Quiz 1 Flashcards
(19 cards)
State
An organization that exercises authority within a given geographical region and claims a monopoly of the physical means of coercion to protect these boundaries and itself against internal or external challenges
A state that lacks this authority is subject to being overthrown
Legitimacy
The popular acceptance of a political system.
A regime is legitimate if the people think it is.
Rule of Law
An essential pre-condition of democratic governance
Without it, governors cannot be held accountable for their actions by the courts or by the electorate
Accountability
The ability of citizens to reward or sanction political leaders so as to induce them to act in the interest of citizens
Democracy involves the accountability of governors to the mass of the citizenry through free elections
Regime
A set of institutions by which political authority is exercised within a state
Regimes may come and go while the state still remains
Social Organizations
Networks of organizations and individuals that share a distinct collective identity and intervene in political conflicts, mainly relying upon protest action
Globalization
A process by which the economies, political regimes, cultures, security systems, and peoples of the different nations and regions of the world become more interlinked and interdependent
The boundaries that separate them become more permeable or they disappear altogether
The people of the world are unified into a single society
The
Brezhnev Doctrine
A principle of Soviet foreign policy from the late 1960’s onward that laid claim to the Soviet Union’s right to define socialism and its violations among member states of the Warsaw Pact and justified soviet military intervention in these countries.
Gender
The difference between male and female as perceived by individuals’ in a social context
Transnational Advocacy Network
Alliances of social movement organizations, political parties, interest groups, non-governmental organizations, and representatives of governments from different countries, which act transitionally for the promotion of specific concerns and values (such as human rights, environmental protection, etc.)
Consolidation
A regime that has sufficiently strong institutions so that the pressures for change that arise can be dealt with within its existing framework, whether by responses that maintained the regime unaltered
i.e. Changing leadership through and election or by agreement among a military junta or the central committee of a one-party state
Governance
The interactive process through which the state influences its people
The interactive process through which the state influences the lives of its citizens arbitrarily or through which a small or large fraction of citizens influence the state
Participation
Activities of citizens to influence state structures
Refers to the activities of citizens intended to influence state structures, authorities, and the making of collectively binding decisions regarding the allocation of public goods by political action such as voting or protesting
Polyarchy
A political system in which non-leaders exert a high degree of control over leaders
Used to maintain a distinction between an ideal of democracy and the imperfect approximations of that ideal found in the real world
Necessary Condition
A condition that has to be present for an effect to occur
Party System
The pattern of interactions that result from competition between political parties
Different patterns of interaction form different types of party system
Authoritarianism
Non-democratic regimes that suppress political opposition and limit political participation to relatively meaningless acclamation rituals
Sometimes contrasted with totalitarianism
AMERICAS
COUNTRIES & TERRITORIES: 36
(Freedom House)
The Americas are second only to Western Europe in levels of freedom and respect for human rights
A rise in violent crime and in populist governments with authoritarian tendencies has led to backsliding in several countries.
Serious human rights issues: parts of the region suffer from threats to freedom of the press, including violence against journalists, and infringements on freedoms of association and assembly
Throughout the Americas, Freedom House enables human right defenders and democracy activists to play a prominent role in counteracting these restrictions on fundamental rights, both domestically and through intergovernmental bodies
EUROPE
COUNTRIES & TERRITORIES: 44
(Freedom House)
For decades Europe has maintained an exemplary level of respect for democratic standards and human rights, and has generally continued to do so in recent years despite serious economic turmoil.
Many countries have developed problems related to their treatment of immigrants and minorities, and press freedom faces threats in a number of states.
Several countries in the Balkans are still consolidating their democratic institutions and will require further monitoring to ensure continued progress.
Through its presence in Brussels, Freedom House works to address these issues and to increase Europe’s role in supporting the spread of democracy abroad.
