Comparative Government and Politics - Key Concepts Flashcards

1
Q

What is a concept

A

an idea, term or category

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

what is political science

A

the study of the theory and practice of government and politics, focusing on the structure and dynamics of institutions, political processes and political behaviour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what is social science

A

the study of human society and of the structured interactions among people within society

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

what is government

A

the institutions and structures through which societies are governed

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what is an institution

A

a formal organization or practice with a political purpose or effect, marked by durability and internal complexity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what is Hobbes’s case for government

A

without a ruler/government, society enters a state of humanity that is ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short’, as they would be engaged in a war against every other man

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

where does Hobbes lay out his case for a government

A

Leviathan (published in 1651)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

what is a political system

A

the interactions and organizations through which a society reaches and successfully enforces collective decisions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what is governance

A

the process by which decisions, laws, and policies are made, with or without the input of formal instutitons

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what is politics

A

the process by which people negotiate and compete in the process of making and executing shared or collective decisions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what is power

A

the capacity to bring about intended effects and is a synonym for influence, or more forceful modes of influence.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

where does the group Boko Haram operate

A

Nigeria

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

when was the first presidential election in Nigeria where the incumbent was defeated by their opponent

A

2015

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

when did Nigeria gain independence

A

1960

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what is Nigeria ranked on the democracy index rating

A

hybrid regime

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what is a hybrid regime

A

a regime which is a mixture of authoritarianism and democracy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what ruled Nigeria for 30 years

A

the military

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

who outlined three dimensions of power

A

Lukes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what is the core question of the first dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

Who Prevails when preferences conflict?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

what is the core quality of the first dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

decisions are made on issues over which there is an observable conflict of interests

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

what is the core question of the second dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

who controls whether preferences are expressed?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what is the core quality of the second dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

decisions are prevented from being taken on potential issues over which there is an observable conflict of interests

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

what is the core question of the third dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

who shapes preferences?

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

what is the core quality of the third dimension of Lukes’s dimensions of power?

A

potential issues are kept out of politics, whether through social forces, institutional practices, or the decisions of individuals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

what is legitimacy

A

the condition of being legitimate. A legitimate system of government is one based on authority, and those subject to its rule recognize its right to make decisions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

what is ideology

A

a system of connected beliefs, a shared view of the world, or a blueprint for how politics, economics, and society should be structured

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

what are the typical features of anarchism

A

all forms of governmental authority are unnecessary, and society is best structured around voluntary cooperation and free association

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

what are the typical features of marxism

A

elimination of the state system and private property will lead to the creation of a classless, non-exploitative and self governing society

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

what are the typical features of liberalism

A

individuals are the best judges of their own interests. Advocates a tolerant society which maximises personal freedom, and favours a government which is limited but freely elected

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

what are the typical features of conservatism

A

traditional institutions and practices work best, the free market is the most efficient at meeting societal needs, and government should be as decentralised as possible

31
Q

what are the typical features of fascism?

A

supports the achievement of national unity through an authoritarian state, strong leadership, mass mobilization, and an emphasis on nationalism and militarism

32
Q

what is the study of internaitonal relations

A

the study of relations between and among states, including diplomacy, foreign policy, international organizations, war and peace

33
Q

what is comparative politics

A

the systematic study of government and politics in different countries, designed to better understand them by drawing out their contrasts and similarities

34
Q

what is the study of national politics

A

the study of politics and government in the setting of individual states, including institutions and political processes

35
Q

what is the study of political philosophy

A

the study of issues such as authority, ethics and freedom

36
Q

what is the study of political theory?

A

the study of abstract or generalized approaches to understanding political phenomena

37
Q

what is the study of public policy?

A

the study of the positions taken or avoided by governments in response to public needs

38
Q

what is a typology

A

a system of classification by which states, institutions, processes, politics, cultures, and so on are divided into groups or types with common sets of attributes

39
Q

what is the three worlds system

A

a political typology that divided the world along ideological lines, with states labelled according to the side they took in the Cold War

40
Q

what is the first world?

A

the wealthy, democratic industrialized states, most of which were partners in the Western alliances against communism

41
Q

what is the second world?

A

communist systems, including most of those states, ranged against the Western alliance

42
Q

what is the third world?

A

poorer, less democratic, and less developed states, some of which took sides in the cold war, but some of which did not

43
Q

what is Aristotle’s classification of government

A

a way of cateogirsing leadership and rule based on the number of individuals in charge and the form of leadersihp

44
Q

what is the perverted leadership of one individual

A

tyranny

45
Q

what is the genuine leadership of one individual

A

kingship

46
Q

what is the perverted leadership conducted by a few individuals

A

oligarchy

47
Q

what is the genuine leadership of a few individuals called

A

aristocracy

48
Q

what is the perverted leadership of many called

A

democracy

49
Q

what is the genuine leadership of many called

A

polity

50
Q

what is the study of public policy

A

the study of positions taken or avoided by governments in response to public needs

51
Q

what did the Economic Intelligence Unit use to classigy political systems

A

a democracy index

52
Q

what is the democracy index developed by the EIU based off of

A

60 different measures

53
Q

what country ranked highest on the EIU democracy index

A

Norway - 9.87

54
Q

what country ranked lowest on the EIU democracy index

A

North Korea - 1.08

55
Q

what index did Freedom House develop in 1972

A

the Freedom in the World Index

56
Q

what does the Freedom in the World Index classify countries as

A

free
partly free
not free

57
Q

what is gross domestic product

A

the core measure of the size of economies, calculated by giving a monetary value to all goods and services produced within a country in a given year, regardless of who owns the different means of production

58
Q

what is government meant to provide

A

security and predictability

59
Q

what is the risk of Hobbes’ commonwealth

A

it will abuse its own authority, creating more problems than it solves

60
Q

what was Locke’s criticism of Hobbes’ argument

A

there is no profit in avoiding the dangers of foxes if the outcome is simply to be devoured by lions

61
Q

what is an example of a system that has a process of governance but no government

A

international politics; there is no global government

62
Q

what is the role of governance in reference to government

A

we need the concept of governance as a supplement, rather than a replacement, for the notion of government

63
Q

what are key examples of politics

A

debates between the President and Congress over the budget
the holding of non-binding referendums in Catalonia in 2014 and 2017 over independence

64
Q

what are some question raised over politics

A

when one country invades another, is it engaged in politics or merely in war?

65
Q

what are the three clear aspects of politics

A
  • it is a collective activity, occurring between and among people.
  • it involves making decisions regarding a course of action to take or a disagreement to be resolved
  • Political decisions become authoritative policy for the group, binding and committing its members
66
Q

why is politics unavoidable

A

we live in groups that must reach collective decisions about using resources, relating to other, and planning for the future

67
Q

what did Aristotle say about politics

A

‘man is by nature a political animal’

68
Q

what is an example of the difference between power and authority?

A

while Russia may exercise some power over Russians living in countries like Ukraine, the Baltics and Kazahkstan, its formal authority stops at the Russian border

69
Q

what are Weber’s three ways of validating political power

A
  • by tradition or the accepted way of doing things
  • by charisma or intense commitment to a leader and his or her message
  • by appeal to legal-rational norms, based on the rule-governed powers of an office, rather than a person
70
Q

who coined the idea of ideology

A

Antoine Destutt de Tracy during the 1790s, in the aftermath of the French Revolution

71
Q

what was Dogan and Pelassy’s (1990) defence of comparative politics

A

because the comprehension of a single case is linked to the understanding of many cases, because we perceive the particular better in the light of generalities, international comparison increases tenfold the possibility of explaining political phenomena. The observer who studies just one country could interpret as normal what in fact appears to the comparativist as abnormal

72
Q

what is the benefit of comparative politics

A

it opens up new horizons and exciting new possibilities as we learn more about the sheer variety of forms in which government and politics can be found

73
Q

what is the ideal typology

A

one that is simply, neat, consistent, logical, and as real and useful to the casual observer as it is to journalists, political leader, or political scientists