Unit 1 Vocab

Question 1

Empirical Data

Answer 1

Information gathered from observation or experimentation.

Question 2

Qualitative Data

Answer 2

Information that is difficult to measure and might be found in speeches, foundational documents, political cartoons, maps or political commentaries. Opposite of quantitative data which includes statistical data and mathematical models.

Question 3

Causation

Answer 3

Cause and effect- when a change in one variable causes a change in another. Causation can be difficult to determine in comparative politics because of the numerous variables that can be impossible to isolate.

Question 4

Correlation

Answer 4

An apparent relationship between two or more variables.

Question 5

Human Development Index (HDI)

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Answer 6

Market value of all goods and services produced by one country in one year.

Question 7

GDP Per Capita

Answer 7

Size of national economy based on population.

Question 8

Gini Index

Answer 8

A mathematical coefficient to measure income inequality in a given country. The Gini Index was first developed by Italian statistician Corrado Gini in 1912. Complete equality is close to zero.

Question 9

Freedom House

Answer 9

A US 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).

Question 10

Governmental Transparency

Answer 10

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. (Most transparent is UK, least transparent incl. Iran, Russia, and China).

Question 11

Fragile States Index (formerly known as Failed States Index)

Answer 11

Produced by the Fund for Peace, this index ranks countries based on their potential to weaken due to a range of factors including political, social, and economic turmoil.

Question 12

GDP Growth Rate

Answer 12

Rate at which a national economy grows (or declines).

Question 13

Political Systems

Answer 13

The laws, ideas, and procedures that address who should have authority to govern and what the government’s influence on its people should be.

Question 14

States

Answer 14

A set of political institutions that generate and execute policy over a permanent population; an organization that maintains a monopoly of force over a given territory.

Question 15

Regimes

Answer 15

The fundamental rules and norms of politics that control access to and the exercise of political power. Regimes endure whereas governments are subject to elections and coups.

Question 16

Government

Answer 16

A set of institutions or individuals legally empowered to make binding decisions for a state; also, the leadership of elite in charge of running the state.

Question 17

Sovereignty

Answer 17

The ability of a state to exercise control over actions and policy within a defined territory independent of external actors or domestic rivals.

Question 18

Nation

Answer 18

A group of people that desire self-government through an independent state. May or may not share traits such as race, language, religion, ethnicity, or political aspirations.

Question 19

Rule of Law

Answer 19

A system in which all individuals, including those in government, are subject to the law, regardless of their power or authority. (Best = UK, the rest are flimsy at best)

Question 20

Free Elections

Answer 20

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. (Best = UK)

Question 21

Independence of Governmental Branches

Answer 21

Prevents or assures that no one branch of a government can control all governmental power.

Question 22

Independence election or electoral commissions

Answer 22

Attempts by government to reduce voter fraud, manipulation at the ballot box, and to enhance electoral competition. (Poor = Russia)

Question 23

Suffrage

Answer 23

The right to vote in political elections.

Question 24

Civil Rights

Answer 24

Individual rights regarding equality accorded to every citizen by a government, usually on the basis of a constitution.

Question 25

Civil Liberties

Answer 25

Individual rights regarding freedoms according to every citizen by a government, usually on the basis of a constitution.

Question 26

Corporatist System

Answer 26

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. (Ex. = Russia)

Question 27

Pluralist System

Answer 27

Citizens can affiliate with a range of independent interest groups regardless of government sanction or support. (Ex. = UK)

Question 28

Democratic Electoral Systems

Answer 28

Consist of multiple parties; access to ballots is codified in law and upheld by the legal system. (Ex. = UK, less so Mexico/Nigeria)

Question 29

Gender Quotas

Answer 29

Governmental or party rules intended to increase female representation in legislatures. (Ex. = Mexico)

Question 30

Democratic Versus Authoritarian

Answer 30

Factors 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. (UK v. China)

Question 31

Illiberal Democracies or Hybrid Regimes

Answer 31

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. (Ex. Russia)

Question 32

One-Party States

Answer 32

Rival political parties are prohibited from access to the electoral process and to government. (Ex. China)

Question 33

Theocracy

Answer 33

State is controlled by leaders of a religion. (Ex. Iran)

Question 34

Totalitarian Government

Answer 34

Use of violence and terror to transform society via a centralized state and defined ideology. (Ex. China)

Question 35

Military Regimes

Answer 35

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. (Ex. historical Nigeria)

Question 36

Democratization

Answer 36

Transition from authoritarian to democratic regime. (Nigeria, Mexico)

Question 37

Democratic Consolidation

Answer 37

Maturation of democratic regime to include election rules, separation of powers, and protection of civil liberties. (Mexico and Nigeria)

Question 38

Sources of Power

Answer 38

Constitutions, religion, military forces, political parties, legislatures, and popular support.

Question 39

Federal States

Answer 39

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. (Nigeria and Mexico)

Question 40

Unitary States

Answer 40

Political power is concentrated at the national level and local authority is limited or restricted. (Russia, Iran, China, UK)

Question 41

Devolution

Answer 41

Delegation of power to regional governments which can weaken a government’s legitimacy. (UK —> Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland)

Question 42

Legitimacy

Answer 42

Confers authority and power and reflects whether a state’s citizens believe their government has the legal and symbolic right to be in power.

Question 43

Sources of Legitimacy

Answer 43

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.

Question 44

Coercion

Answer 44

Use of government force to control citizens’ behavior and actions. (Russia, China, Iran)