Quiz #1 Vocab Flashcards
levels of govt.
Federalism and Unitary
head of govt
the executive role that deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, such as formulating and executing policy
the harm principle
the idea that people should be free to act as they wish as long as their actions do not cause harm to others
religious fundamentalism
the approach of those religious groups that look for the literal interpretation of original religious texts or books believing that teachings obtained from this kind of reading must be used in all social, economic, and political aspects
purchasing power parity
a popular macroeconomic analysiss metric used to compare economic productivity and standards of living between countries
Gini Index
a statistical formula that measures the amount of inequality in a society; its scale ranges from 0-100 (0 being perfect quality and 100 being perfect inequality)
inflation
an increase in the general price level of goods and services in the economy
comparative & absolute advantage
Comparative Advantage: refers to a country’s ability to produce a particular good at a lower opportunity cost than its trading partners
Absolute Advantage: refers to a country’s ability to produce a good at a lower cost (output) or using fewer recourses (input) than its trading partners
non-tariff barriers
policy measures, other than ordinary customs tariffs, that can potentially have an economic effect on international trade in goods, changing quantities traded, or prices or both
intellectual property
a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript, or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply fora patent, copyright, trademark, etc.
economy
the wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services
republican/representative democracy
a government in which the people- directly or indirectly- are the ultimate source of authority, electing representatives to make laws that serve their interests and advance the common good
head of state
the executive role that symbolizes and represents the people both nationally and internationally
totalitarianism
a nondemocratic regime that is highly centralized, possessing some form of strong ideology that seeks to transform and absorb fundamental aspects of a state, society, and the economy, using a wide array of institutions
post-materialist values
value orientation that emphasizes self-expression and quality of life over economic and physical security
cross-cutting and reinforcing cleavages
divisions (race, ethnicity, etc) in a society that do not align perfectly; the problem is compounded when one group is dominant in government and other social institutions
branches of govt
executive, judicial, legislative
devolution
a process in which political power is “sent down” to lower levels of state and government
failed states
a state that is unable to perform the two fundamental functions of the sovereign nation-state in the modern world system: it cannot project authority over its territory and peoples, and it cannot protect its national boundaries
the Inquisition
a judicial procedure and later an institution that was established by the papacy and, sometimes, by secular governments to combat heresy
Human Development Index
a statistical tool that attempts to evaluate the overall wealth, health, and knowledge of the country’s people
capitalism
a system of production based on private property and free markets
recession
a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in production, employment, real income, and other indicators
mercantilism
a political-economic system in which national economic power is paramount and the domestic economy is viewed as an instrument that exists primarily to serve the needs of the state
populism (of left & right)
While both left-wing and right-wing populists object to the perceived control of liberal democracies by elites, those on the left also have problems with large corporations and their allies while those on the right focus on external threats
terrorism
the use of violence by nonstate actors against civilians in order to achieve a political goal
demagogue
a political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than using rational argument (particularly appeal to more negative emotions)
positive-, negative-, and zero-sum
positive: where the sum total of gains is positive
negative: where the sum total of gains is negative
zero: where the gains of one exactly match the losses of the other, so the sum total of gains is zero
unicameral
1 chamber (ex. Israel)
bicameral
2 chambers (ex. Senate and House of Reps)
regime
a govt especially an authoritarian one
ethno-nationalism
a form of nationalism that defines a nation by ethnicity
heresy
an belief that goes against the official teachings of a religion or a generally accepted belief
political economy
economics as a branch of knowledge or academic discipline
central bank (e.g., the U.S. Fed)
helps stabilize the financial system and economy
Smoot-Hawley (1930)
a big tariff adopted in the 1930s and signed into law by Pres. Hoover; this was during the second year of the Great Depression and made it hard for producers to sell in the American economy
neo-mercantilism
a policy regime that encourages exports, discourages imports, controls capital movement, and centralizes currency decisions in the hands of a central govt
succession
the order in which or the conditions under which one person after another succeeds to a property, dignity, position, title, or throne; sequence
relative deprivation model
the belief that a person will feel deprived or entitled to something based on the comparison to someone else
separation of powers
a constitutional principle that divides govt power into 3 branches
autocracy
a system of government with one absolute power
social capital
concept to define networks of relationships which are productive towards advancing the goals of individuals and groups; values derived from positive connections between people
polity
a political organization
nation
a territory where all its people are led by the same government
nation-state
a state encompassing one dominant nation that it claims to embody and represent
apostasy
the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief
reactionaries
a person who holds political views that favor a return to the status quo ante- the previous political state of a society- which the person believes possessed positive characteristics that are absent from contemporary society
Transparency International
the global civil society organization leading the fight against corruption
GDP
Gross Domestic Product; the total value of all goods and services produced in a country during a specific period of time
fiscal policy
the use of govt spending and taxation to influence the economy
monetary policy
a set of actions taken by a country’s central bank to control the money supply and interest rates; the goal is to achieve economic stability
tariffs
a tax on imported goods and services
industrial policy
refers to govt assistance to businesses to boost or reshape specific economic activities
secession
the action of withdrawing formally from membership of a federation or body, especially a political state
command
a directive from an authority figure, or to a type of economic system
direct democracy
the people themselves are directly making the decision
habeas corpus
judicial order forcing law enforcement authorities to produce a prisoner they are holding, and to justify the prisoners continued confinement
authoritarianism
the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom
great replacement theory
a conspiracy rooted in the belief that the white race is under threat of extinction at the hands of Jews and other minorities
advisory opinion
a court’s nonbinding interpretation of a law
gerrymandering
the process of apportioning electoral districts to favor one political party or to marginalize certain groups
malapportionment
the creation of electoral districts with divergent ratios of voters to representatives (ex. if one single-member district has 10,000 voters and another has 100,000 voters, voters in the former district have 10x the influence per person over the governing body)
