Intro

Empirical v. Normative

Distinguishing between fact-based and judgment-based statements

Sovereignty

State's ability to rule and implement policies within its borders

Nations

Groups sharing a common political identity

Nationalism

Extreme pride in one's country or ethnic group

Democracies

Political systems where citizens vote for representatives

Presidential System

Citizens vote for legislative and executive representatives

Legislative rep

Individuals responsible for making laws

Executive

Head of state such as president, prime minister, or dictator

Supreme Court

Part of the judicial branch in democracies

Checks and balances

System preventing concentration of power in one branch

Parliamentary Systems

Form of government where parliament has legislative power

Parliamentary Sovereignty

Parliament holds ultimate authority in governance

Authoritarian Regimes

Ruled by small elite groups with limited citizen input

Political and Economic Change

Different types of change including reform, revolution, and coup d'etats

Radicalism

Advocating rapid and drastic change

Liberalism

Supporting progressive reform

Conservatism

Desire to maintain the existing status quo

Reactionary

Wishing to return to past traditions or systems

Command v Market Economy

Contrasting state-controlled and capitalist economic systems

Federal System

Government with multiple levels of authority

Supranational

International organizations with multiple member states

Electoral System

Methods for electing representatives such as first-past-the-post or proportional representation

Purchasing Power Parity

Comparing citizens' purchasing power across different currencies

Gini Index

Measuring economic inequality in a society on a scale from 0 to 1

Human Development Index (HDI)

Indicator of citizens' well-being using factors like literacy and life expectancy