Unit One: Concepts for Comparison Flashcards
a term that applies to countries that have a long history of democracy that has stabilized as the established form of government, high degree of legitimacy and social capital
advanced democracy
a political regime where a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public
authoritarian regime
two-house legislature
bicameral legislatures
one-house legislature
unicameral legislatures
head of government exercises almost complete control
over their (bureaucratic) activities
bureaucratic authoritarian regimes
consist of agencies that generally implement government policy. They usually are a part of the executive branch of government.
bureaucracy
several parties join forces and are represented in different cabinet posts.
cabinet coalition
a correlation in which a change in one variable results in a change in others
causation
a system of governance in which divisions of government can restrain the political authority of other divisions
checks & balances
Guarantees of personal freedoms that government cannot restrict without due process
civil liberties
the way that citizens organize and define themselves and their interests to the ways that the formal government operates
civil society
when every dispute aligns the same groups against each other - likely more explosive
coinciding cleavages
divide society into many potential groups that may conflict on one issue but cooperate on another - tend to keep social conflict at moderate levels
crosscutting cleavages
an economic/political system in which government decisions rather than markets determine resource use and output
command economies
based on tradition, past practices, and legal precedents set by the courts through interpretations of statutes, legal legislation, and past rulings
common law
based on a comprehensive system
of written rules (codes) of law divided into commercial, civil, and criminal codes
code law
In these regimes, the party controls everything from the government to the economy to social life
communism
regular, free, and fair elections
competitive elections
spreads the power among many sub-units (such as states), and has a weak central government
confederal system
citizens are sharply divided, often on both the legitimacy of the regime and its solutions to major problems
conflictual political culture
Although citizens may disagree on
some political processes and policies, they tend generally to agree on how decisions are made, what issues should be addressed, and
how problems should be solved.
consensual political culture
tend to see change as disruptive, and they emphasize the fact that it sometimes brings unforeseen outcomes
conservatism
serve to defend democratic principles of a country against infringement by both private citizens and the government are a
much more recent phenomenon
constitutional courts
the means a regime uses to get support from its citizens
co-optation
an arrangement in which government officials interact with people/groups outside the government before they set policy
corporatism
are an indication that causality may be present; they do not necessarily indicate causation (ex: An example of positive correlation would be height and weight. Taller people tend to be heavier. A negative correlation is a relationship between two variables in which an increase in one variable is associated with a decrease in the other.)
correlation
a universal political order that draws its identity and values from everywhere – is emerging
cosmopolitanism
The military rule usually begins with a _____, a forced takeover of the government. The coup may or may not have widespread support among the
people.
coup d’état
all institutions and many people participate, so democracy penetrates political parties, the judiciary, and the bureaucracy. The military, too, cooperates with political leaders and subordinates its will to the democratically-based government.
democratic consolidation
democracy in which citizens get a say in the policies being made
direct democracy
This process of limiting the power of the
state over private property and market forces is commonly referred to as ____
economic liberalization
Rules that decide how votes are
○ Cast
○ Counted
○ Translated into seats in a legislature
electoral systems
those who hold political power – without much input from citizens
elites
based on facts and stats
empirical data
often confused with communism because they both devalue the idea of individual freedom - permit the continued private ownership of property, at least by elites - reject the value of equality, and accepts the idea that people and groups exist in degrees of inferiority and superiority
facism
divides the power between the central government and sub-units, and regional bodies have significant powers, such as taxation, lawmaking, and
keeping order
federal system
The United States, India, and Great Britain use a system called _____, in which they divide their constituencies into single-member districts in which candidates compete for a single representative’s seat.
first-past-the-post (plurality)
states make direct investments from out of state
foreign direct investment
divisions based on ethnic and culture
fragmentation
rates people’s access to political rights and civil liberties; 1 to 7
freedom scale, with countries given a 1 being the most free
Freedom House ratings
a mathematical formula that measures the amount of economic inequality in a society
Gini Index
the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale
globalization
measures all the goods and services produced by a country’s economy in a given year, excluding income citizens earned outside the country
GDP
measures all the goods and services produced by a country’s economy in a given year, including income citizens earned outside the country
GNP
divides GNP by population
GNP per capita
a reference to the leadership and institutions that make policy decisions for a country
government
a role that deals with the everyday tasks of running the government
head of government
a role that symbolizes power and
nature of the regime
head of state
a speculative statement about the relationship between two or more factors
hypothesis
are like liberal democracies except they lack in other areas such as competitive elections
illiberal democracies
variable that creates/manipulates change
independent variable
caused or influenced by another factor/variable
dependent variable
Economic development and modernization theory. Industrialization was seen by many theorists as a driver of democratization. …
Inequality and democracy. …
Natural resources. …
Values and religion. …
Education. …
Social capital and civil society. …
Elite-opposition negotiations and contingency. …
Elite-driven democratization.
indications of democratization
type of democratic government in which voters choose delegates to create the laws of government on their behalf
indirect democracy
takes into account not only the way politicians operate outside their formal powers, but also the impact that the beliefs, values, and actions of ordinary citizens have on policy-making.
informal politics
vote on policy initiated by the people; must propose an issue for a nationwide vote and its organizers must collect a certain number of supporting signatures from the public
initiative
stable, long-lasting organizations that help
to turn political ideas into policy. Common examples of institutions are bureaucracies, legislatures, judicial systems, and political parties
institutions
a process that encourages states to pool their sovereignty in order to gain political, economic, and social clout.
integration
more autonomy; These autonomous
groups compete with each other and with the government for influence
over state policies in a pattern
interest group pluralism
the mechanism that allows courts to review laws and executive actions for their constitutionality
judicial review
General belief that the gov’t has the right to rule and exercise authority (popular acceptance of authority)
legitimacy
may also be called substantive democracies where citizens have access to multiple sources of information
liberal democracies
roots in 19th century Europe, where
its proponents supported both political and economic freedoms
liberalism as a political ideology
supports reform and gradual change rather than revolution
liberalism as an approach to economic and political change
groups that connect the government to its citizens, such as political parties, interest groups, and print and electronic media.
linkage institutions
an economy that limits government interference and promotes private property
market econmies
the term that describes the state’s re-creation of a market in which property, labor, goods, and services can all function in a competitive environment to determine their value.
marketization
non-democratic rule; usually begins with a coup d’état
military rule
in between a command and market economy
mixed economies
○ Combines first past the post & proportional
○ Some # of seats are single-member & some are proportional
mixed electoral system
electoral districts that send two or more members to a legislative chamber
multi-member districts
electoral district represented by a single officeholder
single-member districts
They usually arise in countries with strong parliamentary systems, particularly those that use a proportional representation method for elections.
multi-party system
a group of people bound together by a common political identity
nation
the sense of belonging and identity that distinguishes one nation from
another
nationalism
issues that require value judgments
normative questions
citizens vote for legislative representatives, who in turn select the leaders of the executive branch
parliamentary system
The array of political parties operating in a particular country and the nature of the relationships among them
party system
political supporters received jobs in return for their assistance in getting the president elected
patronage
a system in which the state provides specific benefits or favors to a single person or small
group in return for public support.
patron-client system
A non-binding vote to gauge public opinion on an issue (essentially a large public poll)
plebiscite
a situation in which power is split among many groups that compete for the chance to influence the government’s decision-making (basic principle of democracy)
pluralism
refers to the collection of political beliefs,
values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on
political culture
a citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events
political efficacy
those who hold political power – without much input from citizens
political elites
addresses the problem of individuals and interest groups having conflicting goals or agendas
political frameworks
sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics (ex: liberalism, communism, socialism, fascism, religions)
political ideologies
Increasing citizen rights and liberties; Minimizing government supervision of society/individuals.
political liberalization
Civil liberties refer to the promotion of freedom, whereas civil rights usually refer to the promotion of equality. Although the two
concepts overlap, the protection of _____ usually implies that the government should be proactive in promoting
them
political rights
How do citizens learn about politics
in their country? Do electronic and print media shape their learning? Does the government put forth effort to politically educate their citizens? If so, how much of their effort might you call “propaganda”? How do children learn about politics?
political socialization
religion mixing/influencing politics
politicization of religion
In this type of democracy, the roles of
head of state and head of government are given to one person the president. This central figure is directly elected by the
people and serves as the chief executive within a system of checks and balances between the legislative and executive
(and sometimes judicial) branches
presidential system
the transfer of state-owned property to private ownership
privatization
another term for illiberal democracies
procedural democracy
voters cast their ballots for a party rather than for a candidate, and the percentage of votes a party receives determines how many seats the party will gain in the legislature.
proportional representation
a figure like GNP, except that it takes into consideration what people can buy using their income from the local
economy
purchase power parity (PPP)
is a belief that rapid, dramatic changes need to be made in the existing society, often including the political system. Radicals usually think that the current system cannot
be saved and must be overturned and replaced with something better
radicalism
they want to turn back the clock to an earlier era, and reinstate political, social, and economic institutions that once existed; willing to use violence
reactionary beliefs
identifying future leaders
of the government
recruitment of elites
A ballot called by the government
on a policy, issue is called a
referendum
a type of change that does not advocate the overthrow of basic institutions. Instead, reformers want to change some of the methods that political and economic leaders use to reach goals that society generally accepts.
reform
The rules that a state sets and follows in exerting its power are referred
to collectively as a
regime
involves either a major revision or an overthrow of existing institutions
revolution
Political discontent is generally fueled if the crisis is preceded by a period of relative improvement in the standard of living, a condition called the
revolution of rising expectations
provides for equal treatment of citizens and
due process
rule of law
political scientist - “third wave” of democratization
Samuel Huntington’s “clash of civilizations”
where a prime minister coexists with
a president who is directly elected by the people and who holds a significant degree of power.
semi-presidential system
between branches ensures that they share power and that one branch does not come to dominate the others
separation of powers
boundaries and separation caused by various forms of cleavage
social boundaries
amount of reciprocity and trust that exists among citizens, and between citizens and the state
social capital
Religion, ethnic groups, race, and social and economic class that creates divisions
social cleavages
refer to organized collective activities that aim to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society. Social movements try to influence political leaders to make policy decisions that support their goals
social movements
accept and promote private ownership but also put emphasis on central government
socialism
where interest groups take the lead and dominate the state
societal corporatism (neo)
the ability to carry out actions or policies within their borders independently from interference either from the inside or
the outside
sovereignty
or countries
state
where the state determines which groups are brought in
state corporatism
Such activities are obeying laws, following military orders and paying taxes (obedience)
subject activities
another name for liberal democracies
substantive democracy
the process that determines the procedure
for replacing leaders when they resign, die, or are no longer effective
succession
In these Latin American countries, a military regime formed a ruling coalition that included military officers and civilian bureaucrats, or _____.
technocrats
The “first wave” developed gradually over time; the “second wave” occurred after the Allied victory in World War II, and continued until the early 1960s. This second wave was characterized by de-colonization around the globe. The third wave is characterized by
the defeat of dictatorial or totalitarian rulers in South America, Eastern Europe, and some parts of Africa. The recent political turnover in Mexico may be interpreted as part of this “third wave” of democratization
waves of democratization
economically underdeveloped and deprived states/areas
third world
(Old Approach)
○ 1 - U.S. and its allies (NATO)
○ 2 - Soviet Union and its allies
□ Collapsed in 1991, Russia maintains relations
○ 3 - Third World Nations
Economically deprived & Underdeveloped
three-world approach
a high centralized regime that possesses some form of strong ideology that seeks to transform and absorb aspects of the state, society, and the economy.
○ Much more negative connotation than authoritarian ○ Very repressive ○ Use violence/terror
totalitarianism
The government cracks down on unrecognized groups, such as the
religious organization, Falon Gong, so that they are either forced underground or out of existence.
“transmission belt”
“see through”; the government is visible to the citizens to a certain extent
transparency
caused by the plurality system over time
two-party system
when the minorities POV gets overlooked due to a majority ruling
tyranny of the majority
one that concentrates all policymaking powers in one central geographic place,
and the central government is responsible for most policy areas
unitary systems
