AP COGO Unit 1 Vocab

Key vocabulary from unit 1 of AP comparative government

illiberal democracy

Appear on paper to be democratic but little to no competition to ruling party and have diminished civil liberties

one party state

other parties are prohibited to participate

Theocracy

State controlled by one religion

Toleration government

Severely limit citizens rights and free choices

Military Regime

Military leaders have top positions in government

signs of democratization

Competitive elections, Increased citizen participation in policy-making process, Universal suffrage for adult citizens, Protection of civil rights and civil liberties, Establishment of rule of law

Rule __**of**__ Law

Leaders follow the law

Rule __**by**__ Law

Leaders change the law for them

Democratic consolidation

process where democratic regime matures to point where reversion to authoritarianism is unlikely

Qualitative analysis

information which is difficult to measure. Could be speeches, political cartoons, maps, editorials

Quantitative analysis

uses empirical data from chars, tables, graphs that is easily measured

Empirical

fact based statement derived from observation or experimentation

Normative

value or opinion statement that cannot be proven nor disproven

correlation

clear association between two variables

causation

difficulties to prove in comp politics there are usually numerous potential variables influencing events

Human Development Index (HDI)

Summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development (Life expectancy, schooling, income)

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Market value of goods and services produced annually in a year. Reflects overall size of economy

Per Capita GDP

 GDP divided by population size. Reflects the size of the national economy in comparison to pop size. Reflects distribution of wealth

GDP Growth Rate

Rate of national economic expansion

GINI Coefficient/ GINI Index

Income inequality within a country. 100% indicates perfect inequality, 0% perfect equality

Freedom House Index

Measures freedom of country based on political rights and civil liberties. 1 is most free, 7 least free

Corruption Percentage Index

Ranks perception of corruption in different countries by non-governmental organizations. Higher the score. Lower perceived corruption

Fragile State Index

Ranks potential to weaken due to conflict or internal turmoil scale of 120 higher score, more fragile the state is

State

Political organization that combines a permanent population with government that exercises control over a defined territory with international recognition

Regime

Fundamental Rules that control access to and the exercise of political power. _______ endure from government to government

State

A political unit with sovereignty, a body of people, a territory with defined boundaries of rule, and some form of government able to make political decisions

Nation

a group of people and not an institutional mechanism or set territory

Federal states

divide power amongst different levels of government. Gives a degree of local autonomy while also reserving powers for the national government 

Unitary Government

concentration of power at the national level with more uniform policies and can be more efficient in policy making

Political Legitimacy

whether a government’s constituents believe their governments has the right to use power the way they do

Sources of legitimacy

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Constitutions,  Nationalism, Tradition,  Economic growth, Ideology,  Religious heritage

How to maintain political Legitimacy

Policy effectiveness, Political efficacy, Charismatic leadership, Institutional laws

How to decrease political Legitimacy

Increased corruption, Electoral fraud, Poor economy, Social unrest

Civil liberty

Personal rights possess that government cannot interfere with (Bill of Rights)

Civil Right

Legal rights (protecting) that keep people free from discrimination 

Plurality/ First to pass the post

Winner take all, most votes (not 50% +1)

Majoritarian

50% +1

Proportional representation

Seats given to each party correspond to % of votes (100 seats and Republicans get 64% than they get 64 seats)

Main social cleavages

Religous, regional, class, and ethnic

Examples of Civil Society

Volunteer groups, organized life outside of government, Help people define and advance their own interest, Usually strong in liberal democracies, Help prevent “Tyranny of the majority”

efficacy

the ability to produce a desired or intended result.

gridlock

 a traffic jam in which a grid of intersecting streets is so completely congested that no vehicular movement is possible

coercion

The practice of incentivising someone to act a certain way through a reward or punishment

austerity

reduce the annual budget deficit without sacrificing growt