Module 2: Political Concepts & Ideologies | May 11-13

Power

ability to achieve goals in a political system and to have others do as you wish them to

Legitimacy

political community's belief that those in authority are there for justifiable and worthy reasons; what is lawful, proper, and conforms to the standards of a political system

Ideology

set or system of ideas that form the basis of a political or economic system and provide guidance and direction for political leadership and collective action

Leadership

individual or group of individuals that lead society or a group within the larger society through the acquisition of power, knowledge, and/or charismatic attributes

Liberalism

view of politics that favours liberty, free trade, and moderate social and political change

Neo-liberalism

reinvigoration of classical liberalism in the last decades of the twentieth century, emphasizing free markets, free movement of capital, free trade, and the efficient (i.e., profit-maximizing) allocation of resources, and rejecting the reform liberalism of the Keynesian welfare state identified by more state involvement in the economy and social welfare

Classic liberalism

Lockean, or classical, liberalism is based on Locke's political philosophy and emphasizes the idea of negative liberty. This strand has developed in Anglo-Saxon societies and is deeply concerned with political rights

Reform liberalism

Reform liberalism carries with it the idea of positive liberty and an expanded role for state action. This branch of liberal thought developed much more strongly in continental Europe and finds its roots in the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.