The State & Democratic Regimes Flashcards

1
Q

The importance of the state:

A

-most powerful political unit that we know

-most important level of analysis

-all regimes are organised under the large framework of the state

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2
Q

Two different positions in the literature on the modern state:

A

Hobbes (Leviathan) and Graeber (The Dawn of Everything)

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3
Q

Hobbes (Leviathan)’s position on the modern state:

A

-life before the arrival of the state was brutish and short

-emergence of the state was associated with modernisation, peace and prosperity

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4
Q

Graeber (The Dawn of Everything)’s position on the modern state:

A

-many political parties before states were even more democratic then some known states

-questions if the state is still meaningful

-argues that market forces replace the state when providing goods and services

-forces of globalisation and regionalism

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5
Q

definition of a modern state:

A

A sovereign polity characterised by a complex set of institutions, territorially bound, which enjoys authoritative rule-making backed up by a monopoly of the means of violence

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6
Q

two types of sovereignty:

A

Internal sovereignty: state is independent of other internal powers

External sovereignty: state is recognised by other states

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7
Q

what are quasi-states?

A

states that may not have one or both of the two types of sovereignty

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8
Q

what are two examples of quasi-states?

A

Somalia: lacks internal sovereignty (challenged by rebels)

Somaliland: lacks external sovereignty (unrecognised)

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9
Q

Why and how did states emerge in Europe? (Tilly)

A

war made the state and the state made war

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10
Q

How did states emerge elsewhere?

A

Transformation
Unification
Secession
Decolonisation

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11
Q

what is meant by transformation in the context of state emergence?

A

Gradually changing from a monarchy into a state (Great Britain, France)

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12
Q

what is meant by unification in the context of state emergence?

A

Independent city states unite into one state (Kingdom of Italy, German Empire)

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13
Q

what is meant by secession in the context of state emergence?

A

Break-up of large federal states or empires (Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolves into Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, etc.)

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14
Q

what is meant by decolonisation in the context of state emergence?

A

Former colonies turn into independent states (most of Africa and Asia)

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15
Q

what are the two distinctions of state power? (Michael Mann, 1984)

A

Despotic power

Infrastructural power

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16
Q

what is Despotic Power?

A

Actions a state can take without consulting its society (liberal democracies refrain from using it)

17
Q

what is Infrastructural Power?

A

Capacity of the state to push its decisions on society (modern states have had a gradual but linear rise of it)

18
Q

LOW Despotic Power and LOW Infrastructural Power: what type of state is this?

A

Feudal

19
Q

HIGH Despotic Power and LOW Infrastructural Power: what type of state is this?

A

Imperial

20
Q

LOW Despotic Power and HIGH Infrastructural Power: what type of state is this?

A

Democratic

21
Q

HIGH Despotic Power and HIGH Infrastructural Power: what type of state is this?

A

Single-Party

22
Q

Types of democratic regimes:

A
  1. Liberal (full) democracy
  2. Electoral (flawed) democracy
  3. Representative democracy
  4. Direct/deliberative democracy
23
Q

Important facts about representative democracies:

A

-Rulers are chosen in free and fair elections

-People rule indirectly by electing their representatives and holding them accountable through elections

-It can be of varying quality (full vs. flawed)

24
Q

What are the alternatives of representative democracies?

A

-Democratic Alternatives (Direct/Deliberative)

-Non-democratic Alternatives

25
Q

-Two dimensions of democracy (Robert Dahl):

A

contestation and inclusiveness

26
Q

Three waves of representative democracies according to Huntington:

A

First wave: 1828 - 1926 (Netherlands)

Second wave: 1943 - 1964 (Germany, Italy, Japan)

Third wave: 1973 - Now (Spain, Portugal, Hungary, etc.)