Political Science Key Terms Review

A collection of flashcards covering key terms and definitions relevant to political science and state theory.

State

A human community successfully claiming a monopoly over the use of force in a given territory.

Regime

A set of formal and informal rules defining where power is located in a state.

Government

A set of leaders in charge of running a state.

State Scope

Different functions of the state, which can be minimal, intermediate, or interventionist.

State Capacity

The depth with which a government can carry out its goals.

State Strength

The combination of state capacity and state scope.

Brown Areas

Areas where a strong state has low state scope and capacity.

Protection Racket

A criminal activity where criminals demand money in exchange for protection.

Bellicist Model of State-Building

A process where war leads to extraction, policing, administration, and establishment of institutions.

Sovereignty

The principle that one state cannot take over another state's territory without consequences.

Employees’ Provident Fund

A fund in Malaysia designed to pay out citizens' retirement, requiring a portion of employees' checks.

Economic Development

The collective measure of improved quality of life and economic growth.

Inclusive Economic Institutions

Political institutions that support democracy and individual property rights.

Extractive Economic Institutions

Institutions that concentrate power and do not allow accountability.

Modernization Theory

The theory that economic changes are driven by individuals and their values.

Rostow’s Stages of Development

Five stages of economic growth: traditional, pre-condition, take-off, drive to maturity, high mass consumption.

Dependency Theory

The theory that the wealth of developed countries negatively affects the development of underdeveloped ones.

Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs)

Countries like South Korea and Taiwan that have experienced rapid economic growth.

Developmental State

A state that manipulates economic policy to achieve rapid development.

Chaebol

Large family-owned business conglomerates in South Korea.

Import-Substituting Industrialization (ISI)

Achieving development by replacing foreign imports with domestic production.

Performance Legitimacy

Legitimacy derived from the positive outcomes a government produces.

Competitive Authoritarianism

A regime that is 'almost' authoritarian, maintaining some democratic facades.

Democratic Backsliding

The gradual erosion of democratic norms in an established democracy.

Dictator's Dilemma

The conflict faced by autocrats that arises from repressing popular preferences.

Ethnic Security Dilemma

A situation where actions taken by an ethnic group to increase its security lead to reduced security.

Primordialism vs. Constructivism

The debate over whether ethnicity is a fixed trait or socially constructed.

Ethnic Entrepreneur

A person who catalyzes violence to gain political power.

Interhamwe

Youth militia in Rwanda that perpetrated violence against Tutsis during the genocide.

Pacted Transition

A method of transitioning power in a political system through negotiated agreements.