Comparative Government & Politics: Sovereignty, Regimes, and Institutions

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering fundamental political science concepts, regime types, structural systems, legitimacy, and development metrics based on Comparative Government notes.

Power

The ability to direct the behavior of others through coercion, persuasion, or leadership.

Authority

The legal right to exercise power on behalf of society and/or government.

Sovereignty

The legal right and ability (power) of a state to carry out actions and policies within its territory.

Capacity

The degree to which a state or government is able to implement its policies.

Permeable borders

A phenomenon where anything crosses a border without sanction, demonstrating a nation-state's capacity and sovereignty limitations.

Legitimacy

The general belief that the government has the right to rule and exercise authority (popular acceptance of authority).

Traditional legitimacy

A form of legitimacy where long-standing practices, patterns, religion, or monarchy determine who should rule and how.

Charismatic legitimacy

Legitimacy based on the dynamic personality of a leader, including personal virtue, heroism, or extraordinary circumstances.

Rational-legal legitimacy

Legitimacy based on an accepted set of well-established laws, procedures, and elections.

State

A political organization with a government that makes and implements policy, a permanent population, territory, international recognition, institutions, and armed forces.

Regime change

A change in the fundamental system of government, which occurs rarely through events like a coup d'état or revolution.

Coup d'état

The overthrow of a government carried out by a small group of people, usually military forces.

Revolution

An overthrow of a political regime based on widespread support from the population.

Nations

A human community that shares a common history, culture, and/or political identity, often linked by ethnic identity.

Nationalism

A common political identity shared by a group of people.

Liberal democracy

A system featuring free and fair elections that provides citizens with a wide array of civil rights and liberties.

Illiberal democracy

Also called a hybrid democracy, a system where elections may be marred by fraud, and the state protects some civil liberties while restricting others.

Transparency

The ability of citizens to know and understand what the government is doing.

Authoritarian regime

A political system lacking free and fair elections, where civil rights and liberties are restricted.

Totalitarian regime

A severe type of authoritarian government where the state controls nearly all aspects of citizens' lives.

Supranational organizations

International or regional organizations in which nations pool sovereignty and are not totally sovereign actors (e.g., the EU).

Unitary System

A political system that concentrates all policy-making power in one central geographic location, placing responsibility for most policies on the central government.

Federal System

A system where power is divided between the central government and sub-units, giving regional bodies significant authority over taxation, lawmaking, and policing.

Confederal System

A system where power is spread among many sub-units with a weak central government.

Devolution

The voluntary transfer or decentralization of power from a central government to a lower, regional government.

Ethnonationalism

An identity based on language, religion, or customs where an ethnic group sees itself as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy.

Rule of Law

A foundational democratic principle where a clear set of established laws governs all citizens equally.

Rule by Law

An authoritarian practice where the law is applied arbitrarily, and government officials are not subject to the same rules as everyday citizens.

Democratization

The process of transitioning from an authoritarian regime toward a democratic political system.

Gini Index

A measure of income inequality ranging from 0 (complete equality) to 1 (complete inequality).

Freedom House

An organization that studies democracies by measuring civil liberties and political rights on a scale from 0 to 100, categorizing countries as Free, Partially Free, or Not Free.

Government

The leadership and institutions responsible for making policy.

Politics

Formal and informal power used to make decisions.

Empirical data

Factual, quantitative information, statistics, and figures used to make objective comparisons.

Normative statement

An analysis or comparison based on value judgments rather than purely objective factual data.

HDI (Human Development Index)

A composite measure evaluating a country's achievements in health (life expectancy), education, and standard of living (Gross National Income).