Introduction Flashcards
(111 cards)
1
Q
Normative
A
requires value judgements
2
Q
Hypothesis
A
a speculative statement about the relationship between two or more factors known as variables
3
Q
Variables
A
measurable traits or characteristics that change under different conditions
4
Q
Causation
A
one variable causes or influences another
5
Q
Three-world approach
A
Based in Cold War politics. The three worlds are 1) the United States and its allies 2) the Soviet Union and its allies and 3) “third world” nations that did not fit into the first two categories and were economically underdeveloped and deprived
6
Q
Third-world nations
A
Under the three-world approach… nations that were not aligned with either the US or USSR and who were underdeveloped or deprived
7
Q
Civil society
A
the way that citizens organize and define themselves and their interests
8
Q
Informal politics
A
takes into account not only the ways that politicians operate outside their formal powers, but also the impact that beliefs, values, and actions of ordinary citizens have on policymaking
9
Q
Three recent trends in the comparing of countries…
A
- the rise of informal politics
- the importance of political change
- the integration of political and economic systems
10
Q
Advanced democracies
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counties having well established democratic governments and a high level of economic development i.e. Great Britain
11
Q
Communist and post-communist countries
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these countries have sought to create a system that limits individual freedoms in order to divide wealth more equally.
Communist i.e. China post-communist i.e Russia
12
Q
Less developed
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lack significant economic development and tend to have authoritarian governments
13
Q
Newly industrializing countries
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experiencing rapid economic growth, and also have a tendency toward democratization and political and social stability.
14
Q
States
A
the organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory
15
Q
Institutions
A
stable, long lasting organizations that help to turn political ideas into policy
i.e political parties, legislatures…
16
Q
Sovereignty
A
the ability of states to carry out actions or policies within their own boders independently from interference either from inside or outside.
17
Q
Nation
A
a group of people that are bound together by a common political identity
18
Q
Nationalism
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the sense of belonging and identity that distinguishes one nation from another
19
Q
Binational or Multinational state
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a state that contains more than one nation. i.e. United Kingdom, USSR,
20
Q
Stateless Nations
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people without a state i.e Kurds
21
Q
Core areas
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cultural, population, economic, political hub of a state
22
Q
Periphery
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outlying areas outside of the core area
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Q
Multicore states
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states with more than one core area i.e Nigera with Northern Muslim core and Southern Christian core
24
Q
Regime
A
the rules that a state sets and follows in exerting its power… carry over across time although leaders leaders and issues may change
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Parliamentary systems
citizens vote for legislative representatives, who in turn select the leaders of the executive branch
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Presidential systems
citizens vote for legislative representatives as well as for executive branch leaders, and the two braches function with seperation of powers
27
Head of state
a role that symbolizes the power and nature of the regime i.e. QE2 in Great Britain
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Head of Government
a role that deals with the everyday tasks of running government i.e. David Cameron in GB
29
Semi-presidential system
a prime minister coexists with a president who is directly elected by the people and who holds a significant degree of power
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Authoritarian Regimes
decisions are made by political elites without much input from citizens
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Elites
those who hold political power
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Corporatism
an arrangement in which government officials interact with people/groups outside the government before they set policy
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Common characteristics of authoritarians regimes
A small ggroup of elites exercising power over the state
Citizens with little or no input into selection of leaders and government decisions
No constitutional responsibility of leaders to the public
Restriction of civil rights and civil liberties
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Authoritarianism doesn't equal totalitarianism
m
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Coup d'etat
forced takeover of government
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Co-optation
the means a regime uses to get support from citizens
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Patron-clientelism
a system in which the state provides specific benefits or favors to a single peron or group in return for public support
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Pluralism
power is split among many groups that compete for the chance to influence the government's decision-making
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Democratic corporatism vs. Pluralism
1. In pluralism, formation of interest groups is spontaneous whereas in dem. corporatism interest representation is institutionalized through recognition by the state
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Legitimacy
right to rule, as determined by state's citizens
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Traditional legitimacy
rests upon belief that tradition should determine who rules and how
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Charismatic legitimacy
base on the dynamic personality of an individual leader or small group... i.e. Hugo Chavez in Venezuela
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Rational-legal legitimacy
base neither on tradition, nor on the force of a single personality, but rather on a system of well-established laws and procedures. Highly institutionalized.
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Common law
based on tradition, past practices, and legal precedents. i.e. Great Britain
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Code law
based on a comprehensize system of written rules of law divided into commercial, civil, and criminal codes i.e. China, Mexico, and Russia
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Factors that encourage legitimacy...
1. Economic well-being
2. Historical tradition
3. Charismatic leadership
4. Nationalism
5. Satisfaction with the government's performance.
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Political culture
the collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on
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Social capital
the amount of reciprocity and trust that exists among citizens and between citizens and the state
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Consensual 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
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Conflictual political culture
citizens are sharply divided, often on both the legitimacy of the regime and solutions to major problems
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Political ideologies
sets of political values held by indivudals regarding the besic goals of government and politics
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Liberalism
places emphasis on individual political and economic freedom
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Communism
values equality over freedom
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Socialism
shares the values of equality with communism and freedom with liberalism.
Accept and promote private ownership and free market principles but also promote strong state role in economy.
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Fascism
believes that the state has the right and the responsibility to mold the society and economy to eliminate obstacles that might weaken them
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Reform
type of change that does not advocate the overthrow of basic institutions
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Revolution
either a major revision or an overthrow of existing institutions
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Radicalism
a belief that rapid, dramatic changes need to be made in the existing society, often including the political system i.e. Bolsheviks
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Liberalism (change)
supports reform and gradual change rather than revolution
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Conservatism
less supportive of change in general than radicalism and liberalism. see change as disruptive, and emphasize the fact that it sometimes leads to unforeseen outcomes
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Reactionary beliefs
want to turn back the clock to an earlier era, and reinstate political, social, and economic institutions that once existed
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Three Global Trends
Democratization
Movement toward Market Economies
Revival of Ethnic or Cultural Politics
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Liberal Democracy Characteristics
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Civil liberties
Rule of law
Neutrality of the judiciary
Open civil society
Civilian control of military
```
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Substantive democracies
where citizens have access to multiple sources of information
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Why has democratization occurred?
Loss of legitimacy of authoritarian regimes
Expansion of an urban middle-class
US and EU emphasis on human rights
Snowball effect
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Steps in transition from Authoritarian Regime to Liberal Democracy
revolution of rising expectations (due to relative improvement in standard of living) ----> democratic consolidation ----> political liberalization
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Bourgeoisie
middle-class professionals or businessmen
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Command economy
economy in which the gov't owns almost all industrial enterprises and retail sale outlets
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Two Factors Leading to Rise of Market Economies
Belief that government is too big
Lack of success of command economies
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Marketization
the state's re-creation of a market in which property, labor, goods, and services can all function in a competitive market to determine their value
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Privatization
the transfer of state-owned property to private ownership
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Fragmentation
divisions based on ethnic or cultural identity
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Social cleavages
divisions based upon religion, ethnicity, race, social, or economic interests
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Coinciding cleavages
when every dispute aligns the same groups against each other
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Cross-cutting cleavages
divide society into many potential groups that may conflict on one issue but cooperate on another
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Social Movements
organized collective activities that aim to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society
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Civil society
voluntary organizations outside of the state that help people define and advance their own interests. strongest in liberal democracies.
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Cosmopolitanism
a universal political order that draws its identity and values from everywhere
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Political institutions
structures of a political system that carry out the work of governing
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Unitary system
concentrates all policymaking powers in one geographic place and the central government is responsible for most policy areas
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Confederal system
spreads the power among many sub-units and has a weak central government
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Federal
divides power between the central government and sub-units, and regional bodies have significant powers, such as taxation, lawmaking, and keeping order. i.e Russia, Mexico, and Nigeria
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Integration
process that encourages states to pool their sovereignty in order to gain political, economic, and social clout
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Nationalism
identities based on nationhood
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Centripetal forces
forces that unify nation
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Centrifugal forces
forces that fragment nation
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Government
the leadership and institutions that make policy decisions for a country
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Ethnonationalism
the tendency for an ethnic group to see itself as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy and independence
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Cabinet Coalition
cabinet formed by a coalition government in which positions are divided between more than one party
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Weber's Characteristics of Bureaucracy
Hierarchical authority structure
Task specialization
Extensive rules
Clear goals
Meritocracy
Impersonality
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Discretionary power
the power to make small decisions in implementing legislative and executive decisions
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Patronage system
political supporters receive jobs in return for their assistance in getting the president elected
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Elite recruitment
identifying future leaders of the government i.e. House of Commons serves a role in elite recruitment in the UK
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Judicial review
mechanism that allows courts to review laws and executive actions for their constitutionality
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Linkage Institutions
groups that connect the government to its citizens
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Electoral systems
the rules that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature
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First-past-the-post
legislative constituencies are divided into single member districts in which candidates compete for a single representative's seat. ex: UK
98
Mixed System
combines first-past-the-post and proportional representation. ex: Germany and Mexico ... In Mexico 300 of the 500 Chamber of Deputies members are election through winner take all and 200 via proportional repreentation
99
Referendum
a national ballot, called by the government on a policy issue
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Plebiscite
a ballot to consult public opinion in a non binding way
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Initiative
a vote on a policy that is initiated by the people
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Transmission belts
used in authoritarian regimes. interest groups that convey to members the views of party elites
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State Corporatism
the state determines which interest groups are brought in
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Societal corporatism or Neocorporatism
interest groups take the lead and dominate the state
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Political elites
leaders who have a dispraportionate share of policy making power
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GDP
all the goods and services produced by a country's economy in a given year, excluding citizens and groups earn outside the country
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GNP
like GDP, but also includes income citizens earn outside the country
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Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)
a figure like GNP, except that it takes into consideration what people can buy using their income in the local economy
109
Gini Index
a mathematical formula that measures the amount of economic inequality in a society
110
Human Development Index (HDI)
measure the well-being of a country's people by factoring in adult literacy, life expectancy, and educational enrollment, as well as GDP
111
Freedom House
organization that studies democracy around the world and developed freedom rankings
