POLS Intro to Comparative Politics Exam 3 study guide
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80 Terms
Political Parties & Party Systems
Q: What is a political party?
A: An organization that seeks political power by running candidates and coordinating policy.
Q: What is a mass party?
A: A large, grassroots-based party that mobilizes broad segments of society.
Q: What is an elite party?
A: A small party dominated by political elites with limited mass membership.
Q: What is a party system?
A: The pattern of competition and cooperation among political parties in a country.
Q: What is a one-party system?
A: A system where only one political party is legally allowed to operate.
Q: What is a dominant party system?
A: Multiple parties exist, but one consistently wins and rules for long periods.
Q: What is a two-party system?
A: A system where two major parties dominate political competition.
Q: What is a multiple-party system?
A: A system where several parties compete meaningfully and often form coalitions.
Collective Action & Interest Groups
Q: What is pluralism?
A: A system where many organized interests compete to influence policy.
Q: What is a collective action problem?
A: When individuals fail to work together because each prefers to free-ride.
Q: What is free-riding?
A: Benefiting from a collective good without contributing to its production.
Q: How can collective action problems be solved?
A: Selective incentives, coercion, leadership, small group size, social norms.
Q: What are interest groups?
A: Organizations seeking to influence government policy without running for office.
Q: What are social movements?
A: Broad, grassroots efforts aimed at social or political change.
Q: What are key characteristics of political parties?
A: Mobilize voters, structure conflict, coordinate elites, provide platforms, recruit leaders.
Political Violence
Q: What is political violence?
A: The use of force for political ends.
Q: What factors facilitate political violence?
A: State weakness, economic stress, ethnic divisions, opportunity, external influence.
Q: What is a coup d’état?
A: A forceful removal of a government by military or elites.
Q: What is guerrilla warfare?
A: Irregular war where nonstate actors use hit-and-run tactics against the state.
Q: What is genocide?
A: Intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.
Q: What is terrorism?
A: Intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.
Q: What is suicide terrorism?
A: Terrorism where attackers intend to die during the attack.
Civil War & Revolution
Q: What is a civil war?
A: A large-scale violent conflict between the state and organized groups within a country.
Q: What factors lead to civil war?
A: State weakness, colonial legacies, international context, spillover, poverty, geography, grievances, greed, recruitment psychology, revolution.
Q: What is a revolution?
A: Rapid, transformative overthrow of a political system, usually with mass participation.
Q: What factors lead to revolution?
A: Weak states, inequality, elite divisions, international pressure, mass grievances.
Political Economy Basics
Q: What is political economy?
A: The study of how politics and economics interact.
Q: What is production?
A: The creation of goods and services.
Q: What are markets?
A: Systems for exchanging goods and services.
Q: What is authority in political economy?
A: Who has the power to set economic rules.
Economic Systems
Q: What are free market principles?
A: Limited state intervention, private property, competition.
Q: What are neoliberal economic policies?
A: Deregulation, privatization, free trade, reduced welfare.
Q: What is an interventionist state?
A: A state that actively regulates and directs the economy.
Q: What is a command economy?
A: An economy where the state controls production and prices.
Economic Development
Q: What is economic development?
A: Improvements in wealth, industrialization, and living standards.
Q: How does democracy influence development?
A: Through accountability, stability, and the rule of law.
Q: What is the role of state intervention in development?
A: Varies from high to low; affects investment, industry, and welfare.
Q: How does colonial legacy affect development?
A: Settlement colonies → strong institutions; extraction colonies → weak ones.
Capitalism, Taxes, and Public Goods
Q: What are taxes?
A: Mandatory public payments that fund government goods and services.
Q: What are public goods?
A: Non-excludable and non-rival goods like defense or clean air.
Q: What is social democracy?
A: A system combining capitalism with high welfare spending.
Q: What is state-led development?
A: Government-directed industrial and economic policy.
Q: What are settlement colonies?
A: Colonies where settlers built stable, inclusive institutions.
Q: What are extraction colonies?
A: Colonies designed to extract resources with minimal investment.
Q: What is fiscal policy?
A: Government decisions on spending and taxation.
Q: What is a central bank?
A: Institution managing money supply, inflation, and interest rates.
Welfare States
Q: What is a welfare state?
A: A system where the government provides social protection programs.
Q: What is a welfare system?
A: The set of programs that provide welfare benefits.
Models of welfare states
Q: What is a liberal welfare system?
A: Market-based, means-tested, modest benefits.
Q: What is a Bismarckian welfare model?
A: Contribution-based social insurance tied to employment.
Q: What is a social democratic welfare system?
A: Universal benefits funded by high taxes with strong redistribution.
Q: What is a social insurance welfare system?
A: Contributory programs providing guaranteed benefits (e.g., pensions).
Q: What is social spending?
A: Government expenditure on welfare programs.
Q: What is redistribution in democracies?
A: Transfers of income via taxes and social programs.
Q: What is a social insurance program?
A: Benefits funded by worker contributions providing income security.
Q: What is progressive taxation?
A: Higher income → higher tax rate.
Q: What is regressive taxation?
A: Lower-income individuals pay a higher proportion of their income.
Globalization & International Actors
Q: What are multinational corporations (MNCs)?
A: Firms operating in multiple count
Q: What are international NGOs?
A: Non-governmental groups operating across borders.
Q: What are conditional cash transfer programs (CCTs)?
A: Welfare programs giving cash contingent on conditions (school, health).
Types of globalization
Q: What is cultural globalization?
A: Spread of ideas, media, and cultural practices.
Q: What is economic globalization?
A: Integration of global markets, trade, capital.
Q: What is political globalization?
A: Growth of international institutions and political cooperation.
Q: How does globalization weaken state sovereignty?
A: External pressures reduce national policy autonomy.
Q: How can globalization weaken democracy?
: International institutions or markets constrain domestic decisions.
Welfare State & Globalization Trends
Q: What factors influence welfare state spending?
A: Demographics, economic conditions, politics, globalization, interest groups.
Q: What is a race-to-the-bottom?
A: Competition that drives governments to cut taxes, regulations, or welfare.
Note 
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