AP Comparative Politics - Unit 1 Terms 2024

Gini Coefficient

A measure of income inequality within a population, ranging from zero for complete equality, to one if one person has all the income.

Mixed Regime/Illiberal Democracy

A regime that contains some democratic traits but there are often significant faults with the application of those traits

Populism

An approach to gaining political power built of an "us v. them" paradigm

Coup d'etat

A sudden overthrow of the government by a small group

Foreign Direct Investment

Investment made by a foreign company in the economy of another country.

non-governmental organization (NGO)

Private group that pursues self-defined goals outside of government; common activities are publicizing issues, lobbying, making demands on government, and providing direct services

Freedom House Score

A score that assess a country's political rights and civil liberties. The lower the score the less free the country is

GDP

The approximate value of all final goods and services produced in a country per year

Per Capita GDP

GDP divided by the total population

Democratization

A process of transition as a country attempts to move from an authoritarian form of government to a democratic one.

State

The institutions and people who exercise authority over a defined territory

Regime

The rules and norms for a political system

Government

The people in charge of the state

Nation(alism)

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country

Authoritarian

A regime characterized by submission to authority. It tends to be opposed to individualism and democracy. In its most extreme cases, it is one in which political power is concentrated in a leader or leaders, who possess exclusive, unaccountable, and arbitrary power.

Globalization

The growing interconnection of the economics, culture, and politics of countries

"Race to the bottom"

A consequence of globalization. Countries weaken standards to attract foreign investment

Transparency

The ability for citizens to learn and know how policies and political decisions are made

Fragile States Index

A measure of the degree to which a state is weak and fragile

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.

Revolution

A widely supported effort to replace the regime of a state

Corruption

Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power.

International Organization

Group that includes two or more states seeking political and/or economic cooperation with each other

Multinational corporation (MNC)

A large business organization operating in a number of different national economies; the term implies a more extensive form of transnational corporation.

Development

An assessment of the quality of life in a country

Least-developed

Countries where most, if not all, indicators of development are low. Often a failed state.

Underdeveloped

A country that has low indicators in general, there is still hope.

Developing

Countries that are making progress in terms of the quality of life. Have some good and some bad indicators.

Developed

Most, if not, all indicators regarding the quality of life are positve.

HDI

A measurement of health, wealth, and education in a particular country.

democratic consolidation

The widespread acceptance of democracy as the permanent form of political activity; all significant political elites and their followers accept democratic rules and are confident everyone else does as well

Corruption Perceptions Index

A measure developed by Transparency International that ranks countries in terms of the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians.

Political Institutions

Formal policymaking organizations within the state can include the executive, legislature, judiciary, bureaucracy, media, etc.

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