AP Comparative Government Flashcards

Flashcards for AP Comparative Government exam review.

Comparative Politics

The study of political systems through the methodology of analyzing similarities and differences.

Dependent Variable

The variable that is trying to be explained and that is influenced by other variables.

Independent Variable

The variable being examined as a possible cause of changes in the dependent variable.

Correlation

Two variables that are related in an undefined way (positive or negative) but without evidence of one causing the other.

Causality

Relationship between two variables in which a change in one produces a change in the other.

Most-Similar Approach

Look at similar cases in order to limit the number of independent variables.

Most-Different Approach

Look at different cases but with a similar dependent variable in order to narrow the best explanation for the dependent variable.

Normative Statement

Value statements, subjective, describe how things "should" be.

Empirical Statement

Factual statements, objective, describe how things are in "fact".

Quantitative Analysis

Large number of cases analyzed statistically.

Qualitative Analysis

Small number of cases analyzed in detail by subjective analysis.

GDP per capita

Gross Domestic Product economic output per person per year in a country’s borders.

PPP

Purchasing Power Parity: a way to adjust per capita for living standards/relative costs in a country.

Gini Coefficient

Compares the distribution of income within a country.

Human Development Index

Longevity, knowledge, and income.

Nation

A people, bound together by a common culture, language, ethnicity, history, or religion, with political aspirations (to their country or a desire to have a country).

Nationalism

Dedication to one’s national interests above others.

State

Political institutions that exercise sovereignty in a recognized territory over a permanent population.

Sovereignty

The recognized authority to rule a territory and people without outside interference.

Failed State

A government that has lost institutional control of the territory or the ability to complete basic government functions.

Nation-State

Territory in which the state and national identity coincide.

Multinational/ethnic state

A state with many people groups, often a challenge to maintain national unity with minorities.

Collective Identity

Shared political identity based on similarities of ethnicity, race, gender, age, social class, locality, religion, language, sexual orientation.

Social Cleavage

Profound social differences that have the capacity to cause conflict.

Coinciding/ polarizing cleavages

Societal differences that have a dangerous reinforcing effect.

Cross-cutting cleavages

Societal differences that are spread out so as to reduce potential tensions.

Ideology

A system of beliefs about the role of government and the goals of politics.

Political Socialization

The process of acquiring political beliefs your political values and ideology (through family, friends, media, religion, education, government).

Libertarianism/Individualism

Belief in protecting civil liberties and freedoms from government restriction.

Authoritarianism

Central government should restrict citizen’s lives for order/security.

Communism

Government controls all production through a single party to create equality.

Fascism

Extreme nationalist ideology that favors authoritarian rule and the rights of the ethnic majority over that of ethnic minorities and the political opposition.

Socialism

Belief in government intervention to reduce economic inequalities.

Neoliberalism

Belief in less government intervention into the economy (capitalism).

Globalism

Belief in the common good of humanity, less focus on borders and sovereignty, reduced trade barriers.

Nationalism

Belief in your people above all, protectionist, skeptical of international organizations.

Conservatism vs Progressivism

Keeping vs disrupting social mores/norms.

Populism

Appealing to the interests and rights of common people.

Free and Fair Elections

Elections that have universal suffrage.

Civil Liberties

Freedoms like speech, press, and religion.

Political Rights

Ability to participate in the political process.

Rule of Law

The principles of the law being above all people and institutions, law fairly and evenly enforced by an independent judiciary.

Civil Society

Organizations outside the government which provide public participation, advance their interests, and compete to influence policy.

Social Movements

Large group of people informally organized collectively pushing for social change.

Political Culture

The collective attitudes, values, and beliefs of the citizenry and the norms of behavior in the political system.

Political Efficacy

People believe in the gov’t, are well informed, and believe that they can influence the political system.

Regime

Political institutions and political culture of a system of governance that endures from government to government often defined by Constitution.

Government

The group of people who occupy political institutions who exercise authority and make policy.

Substantive Democracy

Meets all six criteria and functions as a democracy.

Illiberal Democracy

Only has the procedures of democracy, but not all six conditions are met.

Non-Democracy

Is authoritarian or even totalitarian, does not follow any of conditions of democracy, use coercion (use or threat of force) to govern.

Single vs Dual Executive

Mexico and Nigeria are single executive, the rest have different dynamics between the executives.

Head of State

Top executive who represents and symbolizes the country as a whole, in charge of foreign policy and military.

Head of Government

Secondary executive who manages the day-to-day operations of the government (cabinet and bureaucracy), manages economic policy, often also leader of parliament.

Presidential System

Separation of powers between executive and legislative, checks and balances.

Parliamentary System

Fusion of power between executive and legislative, head of government leads the legislature.

Semi-Presidential System

President chosen by direct elections, Prime Minister is selected by the President and then confirmed by the legislature.

Unitary System

All power is centralized in the capital, and voluntarily distributed to the regions (devolution).

Federal System

Constitutional division of power between central and regional governments.

Unicameral

One house.

Bicameral

Two houses.

Common Law

Legal system based on precedent, tradition.

Civil/Code Law

Legal system is based on explicitly written statutes.

Sharia Law

Islamic law based on principles in the Qur’an and Hadith with interpretation.

Rule of Law

Independent, accountable, principled.

Rule by Law

Use laws to enforce the will of authorities.

Judicial Review

Courts decide the constitutionality of law and government actions.

Corporatist System

A few interest groups co-opted by the government that are given exclusive access to policy-makers.

Pluralist System

Many competitive interest groups with open access to policy-makers.

First-Past-the-Post

Also known as single member district/winner-take-all/plurality.

Proportional Representation

People vote for a party, parties get a certain number of seats based on their portion of the popular vote.

Supranational organization

International organization in which states must surrender sovereignty for the common benefit.

Economic liberalization

Removal of trade barriers to attract FDI, limiting government in economy, privatization (private ownership) of industries.

Protectionism

Goal is assist/protect economy through trade barriers, regulation, and subsidizing or nationalizing (government ownership) domestic industries.

Sexenio

The president is limited to one 6-year term in Mexico to prevent dictatorship.

El Dedazo

“tap of the finger” when a president chooses a successor and appoints all other government positions. (patron-clientelism)

Ejidos

Farms owned by the government that would be leased and subsidized to poor farmers.

PEMEX

Mexico's nationalize oil industries and major export.

Import substitution industrialization (ISI)

Develop national industry through protectionism: tariffs, state ownership, subsidies/investment.

NAFTA (1994)

Agreement of free trade of goods w/US and Canada.

technocratic leadership

New generation of Mexico leadership (Presidents Madrid and Salinas 82-94) that embraced neoliberal reforms, decreased power of unions, privatized much of the ejidos land, joined WTO in 1986.

National Electoral Institute (INE)

An independent Mexico organization that regulates elections, decreased fraud and corruption, public funding of elections, voter IDs.

parastatal

Autonomous (or semi) government owned industries

Politicos

Mexico politicians during Pena Neito and PRI era that were labeled as 'dinosaurs'.

Technicos

Mexico technocrats during Pena Neito and PRI era.

Maquiladoras zones

Mexico areas set up for tax-free factories for foreign export.

Hukou system

Chinese household registration system (marriage, family, location)that prevented easy migration from rural to urban.

Guanxi

Chinese networks of relationships and connections, guides the promotion process and defines factions within the Party.

Green Revolution

Fraudulent 2009 election in Iran, mass protests and crackdown.

Quangos

UK quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization.

Collectivist Consensus

The UK Relative agreement between the parties to build the welfare state through socialist programs of university education, pensions, unemployment insurance, housing assistance, National Health Service.

Monetarism

UK decrease money supply through a central bank interest rates to tackle inflation, decreasing fiscal stimulus.

Federal Character

Nigeria ethnic quotas for government jobs

Prebendalism

Nigeria officeholders use their positions (through corruption and patron-clientelism) to help their ethnic group .

Rent Seeking behavior

Nigeria competition to access existing wealth (corruption, lobbying, or access) rather than creating new wealth.

Rentier state

When a country relies on a natural resource for its economy

Wilayat Al Faqih

Iranian clergy has political power over the Shi’a community, no longer needs to be the top cleric

Qanun Law

Iran statutory law produced by the Majles