Untitled Flashcards Set

Regime

The set of rules, norms, and institutions that determine how a government is constituted, how it is organized, and how decisions are made.

Authoritarian Regime

A system where power is concentrated, civil liberties are restricted, and elections (if held) lack fairness and competitiveness.

Hybrid Regime

A mix of democratic and authoritarian features, often including elections, but with limited political competition, media restrictions, and weak rule of law.

Democracy

Requires free and fair elections, political competition, civil liberties, and rule of law.

Rule of Law

A foundational element of democratic regimes where all individuals and institutions are subject to the same accountability under the law.

Horizontal Accountability

Checks and balances among different branches of government to ensure no branch oversteps its boundaries.

Vertical Accountability

Citizen oversight to hold government accountable.

Categorical Measures

Place countries into boxes like 'democracy' or 'autocracy'.

Continuous Measures

Rate countries along a scale.

Single Party Regime

Rule by one dominant party that controls the state, with institutionalized succession and rewarded loyalty.

Military Regime

Rule by Junta where power is shared among officers; tends to be short-lived.

Personalist Regime

Rule by a single leader who concentrates power in themselves.

Democratization

A cluster of transitions from autocracy to democracy, often occurring in waves.

Democratic Backsliding

A return to autocracy, often through legal or incremental means.

Dependency Theory

Theory that explains how Global South countries are structurally dependent on the Global North, leading to unequal economic relationships.

Spatial Inequality

Unequal distribution of public goods and services across geographic areas.

Institutions

Structures and rules that guide political behavior, including constitutions, legislatures, parties, and norms.

Coup

A quick, usually violent seizure of power by deposing the current government.

Delegative Democracy

A type of regime that falls between perfect autocracy and perfect democracy, where leaders claim authority from institutions but govern without strong accountability.

Presidential System

A system with separation of powers and a risk of deadlock, leading to a stronger individual mandate.

Parliamentary System

A system with fusion of powers that allows for easier legislation and party accountability.

Mills’ Method of Agreement

A comparative politics method used to find common factors in similar outcomes.

Mills’ Method of Difference

A comparative politics method used to isolate differing factors in different outcomes.