AP Comparitive Government: Unit 1 Vocab

Empirical Statements

Based on facts and data.

Normative Statements

Involve value judgments or opinions on what should be.

Causation

One event directly causes another.

Correlation

Two things are related or happen together without one necessarily causing the other.

Political System

The laws, ideas, and procedures that govern a society and allocate power.

State

A political organization with a monopoly on the use of force over a defined territory and population.

Sovereignty

A state's independent legal authority to govern itself without external interference.

Nation

A group of people bound together by a common culture, language, history, or ethnicity.

Nation-State

A sovereign state whose citizens are relatively homogeneous in terms of shared language or common identity.

Government

The specific individuals and groups currently holding office and exercising power.

Regime

The fundamental rules, norms, and institutions that determine how a government is chosen and exercises power.

Federalism

A system that shares power between central and regional governments.

Unitary System

A system that concentrates all power in a single central government.

Devolution

The transfer of power from a central government to regional or local governments.

Political Ideology

A set of values about the goals of government (e.g., liberalism, socialism, communism, fascism, libertarianism).

Institutions of Government

Permanent structural organizations that make, implement, and enforce policy.

Political Attitudes

Views on the speed and methods of political change, ranging from radical to reactionary.

Political Culture

A society's shared beliefs, values, norms, and expectations about government.

Political Participation

Ways citizens take part in politics and seek to influence government.

Political Efficacy

A citizen's belief that their political participation matters.

Political Socialization

The process by which people acquire their political beliefs and values.

Civil Society

Autonomous voluntary organizations outside of government control.

Interest Groups

Organizations trying to influence public policy without running candidates for office.

Political Parties

Groups that share ideologies and seek to win government power by running candidates.

Political Legitimacy

A population's belief that a government has the rightful authority to rule.

Traditional Legitimacy

Right to rule based on historical tradition, custom, or myth.

Charismatic Legitimacy

Right to rule based on the dynamic personality of an individual leader.

Cult of Personality

An authoritarian leader using propaganda to build a heroic public image.

Rational – Legal Legitimacy

Right to rule based on established laws and procedures.

Globalization

The increasing interconnectedness of global economies, cultures, and policies.

Supranational Organization

An alliance of multiple sovereign states pooling some sovereignty for common goals.

Developed Countries

Countries with high GDP per capita and strong infrastructure.

Developing Countries

Countries with lower industrialization and incomes.

Race to the Bottom

When countries lower standards to attract foreign businesses.

Political Economy

The relationship between a country's political system and its economic policies.

Liberal Economy

A free-market capitalist system with minimal state intervention.

Liberalization

The process of removing state controls from an economy.

Subsidization

Financial support given by the government to a domestic industry.

Privatization

The transfer of state-owned businesses or property into private hands.

Gini Index

A formula measuring economic inequality within a country.

GNP/GDP

Gross National Product and Gross Domestic Product measures economic activity.

Tariffs

Taxes on imported goods to protect domestic industries.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

Money invested by foreign companies into another country's businesses.

Social Cleavages

Divisions within a society based on identity.

Coinciding Cleavages

Divisions in society along the same fault lines.

Cross-Cutting Cleavages

Overlapping divisions that pull people in different directions.