.
collegial politics
how judges interact with their colleagues
common law
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.
constitutional courts
in many states, these are the only courts that have the power of judicial review.
constitutionalism
a system in which constitutions place limitations on government power
illiberal
freedom restricting
judicial independence
the idea that courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government or from private or partisan interests
judicial review
the power of a court to declare an act of government (or action of a
government official) unconstitutional
original jurisdiction
a court’s power to hear and decide a case before any appellate
review
religious law
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.
statutory interpretation
the process of determining what a particular statute
means so that a court may apply it accurately
empirical validity
refers to whether our explanation works in the real world
interdisciplinary
relating to more than one branch of knowledge or academic
discipline
methodology
the processes, strategies, and tactics we follow to investigate or study a phenomenon
policy analysis
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
policy evaluation
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
poverty
socioeconomic status in which the person or community lacks the financial resources to meet a minimum standard of living
regime
group of concepts that, taken collectively, help explain phenomena
target population
a group of individuals whose public affairs are important and
should be tackled and solved
Bretton Woods institutions
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.
Cold War
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.
empirical
having to do with observation, data, or experience rather than theory or logic
epistemology
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”
Global North
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.
Global South
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.
international relations
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
positivism
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
racialize
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
sovereignty
a state’s control of their own affairs both domestically (internal sovereignty) and externally (over foreign policy)
structural violence
ways in which social structures or institutions systematically harm or disadvantage certain groups of people
commodification
turning something or someone into nothing more than a com- modity, an object for sale
commodity fetishism
an understanding of the economy as based on market relationships between commodities rather than social relationships between people
everyday life
daily activities and routines that are subordinated to the imperatives of capitalism and reproduce the status quo in society
exchange rates
the rate at which currency in one denomination (e.g., US dollars) is exchanged for currency in another denomination (e.g., British pounds)
foreign currency
money in a denomination different from your own
gross domestic product
the total measurable output of the national economy, valued in money terms
hierarchies of difference
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
inflation
the increase in price levels without change of the underlying value, often over a short time period
international political economy
the study of power and wealth across countries
market
the physical or virtual site where goods and services are exchanged, but also
a way of organizing economic relations
microfinance
loans and savings instruments targeted at individuals and groups with
no or little access to banking services
remittance economies
funds that migrant workers send back to households located in their home country
social construction
collective understandings that are the basis for shared assumptions about the world and how it works
social reproduction
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
environmental (in)security
(lack of ) safety from natural disasters, climate events, contaminants, or other environmental factors that may cause humans danger
food (in)security
(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
health (in)security
(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
human security
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
intersectional security
a broad-based approach to understanding security that takes account of a wide variety of axes on which people are rendered vulnerable or insecure
nation
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
nuclear deterrence
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.
security/(in)security
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
security narratives
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
womenandchildren
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.
crimes against humanity
acts that are purposely committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population
customary international law
rules that result from the long-term practice of states based on what they consider to be their legal obligations
general principles
international legal principles recognized by nations
genocide
the intentional action to destroy a people – usually defined as an ethnic,
national, racial, or religious group – in whole or in part
human rights
set of rights that all human beings are entitled to without discrimination in order to live in dignity and free from fear and want
Indigenous peoples
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.
international conventions and treaties
written agreements between two (bilateral) or more (multilateral) states
International Court of Justice
the main judicial body of the United Nations that set- tles disputes between states
International Criminal Court
an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal with the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression
international law
legal rules that regulate the relationship among states
international organizations
organizations established by a formal intergovernmental
treaty, charter, or statute between three or more states with activities in several states
public versus private spheres
areas of public interests, most commonly business and politics, versus areas of home and family
self-determination
the right of nations and states to determine their own internal
and external affairs and organization
slavery
any system in which principles of property law are applied to people, allowing individuals to own, buy, and sell other individuals
socioeconomic rights
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
statism
the idea that states are central to the functioning and working of the inter-
national system
torture
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
universalism
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).
war crimes
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
women’s rights
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
austerity measures
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
balance of payments
the difference in total value between payments into and out of a country over a period
export-processing zones
areas within developing countries that offer incentives and a barrier-free environment to promote economic growth and attract foreign investment for export-oriented production
global governance
cooperative problem-solving arrangements usually structured as a set of rules or institutions, often taking the form of formal international organizations
intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)
formal organizations with members from multiple states that place a variety of obligations on states in pursuit of a common goal
loan conditionality
conditions placed on loans by the International Monetary Fund, often requiring loan recipients to make adjustments to national economic policies
mandate
obligations specified by IGOs, often in an official agreement or treaty, and
required of states
multinational corporation
an enterprise that operates in a number of countries with production or service facilities outside its country of origin
non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
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
subsidies
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
veto power
the ability to prevent the passage of a measure through a unilateral act,
such as a single negative vote
Washington Consensus
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
politics of division
the intentional creation of wedges (divisions) between groups of people to help the majority maintain power in the face of growing numbers of minorities
student evaluations of teaching (SET)
end-of-term surveys given to students os- tensibly to evaluate professors’ teaching abilities
white supremacy
the belief that white people are racially superior to all other groups and therefore should dominate society
