AP COMP GOV

HDI

Human Development index; attempt to measure overall level of living on a 0-1 measure. The Higher the better.

Gini Index

level of income inequality in a country

Freedom House

measures corruption. Higher score = less corrupt

Transparency International CPI

0-100 measure of the degree of corruption that people percieve, higher values, less corruption.

Fragile States Index

0 to 120 index measuring degree to which state is vulnerable to collapse. The Higher the more fragile.

Sovereignty

the power a national government has over its constituency and its nation

Democracy (and some methods to become more democratic)

avoid concentration of unaccountable power by allowing participation by people (civil society).

Free/fair elections, more transparency
Increased suffrage/civil society
Government transparency, independent media

rule of law

all citizens and government officials are equally bound by established, transparent laws

Rule by Law

Gov uses law to control citizens (Chinese CCP)

Authoritarian + types of author.

lack of methods to prevent concentration of powers.

Illiberal/Hybrid - formal instit are democractic, but democrat. elected leaders erode limits, restrict liberties, and prevent true democracy.

One party - decisions are made by the leadership of a single political party.

Democratic consolidation

process by which a regime matures in terms of election rules, separation of powers, making it unlikely to revert to authoritarianism

Political stability and sources

capacity of a government to maintain order, authority, and effective gov.
Sources include:

Unitary (and the countries)

central government has ultimate policy making power. Can pursue devolution, which grants powers to some regions.

China, iran, uk

Federal

regional governments are protected against central, local authority.

however, can be assymetric
Nigeria, Mexico, Russia

legitimacy and its sources

refers to gov citizens believing their gov has the right to use power.

sources include
elections, constitutions, religion, natonalism

maintaining
policy effectiveness, efficacy (citizens believe they have influence over decisions)

Parliamentary

combine law making and execution functions, with legislative selecting head of government and cabinet.

Benefits: more efficient.

semi presidental

seperate popular elections for president and national legislature

Independent judiciary

degree to which judiciary can make legal rulings without influence.

China categories and branches

Iran

Mexico general structure

Nigera general structure

Russia general structure

Civil society and examples

• comprises a range of voluntary associations that are INDEPENDENT from the state. 

• Local religious organizations, news media, NGOS (non governmental organizations.

NGOS are..

restricted by authori. rule because they are seem as agents of influence from foreign countries

political culture

are collective attiditudes and norms of behavior about the political system.

transmitted by political socializations

Political ideology

set of beliefs one already has about the goal of government (what is believed to be true in theory)

Individualism

belief in individual civil liberties and freedom over restrictions

Neoliberalism

believe in as little as possible civil liberties and freedoms over restrictions; supports privatization free trade, deregulation

Communism

belief in the removal of private property

Socialism

belief in the reduction of income disparties and nationalization of private indust.

fascism

extreme nationalist idealogy that favors rules and rights of ethnic majority over minorites

populism

political philosophy that supports the interest of common people over elites

Formal participation

formal process of selecting leaders, with voting, running for office, working for polling stations.

Informal participation

forms of political participation like discussion

Types of election/representation

Direct Democracy - people vote directly on law and policy.

First past the post - elections is where majority vote getter becomes political official (electoral college)

Proportional representation - one vote for party and party chooses legislators/officials

Limiting opposition political activity

Excluding opposition candidates using one party control:

Candidates in CHINA chosen by CCP

Russ: opposition candidates jailed on legal charges.

Iran GC: formal power to vet and exclude candidates.

Why do regimes tolerate media freedom? + media freedom good and bad examples

Encourage citizen control of agenda and check power/corruption

• CCP use of Great firewall to limit political criticism

• Iranian court suspens media licenses when jury finds owners guilty

• Russia nationalization of broadcast media and has opposition on new segmnets (1990)

Cleavage

division in population that creates recognizably different groups examples include regional, ethnic, religious and more.

Cleavage examples

CHina cleave between urban/props and majority minorites.

• Iran - Shia, a majority of clergy who dominate the regime, and religious minorities cleavages exist. Regional ethnic groups like Azeris, Kurds, and Arabs also pose a problem. 

• Mexico - division between the Amerindians, mestizos, and whites. This caused conflicts such as the Chiapas (Zapatistas) uprising. Also division between rich north and poor south.

  • an indigenous peasant rebellion that launched on the same day NAFTA took effect, protesting economic inequality and lack of indigenous rights.

• Nigeria - Ethnic groups. The mainly christian south and muslim north disagree.

• Russia - cleavage between ethnic Russians and minority

• UK - cleavage between ethnic majority amd minority as well as cleavages between nations that make it up

Nigeria ethnic cleavage

Ethnic groups. The mainly christian south and muslim north disagree.

Zapatistas/Chiapas uprising

• an indigenous peasant rebellion that launched on the same day NAFTA took effect, protesting economic inequality and lack of indigenous rights.

China Executive Selection

Selected by NPC every 5 years. Head of government is appointed by president.

Iran executive selection

Appointed for life by Assembly of experts (88-member deliberative body of Islamic jurists elected by public vote for eight-year terms)

President is elected. 2 round system: if no majority winnter in first round, top 2 have second run off. elected president

Mexico and Nigera

both elected, both plurality of national vote, with requirement to win 25 percent of 2/3 states in Nigera.

Russia executive

2 round system: if no majority winnter in first round, top 2 have second run off. elected president

prime minister appointed by president and confirmed by Duma

UK exe

Monarch - in herited. PM appointed by monarch based on HoC winning party.

2 round system

Iran and Russia. 2 round system: if no majority winnter in first round, top 2 have second run off. elected president

China Legi # and selection

Iran legi selection

Majles; 285 elected in single member districts, 5 minorites

Mexico

Nigeria

Russia

UK

Party List/Proportional representation and countries that use it

where voters choose a party on ballot, then seats in legislative are allocated by the party

• Used by Russia and Mexico

• Increases minority representation but leads to coalitions

Single member districts (plurality)

divide the country into districts where each district sends a representative to the legislature. 

Leads to 2 party systems

review the special election for executives again!

electino commitees/commissions

Mexico/Nigera commits have created election commissions to reduce voter fraud.

Iran Guardian council excludes reformers from ballots

party systems

china has rules allowing only one party

• "Great Firewall" blocks foreign platforms (Google, Twitter, YouTube) and suppresses domestic content critical of the CCP

Russia has rules ensuring one party dominance, such as

• Increasing party registration requirements, allowing only legally registered parties to run, using court decisions to disqualify candidates.

Mexico transitioning away, removing el dedazo (picking successor)

Interest Gropu Systems

Pluralist Interest Systems

• Multiple groups may represent a single society interest.

• Group membership is voluntary and limited

• Loose and decentralized, clear separation between interest group and government

Democratic corporatist Interest Group Systems 

• Centrally organized and direct actions of other members

• Membership is compulsory and nearly universal

• Systematically involved in making/implementing policy 

Corporatism system where the state organizes/controls interest groups. 

• Mexico dom party (PRI) organized society into three sectors, where PRI exchanged policy positions/patronage as long as interest groups were loyal. 

define Social movements and name its difference from Interest groups

Social movements advocate for broad social change, interest groups try to influence gov policy. More broad, more loosely organized

Large groups of people pushing collectively for social change. 

Social movement examples

• Iranian Green Movement protesting election corruption in 2009

• Zapatistas movement was a response to socioeconomic inequality and the negative impact of NAFTA (north american free trade agreement)

• Nigeria MEND and MOSOP, emerged to advocate for the rights of an ethnic minority and protest against oil extraction.

• Boko Haram trying to establish islamic state in North Nigeria

• Domestic protests over Duma homophobic passage in Russia

pro-natalism

Government policy encouraging more births

austerity

government economic policies aimed at reducing public debt by cutting public spending, lowering welfare benefits, or raising taxes

Economic Globalization

• the growing integration and interdependence of national economies through increased trade, foreign investment, and capital flows

 Multinational Corporations (MNC)

are large companies based in one country that operate and have subsidiaries in multiple countries (Shell, Nestle)

• pose chalenges to economic policies regarding labor, independence, corrptuion.

Economic Liberalization

• policies that reduce state control over the economy, promoting free-market principles, privatization, deregulation, and reduced trade barriers

International Organizations

• lend money to states and their businesses, operating between them

• voluntary associations of sovereign states that cooperate on shared interests.

• join treaties and agreements by choice, comply with decisions they consent to, and can withdraw without ceding any authority.

• Ex: IMF (help countries iwth debt), World Bank, World Trade, Nafta.

Supranational organizations

• bodies in which states ceded some soverieng authority to a higher authority. binded to rules even if they disagree. operate in between nations

• ex: EU, (common currency)

• ECOWAS - agreement for integration of states in West Africa. Promoted by Nigera to increase regional influence.

• CIS - maintains Russia influence in region

rentier state

• state that possess/extract large amounts of natural resources and greats revenue from them

• Nigeria controls oil resources through NNPC which partners with foreign oil companies to gain revenue. 

• Iran and Russia have large reserves for oil, having state controlled companies that extract and sell. Russia explores and builds pipelines to sell.

ad and dis of economic globalization/reniter state

Ad: gov can pay for government programs due to rich revenue and lower taxes.

Disadvantage: Resourse Curse: Undiversiifed economy, major corruption, pollution, lack of accountability.

Nationalization of resources

means state owns the resources. reduces power of foreign governments, reducing wealth inequality

Economy Nationalization Examples

• Russia in 1990 privated hydrocarbon industry. People who bought these shares became absurdly wealthy (oligarchs) sold assets for profits and entered the political sphere.

• Putin curbed the power by re-nationalizing companies. in the 2000s.

• Nigeria/Mexico have a mix of private and state control of oil. Deal with inequality from private ownership and corruption.

UK migration/democracy change

Positive net migration of immigration.

China migration patterns

Migration from rural to urban areas (west to east)

Special economic zones increase coastal migration

hukuo

Chinese system restricts where citizens can live.

•  Registered as rural and urban, which determines access to social services.

Mexico migration patterns

migration from rural to urban areas (south to north) due to Maquiladora zones: manufacturing plants with parent company in US. Hihg source of FDI

Nigeria North vs South Divide

North:

• primarily Muslim. Rural, less urbanized, lower GDP, more poverty

South

• Adopted Sharia/Islamic law as legal system

• Boko haram: islamist insurgency in Nigeria where western education is forbidden, no women’s rights, etc.

South

• primarily Christian. Divided between two major ethnic groups. Allows more rights for women