AMERICAN INTRO TO POLI SCI GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

1ST MIDTERM

Shively & Schultz Definition of Politics

Making common decisions for a group and using power to affect behavior.

Externalities

Socially negative side effects of individual decisions in collective action.

Hard Power vs. Soft Power

Hard power uses force/sanctions; soft power uses persuasion, incentives, or socialization.

Agenda Setting

The influence journalists have in deciding what issues are discussed, even when neutral.

Treaty of Westphalia (1648)

Event in 1648 that marked the emergence of formal modern nation-states with mutually recognized borders.

Key Features of Modern Nation-States

External recognition, legitimacy via monopoly on violence, central bureaucracy, and national identity.

Government vs. Regime

Government consists of formal officeholders/laws; regime refers to the longer-term rules for leadership selection.

State vs. Nation

State encompasses all formal power/influence; nation groups share cultural or linguistic identities.

Citizenship

Formal country membership tied to the rise of the modern nation-state.

Max Weber's Three Sources of Authority

Traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal authority.

Traditional Authority

Authority based on historical, religious, communal traditions, or habit.

Charismatic Authority

Authority based on the personal characteristics and grace of a leader.

Rational-Legal Authority

Authority based on the rule of law and secular ideas of rationality/performance.

Absolute Monarchy

Traditional hereditary rule usually legitimated through the divine right of kings.

Constitutional Monarchy

Monarchy where royals serve a symbolic role with very limited political power.

Theocratic Regime

Rule by religious authorities claiming to govern on behalf of God.

Herrenvolk Regime

Exclusion of ethnic majorities or minorities from effective political participation.

Personalistic Regime

Authoritarian system centered around the dictatorship of a single individual.

Single-Party Authoritarian Regime

Power centered around the only party effectively allowed to run in or win elections.

Bureaucratic Authoritarian (BA) Regime

Junta rule claiming emergency powers to demobilize civil society and rule technocratically.

Illiberal Democracy

Regime with regular controlled elections but restricted opposition and weak checks and balances.

Totalitarian Regimes

Highly ideological states seeking total control over political, economic, and social life.

Sovereignty

Authority recognized within a mutually agreed-upon border, granting state control.

Territoriality

Principle where states are granted control of those residing within their recognized borders.

Executive Power

Formal ability to implement legislation.

Legislative Power

Formal ability to pass or block legislation.

Judicial Power

Formal ability to interpret legislation.

Head of Government vs. Head of State

Head of Government holds main political power; Head of State is the symbolic leader.

Coup d'état

Armed overthrow of an old regime, often bringing a personalistic dictator to power.

Cult of Personality

Promotion of a leader's charisma to build a personalistic authoritarian regime.

Junta

Collective rule by various leaders of the armed forces.

Rule of Law

Principle where all individuals are theoretically subject to an impartial legal code.

Technocratic Rule

Apolitical, expert-based governing approach promising social peace and prosperity.

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Major Nigerian governing party since 2015.

Analytical

Examining a concept by breaking it into smaller parts and studying how those parts relate.

Berlin Conference

1884-1885 European meeting establishing rules to partition Africa.

Biafra War

1967-1970 Nigerian civil war caused by Biafra's attempted secession.

Boko Haram

Northeastern Nigerian Islamist militant organization using violence.

Direct Democracy

System where citizens directly vote on laws rather than choosing representatives.

Empirical

Based on observation, measurement, and evidence rather than beliefs or assumptions.

Federalism

A system in which political power is constitutionally divided between a national government and regional governments.

Forbearance

Deliberate decision by officials not to use a power they possess.

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Independent organizations working on social, humanitarian, or political issues.

Normative

Based on values or beliefs about what should be rather than what actually is.

Olusegun Obasanjo

Nigerian leader, military head of state (1976-1979) and president (1999-2007).

People's Democratic Party (PDP)

Nigerian party that dominated national politics from 1999 to 2015.

Polyarchy

Dahl's term for systems with broad participation and meaningful political competition.

Presidentialism

System where president serves separately from legislature as head of state/government.

Procedural Democracy

View of democracy focused on proper procedures like elections and participation.

Supermajority

Requirement of more than a simple majority of votes, like two-thirds.

Unitary States

States where central government holds ultimate constitutional authority.

Representative Democracy

Citizens elect representatives who make laws and decisions on their behalf.

Nation-State

A sovereign state whose territory and government are associated with a particular national identity or nation.

Brexit

The United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, following the 2016 referendum and completed in 2020.

European Union (EU)

A political and economic union of European countries that cooperate through shared institutions and policies.

Schengen Agreement

An agreement that allows passport-free movement across participating European countries, subject to certain rules and exceptions.

Eurozone Crisis

A period of severe financial and sovereign-debt problems affecting several countries that use the euro, particularly during the early 2010s.

Regime

The rules, institutions, and practices that determine how political power is organized and exercised in a state.