Chapter 2 - States Flashcards
(31 cards)
State Definition:
-an organization that maintains a monopoly of force/control over a territory
-set of political institutions that generates & carries out policy
-driver of economic development & rise of democracy
-sovereign
State Components:
-internal & external protection (police, army)
-taxation
-judiciary
-social welfare (housing, healthcare, other benefits available to citizens)
Sovereignty Definition:
-the ability to carry out policies within a territory independently of external actors or internal rivals
Regime Definition:
-norms and rules that regulate how a government operates (regarding individual freedom, collective equality, use of power, where it resides)
-institutionalized but can change because of dramatic social events( ie. a revolution)
-divided into two basic categories
-no two regimes (demo or non-demo)are the same
Democratic Regime:
-public has a significant role in governance
-certain individual rights and liberties
Non-Democratic Regime:
-limits public participation
-favors those in power
(think dictatorship)
Government Definition:
-the leadership in charge of running the state
-limited by the existing regime (lawmakers must abide to the law)
-weakly institutionalized
Government Components:
-elected officials (presidents, prime ministers)
-unelected official (monarch)
Computer Analogy:
State = computer
Regime = software (can become outdated & unstable)
Government = operates the machinery (think user)
Country Definition:
-shorthand for the political system that combines the state, regime, government, and residents of the system
Institutionalization Hierarchy/graph
Least —–> Greatest
Government, Regime, State
Modern State Origins:
-first took shape in Europe
-property rights
-technological innovation
-domestic stability
Modern State Advantages:
-encourages technological innovations
-domestic stability (^ trade and commerce)
Individual Rights:
Individual Liberties:
Paths of Political Organization:
-Democratic Rule
-Authoritarian Rule
Consensus Definition:
-individuals band together to protect themselves
-create common rules
-leadership chosen among the people
-security through cooperation
Coercion Definition:
-individuals brought together by a ruler
-ruler imposes authority and monopolizes power
-security through domination
Legitimacy Definition:
-a value whereby an institution is accepted by the public as right and proper
- gives it it’s authority and power
Legitimacy Forms:
-Traditional
-Charismatic
-Rational-legal
Traditional Legitimacy Definition:
-legitimacy that accepts its validity because it has been established/institutionalized over a long period of time
-strongly institutionalized
-traditional ≠ outdated
-ex. monarchy
Charismatic Legitimacy Definition:
- legitimacy built of force of ideas established by an individual leader
-weakly institutionalized
-move and persuade the public
-ex. Putin in Russia, Hitler
Rational- Legal Legitimacy Definition:
-based on a system of highly institutionalized laws and procedures
-political leaders gain legitimacy through the rules by which they attain office
-once they leave office, much of their authority is lost
-strongly institutionalized
-what modern states are built off of
-ex. US, Britain, other EU countries…
Federalism Definition:
-system in which significant state powers (taxation, lawmaking, security) are devolved to regional/local bodies
-federalism helps represent local interests & check the growth of central power
-ex. states in the US, provinces in Canada
