Chapter 6 - Nondemocratic Regimes

authoritarianism

A political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public.

bureaucratic authoritarianism

A system in which the state bureaucracy and the military share a belief that a technocratic leadership, focused on rational, objective, and technical expertise, can solve the problems of the country without public participation.

clientelism

A process whereby the state co-opts members of the public by providing specific benefits or favors to a single person or a small group in return for public support.

corporatism

A method of co-optation whereby authoritarian systems create or sanction a limited number of organizations to represent the interests of the public and restrict those not set up or approved by the state

illiberal regime

A regime where democratic institutions that rest upon the rule of law are weakly institutionalized and poorly respected

kleptocracy

"Rule by theft," where those in power seek only to drain the state of assets and resources.

nondemocratic regime

A political regime that is controlled by a small group of individuals who exercise power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public.

patrimonialism

An arrangement whereby a ruler depends on a collection of supporters within the state who gain direct benefits in return for enforcing the ruler's will.

populism

A political view that does not have a consistent ideological foundation, but that emphasizes hostility toward elites and established state and economic institutions and favors greater power in the hands of the public.

rent seeking

A process in which political leaders essentially rent out parts of the state to their patrons, who as a result control public goods that would otherwise be distributed in a nonpolitical manner

resource trap

Theory of development in which the existence of natural resources in a given state is a barrier to modernization and democracy.

totalitarianism

A nondemocratic regime that is highly centralized, possessing some form of strong ideology that seeks to transform and absorb fundamental aspects of state, society, and the economy, using a wide array of institutions