Politics, The state and Democracy

Question 1

Social Power

Answer 1

The ability of some people to impose their will upon or over the resistance of others.

Question 2

Types of social power

Answer 2

1. Economic power
2. Ideological power
3. Political power

Question 3

Economic Power

Answer 3

power is based on the possesion of economic resources

Question 4

Ideological Power

Answer 4

Power is based on control over beliefs

Question 5

Political Power

Answer 5

Power is based on the possessions of means of exercising violence

Political power is enhanced when it’s regarded as legitimate

Question 6

Political legitimacy

Answer 6

“Legitimacy” or “authority” is the accepted claim that the ruler has the right to use violence to exercise power

Question 7

The three sources of legitamacy

Answer 7

1. Tradition
2. Charisma
3. Legality

Question 8

Tradition

Answer 8

based on belief in the sanctity of past ways of doing things (as with legitimacy based on family lineage)

Question 9

Charisma

Answer 9

based on the perception of extraordinary personal characteristics of the political figure

Question 10

Legality

Answer 10

based on belief in the authority of formally enacted rules

Question 11

Nation-state

Answer 11

an entity composed of a nation (people with a common identity that ideally includes shared culture, language, and feelings of belonging) and a state (a political apparatus or government that rules over a territory).

Question 12

Characteristics of the modern nation-state

Answer 12

1. Sovereignty and territory
2. Citizenship (civil, political and social rights)
3. National identity
4. Legal-Bureaucratic adminstration
5. Part of a broader nation-state system

Question 13

Citizenship

Answer 13

full legal membership in the state, with associated rights and duties.

Question 14

Civil Rights

Answer 14

rights of the individual, including rights of expression, the right to enter contracts, and the right to the equal protection of the laws.

Question 15

Political Rights

Answer 15

rights to vote and hold office.

Question 16

Social Rights

Answer 16

rights to a certain standard of economic welfare and security (e.g., retirement income, education, health care, housing).

Question 17

National sovereignty

Answer 17

in a nation state each nation has exclusive authority over its territory– sole authority, no higher authority than the nation

Question 18

Global governance

Answer 18

global issues like economics, environmental, and nuclear, there is a need for collective governance.

Question 19

Democracy

Answer 19

Rule by people

Question 20

Types of democracies

Answer 20

1. Participatory
2. Representative
3. Liberal

Question 21

Participatory democracy

Answer 21

Model of democracy in which citizens have the power to make policy decisions

Question 22

Representative Democracy

Answer 22

government is elected by citizens. Here, citizens vote for their government officials. These officials represent the citizens’ ideas and concerns in government

Question 23

Liberal democracy

Answer 23

Countries in which voters can choose between two or more political parties and in which the majority of the adult population has the right to vote

Question 24

Winner-take-all

(majoritarian)

Answer 24

An electoral system that tends toward two-party systems and mass parties.

Question 25

Proportional representation

Answer 25

electoral system that are more conducive to a greater variety of parties representing more specific interests and values

Question 26

Party system

Answer 26

a concept in comparative political science concerning the system of government by political parties in a democratic country.

Question 27

Interest group

Answer 27

Any orginization that attempts to influence elected officials to consider their aims in making decisions

Through Lobbying or electoral campaign financing

Question 28

Social movement

Answer 28

groups of people who attempt to achieve common goals through
action outside of the electoral process, and sometimes outside of the law.

Question 29

Examples of social movements

Answer 29

1. Reform movements
2. Revolutionary movements
3. Resistance movements.

Question 30

Civil society

Answer 30

a sphere of society separate from the state and the marketplace.
Includes community associations, schools and universities, arts and cultural institutions, religious groups, the news media, social media spaces, etc.

Question 31

Authoritarian populism

Answer 31

Populist authoritarianism is both a philosophy and a style of governance characterized by assertive leadership that values security over civil liberties. It is typically coupled with a strong nationalism that is anti-immigrant and—in its current form—strongly anti-globalization.

Populist authoritarianism can become a challenge to liberal democracy

Question 32

Populism

Answer 32

Belief that politics should reflect the needs and interests of ordinary people rather than the elite

Question 33

Democratic Backsliding

Answer 33

a process of regime change towards autocracy that makes the exercise of political power by the public more arbitrary and repressive. This process typically restricts the space for public contestation and political participation in the process of government selection.

Question 34

Signs of democratic backsliding

Answer 34

1. treating political rivals as enemies
2. intimidating the free press
3. redrawing electoral maps
4. rejecting the results of elections
5. getting rid of term limits