Comparative Terms

State

political institutions w/ monopoly of force over territory

Nation

Psychological sense of identity on ethnicity, language, history, or culture.

Institutions

formal policy makers within government

Regime

Set of rules, institutions, practices, and norms that determine how power is used in a country.

Hybrid Regime

government w/ both authoritarian & democratic elements. 

Legitimacy

people’s belief that government has right to rule. ( lost through violence, oppression, violation)

Rational/legal

Fair & understandable and followed by everyone

Traditional

always been that way

Charismatic

based on ruler’s engaging personality (not always positive)

Globalization

increasing interconnectedness in world.

Sovereignty

ability of gov to rule w/o internal or external influence

HDI (Human Development Index)

measure like life expectancy, birth & death rates, education, and quality of life

GDP

total value of goods & services produced in a country

GDP per capita

GDP divided by the population

Gini Index

income equality (0= perfect equality, 1= total inequality)

Developed countries

high GDP per capita

Developing countries

emerging economies based on production

Underdeveloped/least developed countries

least developed socio economic development.

Transparency

ability of citizens to see what gov is doing.

Corruption/CPI

Use of position for personal gain (0=highly corrupt, 100=very clean)

Civil Rights

granted by gov to prevent discrimination against groups (gender, color)

Civil Liberties

protect individuals from governmental infringement (ex. free speech)

Political economy

study of interaction between state and economy in a country 

Economic liberalization

move to free market by reducing tariffs, trade barriers, & gov control over economy

Market economies

set wages, production, & prices based on supply & demand w/ less gov

Command economies

gov makes decisions on wages, prices, & production, private property is limited.

Communism

goal is economic equality, gov controls means of production

Welfare State

gov provides support to citizens such as unemployment benefits & healthcare.

Rentier States

states that derive a significant portion of revenues from rent. 

Structural Adjustment (SAP)

established by World Bank w/ intent to alter & reform economic structures on high debt. (third world countries - international loans)

Dependency Theory

colonial rule left a legacy of political & economic dependence making it difficult for former colonies to improve and democratize

Post Materialism

belief in the importance of policy goals beyond immediate self interest

Democratization

transition from authoritarian state to an illiberal democracy to a liberal democracy

Authoritarian State

gov where elections are not free & fair, and civil rights and liberties are lacking.

Illiberal/Procedural Democracy

gov w/ elections that are not completely free & fair (lacking competition) or lacking some civil rights & liberties. 

Liberal/Sustantive Democracy

gov w/ free & fair elections, civil rights, and liberties.

Unitary System

all power to central gov & state power is NOT protected

Federal System

power shared between national & state Govs and some power is protected

Devolution

transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central gov to local or regional administration. 

Bicameral Legislature

Two Houses

Unicameral Legislature

One house

First Past the Post/Single Member District (FPTP/SMD)

awards one seat to the candidate w/ most votes in district.

Proportional Representation 

votes cast ballots for party & the percentage of votes a party receives determines how many seats the party will gain. 

Referendum

measure sent by legislature to the citizens for approval (citizens vote)

Common Law

court decisions are written down & serve as precedent for future cases.

Code Law

based on laws written by legislature

Judicial Review

ability of a Supreme Court to overturn a law of executive action if unconstitutional

Theocracy

state led by religious rulers

Revolution

overthrow of gov based on broad popular

Coup

change in the leader brought by small group, often a military leader

Nationalism 

belief that a group of people has its own unique destiny. often including a desire for a separate state. 

Political Ideology

an individual’s belief system about role of gov.

Political Socialization

process through which an individual acquires their political beliefs and behaviors

Political Culture

shared beliefs of a group of people

Political Right

favors the status quo 

Political Left

favors change, usually favor social programs

Reactionaries

extreme and want to go back to past

Liberalism

favor freedom in the economy & civil rights & liberties

Cooptation

when gov buys off its critics

Corporatism

when large businesses & labor unions are brought into policy making process. limits pluralism bc small actors are left out.

Pluralism

when many groups compete/work with each other in policy making

Political Recruitment

selecting current & political leaders, including formal & informal power structure.

Civil Society

voluntary civic & social organizations that operate within one country. shared beliefs, values, and issues. voluntary in nature. not part of a formal gov, often work w/ or against gov, seek to influence gov. 

Grassroots Movements

Ordinary citizens push for reform

Political Cleavage

division over policy issue

Crossing Cutting Cleavages

when divisions in a society split into many potential groups that may conflict on one issue but cooperate on another

Coinciding Cleavages

exacerbate feelings of differences, weakening society

Causation

when a change in one variable precipitates a change in another variable

Correlation

apparent connection between variables

Empirical Statement

Verifiable Fact

Normative Statement

a subjective opinion, value judgment, or belief about how things should or ought to be