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Glossary Flashcards

(65 cards)

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1
Q

AUTHORITARIANISM

A

A political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public

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2
Q

BICAMERAL SYSTEM

A

A political system in which the legislature comprises two houses

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3
Q

BEHAVIORAL REVOLUTION

A

A movement within political science during the 1950s and 1960s to develop general theories about individual political behavior that could be applied across all countries

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4
Q

BUREAUCRATIC AUTHORITARIANISM

A

A system in which the state bureaucracy and the military share a belief that a technocratic leadership, focused on rational, objective, and technical expertise, can solve the problems of the country without public participation

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5
Q

CAPITALISM

A

A system of production based on private property and free markets

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6
Q

CHARISMATIC LEGITIMACY

A

Legitimacy built on the force of ideas embodied by an individual leader

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7
Q

CIVIL LIBERTIES

A

Individual rights regarding freedom that are created by the constitution and the political regime

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8
Q

CIVIL RIGHTS

A

Individual rights regarding equality that are created by the constitution and the political regime

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9
Q

CLIENTELISM

A

A process whereby the state co-opts members of the public by providing specific benefits or favors to a single person or a small group in return for public support

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10
Q

COLONIALISM

A

An imperialist system in which a foreign territory is physically occupied, using military force, businesses, or settlers

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11
Q

COMMUNISM

A

A political-economic system in which all wealth and property are shared so as to eliminate exploitation, oppression, and, ultimately, the need for political institutions such as the state;

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12
Q

CONSERVATIVES

A

Those with a political attitude that is skeptical of change and supports the current order

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13
Q

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

A

The highest judicial body in a political system that decides whether laws and policies violate the constitution

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14
Q

COUNTRY

A

A state, government, and regime, and the people who live within that political system

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15
Q

DEMOCRACY

A

A political system in which political power is exercised either directly or indirectly by the people

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16
Q

DEVELOPED DEMOCRACY

A

A country with institutionalized democracy and a high level of economic development

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17
Q

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

A

Lower and middle income countries

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18
Q

EQUALITY

A

A material standard of living shared by individuals within a community, society, or country

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19
Q

ETHNIC CONFLICT

A

A conflict in which different ethnic groups struggle to achieve certain political or economic goals at each other’s expense

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20
Q

EXECUTIVE

A

The branch of government that carries out the laws and policies of a state

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21
Q

FASCISM

A

A political ideology that asserts the superiority and inferiority of different groups of people and stresses a low degree of both freedom and equality in order to achieve a powerful state

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22
Q

FEDERALISM

A

A system in which significant state powers, such as taxation, lawmaking, and security, are devolved to regional or local bodies

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23
Q

FIRST PAST THE POST

A

An electoral system in which individual candidates compete in single-member districts; voters choose between candidates, and the candidate with the largest share of the vote wins the seat

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24
Q

FREEDOM

A

The ability of an individual to act independently, without fear of restriction or punishment by the state or other individuals or groups in society

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25
GINI INDEX
A statistical formula that measures the amount of inequality in a society; its scale ranges from zero to 100, where zero corresponds to perfect equality and 100 to perfect inequality
26
GLOBALIZATION
The process of expanding and intensifying linkages between states, societies, and economies
27
GUERRILLA WAR
A conflict whereby nonstate combatants, who largely abide by the rules of war, target the state
28
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT
The executive role that deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, such as formulating and executing policy
29
HEAD OF STATE
The executive role that symbolizes and represents the people both nationally and internationally
30
ILLIBERAL REGIME
A regime where democratic institutions that rest on the rule of law are weakly institutionalized and poorly respected
31
LEGISLATURE
The branch of government charged with making laws
32
LIBERAL DEMOCRACY
A political system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty and emphasizes individual freedom and civil rights
33
LIBERALISM
(1) A political attitude that favors evolutionary transformation; (2) an ideology and political system that favors a limited state role in society and the economy and places a high priority on individual political and economic freedom
34
LIBERALS
Those with a political attitude that favors evolutionary change and who believe that existing institutions can be instruments of positive change
35
MIDDLE INCOME COUNTRIES
Historically less-developed countries that have experienced significant economic growth and democratization
36
MODERNIZATION THEORY
A theory asserting that as societies developed, they would take on a set of common characteristics, including democracy and capitalism
37
MULTIMEMBER DISTRICT
An electoral district with more than one seat
38
NATION
A group that desires self-government through an independent state
39
NATIONAL CONFLICT
A conflict in which one or more groups within a country develop clear aspirations for political independence, clashing with others as a result
40
NATIONALISM
Pride in one’s people and the belief that they have a unique political destiny
41
NATION-STATE
A state encompassing one dominant nation that it claims to embody and represent
42
NONDEMOCRATIC REGIME
A political regime that is controlled by a small group of individuals who exercise power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public
43
POLITICAL ATTITUDE
Description of one’s views regarding the speed and methods with which political changes should take place in a given society
44
POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
The basic values held by an individual about the fundamental goals of politics or the ideal balance of freedom and equality
45
POLITICAL VIOLENCE
Violence outside of state control that is politically motivated
46
POLITICS
The struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group
47
POPULISM
A political view that does not have a consistent ideological foundation, but that emphasizes hostility toward elites and established state and economic institutions and favors greater power in the hands of the public
48
POSTMODERN
Characterized by a set of values that center on “quality of life” considerations and give less attention to material gain
49
PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM
A political system in which the roles of head of state and head of government are combined in one executive office
50
PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION (PR)
An electoral system in which political parties compete in multimember districts; voters choose between parties, and the seats in the district are awarded proportionally according to the results of the vote
51
RADICALS
Those with a political attitude that favors dramatic, often revolutionary change
52
REACTIONARIES
Those who seek to restore the institutions of a real or an imagined earlier order
53
RELATIVE DEPRIVATION MODEL
Model that predicts revolution when public expectations outpace the rate of domestic chang
54
REVOLUTION
Public seizure of the state in order to overturn the existing government and regime
55
SEMI-PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM
An executive system that divides power between two strong executives, a president and a prime minister
56
SINGLE-MEMBER DISTRICT (SMD)
An electoral district with one legislative seat
57
SOCIAL DEMOCRACY/SOCIALISM
(1) A political-economic system in which freedom and equality are balanced through the state’s management of the economy and the provision of social expenditures; (2) a political ideology that advocates such a system
58
SOVEREIGNTY
The ability of a state to carry out actions and policies within a territory independently of external actors and internal rivals
59
STATE
(1) The organization that maintains a monopoly of force over a given territory; (2) a set of political institutions that generates and executes policy regarding freedom and equality
60
STATE-SPONSORED TERRORISM
Terrorism supported directly by a state as an instrument of foreign policy
61
STRONG STATE
A state that is able to fulfill basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy
62
TERRORISM
The use of violence by nonstate actors against civilians in order to achieve a political goal
63
TOTALITARIANISM
A nondemocratic regime that is highly centralized, possessing some form of strong ideology that seeks to transform and absorb fundamental aspects of state, society, and the economy, using a wide array of institutions
64
UNICAMERAL SYSTEM
A political system in which the legislature comprises one house
65
WEAK STATE
A state that has difficulty fulfilling basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy

Politics (13 decks)

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