POLI 100 Midterm

Authority

Legitimate power, whoever is exercising the power has the right to do so

Civil Society

Community of citizens, body of non-government institutions that help link individuals and the state

Empirical Analysis

Analysis of factual information

Governance

Process of societal decision making that includes the traditional government institution as well as other influential factors such as markets, interest groups and many more

Legitimacy

When an action or ruler is considered to be acceptable and just by the ruled

Normative Analysis

Analysis of a political phenomenon based on values

Political Systems

Totality of institutions within a state, and all the connections that lie between them

Power

Make others do something that they would not have chosen to do

Rational Choice Theory

An economic theory that humans are rational and self-interested hence they will analyze costs and benefits to maximize gains and minimize

Realism

A general approach that takes concepts such as power, politics and national interest to be the foundations of action.

Semantic Analysis

Method of analysis focuses on the concepts used in political studies

Sovereign

Having no legitimate competitors for authority both within the state and outside the international system

Aristotle’s Classification of States

A system based on the extent that people’s interests are represented by the state’s action

Authoritarianism

Do not have fair elections, political rulers lack responsibility

Balance of Power

A system of relations between states in which the goal is to maintain an equilibrium of power

Bourgeoisie

The merchant or property class holding economic power and control

Colonialism

A mode of domination in which one population group and their territory is subjugated by another

Communitarianism

Ideology calling for the state to play a role in uniting society around a common set of values; contrasted from liberalism

Corporatism

A model in which the state formalizes control with "insider" groups that it considers most important.

Cosmopolitanism

The idea that humans ought to be regarded as a single moral community to which universal principles apply, irrespective of national boundaries

Elitism

In normative sense, the rule of the most able; in an empirical sense, rule by a group that is beyond popular control

Empire

A system where country or sphere of power dominates other weaker countries

Globalization

The ongoing process of economic and cultural independence that has reduced sovereignty of states

Human Nature

A general term of innate and immutable human characteristics

Illiberal Democracy

State in which elections are held, but with little guarantee of rights and liberties. Often characterized with state control over the means of communication, ensuring longer-lasting power for the current rulers

Institutions

Set of laws and informal rules that regulate social interactions among people, and between people and the biosphere.

Interdependence

The notion that states are increasingly interconnected through a web of relations, especially in the economic field.

Interest Group

Groups within civil society that seek to press specific interests on governments

Liberal Democracy

State characterized by free and fair elections, universal suffrage, and relatively high degree of personal liberty as well as protection of individual rights

Liberal Social Contract

Idea that individuals come together and decide the nature of political structures that govern them. Accepting to give up certain things in exchange for being part of the state

Marxism

Believe that the state is dominated by the bourgeoisies and should be changed by revolution

Nature Law

Law conceived as both universal and eternal, applying to all people in all places at all times because it derives from either “nature” or God

Natural Rights

Rights that all humans are said to posses, irrespective of the particular legal and political systems under which they live

New Medievalism

A system of governance recalling Europe in the Middle Ages in which an overlapping array of local, national, and supranational institutions compete for authority

New Right

A political theory which claims that the state is too powerful, far beyond what is considered healthy for a society as the state’s bureaucracy serves its own interest

Night-watchman State

A model in which the state concentrates on ensuring security, playing little role in civil society and allowing the economic market to operate relatively unhindered

Patrimonial State

A state in which power flows directly from the leader and political elites take advantage of their connections to enrich themselves and their clients

Pluralism

Usually associated with a theory of the state according to which political power is diffuse, all organized groups having some influence on state

Polyarchy

Government outcomes are determined by spirited competition between factional groups, in a form of “minority rule” in which many small groups have a say in governance

Proletariat

The dominated working class

Social Contract

Device used by many political thinkers that states that individuals have voluntarily agreed to place certain limits upon their own freedom in exchange for protection or benefits that only the state can provide

Sovereignty

Having no legitimate competitors for authority both within the state and outside in the international system.

State

The highest form of authority in a particular area that is above any challenge

State of Nature

The fictional account of a human society without structure, whose conditions are said to have spurred on the social contract

Structuration

A conncept referring to all factors that at once constrain a political system and provide the resources required for it to function

Totalitarianism

An extreme version of authoritarian rule in which the state controls all aspects of social and economic life

Treaty of Montevideo

A 1933 convention that first established that state territory is “inviolable” and that obtaining territory or other authority by force is not legitimate.

Treaty of Westphalia

A 1648 treaty that is recognized as having first laid out the definition for a European-style state, establishing three basic principles (Sovereignty/self-determination, legal equality and nonintervention) for mutual recognition/state authority

Utilitarianism

The ethical theory that the behaviour of individuals and governments should be judged by the degree to which their actions maximize pleasure or happiness

Constitutency

An electoral district

False Consciousness

The idea that people in capitalist society unknowingly participate in a system that promotes inequality.

First Nations

Indigenous members of one of 634 government-recognized governments or bands and can benefit from treaty rights associated with membership.

Inuit

Indigenous people of what is now the Canadian Arctic and subarctic

Métis

People with mixed Indigenous and European ancestry with a unique shared history and culture

Indigenous Peoples

A term used to refer to the people who are the original inhabitants of a land. In Canada, this term is used to refer to the First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Peoples.

Hegemony

Domination that appears legitimate under a certain system

Methodology

A particular way in which knowledge is produced. Vary considerably depending on the field - history, anthropology, language, biology, medicine, and so on

Power

Associated with coercion: "do this or else.." one of two central concepts associated with politics. The way rulers enforce their decisions.

Weber’s Three types of Authority

1. Traditional Authority: based on traditional customs and values e.g. the monarch’s divine right to rule

2. Charismatic Authority: based on the personal traits of an individual and often associated with dictators. This is often an unreliable form of authority

3. Legal-rational authority: based on the status of a ruler’s office as part of a system of constitutional rules or religious texts. This is most common today

Luke’s Three Dimensions of Power

1. A will get B to do something it wouldn't otherwise do

2. Power to set the agenda (we discuss certain issues and don't discuss others). Those assume actors are AWARE of their interest / needs

3. The powerful determines / defines what people perceive to be their interests and wants

Cosmopolitan Democracy

A system of democracy that emphasizes the importance of accountability on a global scale.

Deliberative Democracy

Idea that democratic decisions should be a product of constant discussion and thus political decisions must be fluid

Democracy

Often tied with the idea of the "common good," contested concept with multiple definitions, in theory it is about popular rule or the rule of the people. Usually involve changes of government through regular elections, various institutional checks an balances, a strong legal tradition that provides equality for its citizens under the law, and some form of civil society capable of articulating the people’s political and social preferences.

Democratic Elitism

"Protective," seek to hold political leaders accountable to the wishes of the voters, democracy as a tool for voter utility maximization

Direct Democracy

System in which people directly make political and governmental decisions

Political Obligation

The question of what, if anything, obliges individuals to obey the state. A central preoccupation of political theorists. Answers to this question range from the ancient notion that monarchs have a "divine right" to rule the modern notion that democracy is the basis of authority

Polyarchy

The idea that decisions made in a pluralist democratic state are influenced by the competing interests of many groups or individuals, “minorities rule” being the natural order of things

Representative Democracy

System in which the people elect other individuals who represent their interests in political and governmental decisions

Common good

Goods that are rivalry and non excludable, so if people overexploited this type of goods, it can be scarce

Agency

Human action that makes something happen, and the capacity for such action

Cosmopolitan Justice

We have obligations towards all human beings, not just those who reside within our national boundaries.

Cultural Pluralism

Situations in which different cultures follow different norms within the context of a single society

Global Justice

The application of principles of justice at a global level

Harm Principle

Only those actions that harm others should be prevented by public opinion or the state

Intergenerational Justice

Justice taking place in a generation different to the one that was or will be wronged

Meritocratic Theory of Justice

System of justice that seeks to reward people differently based on their merit and recognizes the benefit of incentivizing their population

Negative Liberty

Liberty that can be increased by removing external obstacles, such as physical constraints or legal proibitions

Positive Liberty

Liberty that can be increased either by state action or by removing internal obstacles such as immorality or irrationality

Original position

People are asked how they think society should be without them knowing their place in it. The first response they give is there original position