Political Science Concepts and Regimes

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts in political science, including definitions of political regimes, democracy types, voting behavior, and authority.

Political Regime

The pattern according to which power and authority are organized and exercised in a society.

Democracy

Government resting on a fair and open mandate from the people, requiring free and fair elections, checks and balances, and civil liberties.

Full Democracy

A political system with free elections, functioning institutions, protected opposition, media freedom, and low corruption. E.g., Norway, Canada.

Flawed Democracy

A system that meets basic democratic requirements but has weaknesses like low participation or corruption. E.g., India, Brazil.

Illiberal Democracy

A political system with elections but weak protections for liberal institutions, where courts and media are undermined. E.g., Hungary, Turkey.

Competitive Authoritarianism

A regime with elections that are unfair, where the state punishes opponents and controls media. Concept used to analyze current US trajectory.

Political Culture

The set of attitudes, beliefs, and values that shape how individuals and societies engage with politics.

Parochial Culture

A political culture where citizens have little awareness of politics, viewing it as distant and irrelevant.

Post-materialism

As societies grow wealthier, their values shift from materialist to post-materialist themes like self-expression and equality.

Voter Franchise

The right to vote, determined by citizenship and age, with contemporary close to universal suffrage but with limitations.

Majority Government

A government formed when one party wins more than half of the seats, providing stable support.

Minority Government

A situation where a party governs without a majority, relying on issue-by-issue support from other parties.

Coalition Government

A government formed when no single party has a majority, requiring negotiations between parties.

Bicameralism

A legislative system with two chambers, often used for checks and reviews of legislation.

Federalism

A political system in which power is divided between federal and regional governments, often with constitutionally protected responsibilities.

Autocratisation

Democratic backsliding characterized by leaders exploiting divisions to concentrate power.

Cleavage

Deep and lasting division within a society that influences political preferences.

Sociological Model of Voting

A model that suggests voters are influenced by their social groups and identities.

Proportional Representation

An electoral system where seats in a legislature reflect the percentage of votes received by parties.

Echo Chambers

Social media habits that reinforce pre-existing beliefs, often leading to political polarization.

Political Trust

The extent to which citizens believe political actors will act in the public interest.

political behavior (how people act), political processes (how decisions are made), and political institutions (formal/informal structures)

3 Dimensions of political science

Politics

The process through which people negotiate and compete in making and executing shared/collective decisions. Involves conflict, bargaining, coalition

Political system

The wider set of actors, institutions and interactions involved in making binding decisions for a society, includes citizens, parties, media, NGOs, international organisations.

Power

The capacity to bring about intended effects, can be exercised openly (winning a vote) or subtly (shaping what people think).

Authority

The recognised right to exercise power. Those subject to a decision accept that the person or institution has the right to make it.

Legitimacy

Power and authority are regarded as appropriate, justified and acceptable. Makes government more stable and reduces the need for coercion. Has internal (citizens accept) and external (other states recognise) dimensions.

(1) Who prevails in decisions, conflict, (2) agenda setting, (3) preference shaping, how people think (idealogy, media, propaganda)

3 dimensions of power

Weber's 3 authority types

traditional, Charismatic, Legal rational

traditional authority

inherited, god given, monarchial

charismatic authority

based on extraordinary characteristics of the individual

legal rational

belief in laws and formal rules, natural rights

Parochial culture

Citizens have little awareness of politics

it is seen as distant and irrelevant. Found in traditional/tribal societies with low participation.

Subject culture

Citizens are aware of political decisions but do not participate actively. Government is seen as an authority that decides without public input.

Participant culture

Citizens are highly engaged: elections, protests, civic
organisations. Found in democracies where governments are accountable.

Almond and Verba

Civic culture

Civic culture

mix of parochial, subject, and participant cultures. stable democracy needs participation BUT also lawmakers need to have decision

Post materialism

As societies grow wealthier, values shift from
materialist (security, order, economic stability) to post materialist (self

Scarcity hypothesis

People prioritise what is scarce. When survival is uncertain → material priorities. When secure → post

Socialisation hypothesis

core values are shaped during formative years

competence (delivering results), caring/intrinsic motivation, accountability/extrinsic motivation, predictability/reliability

4 factors of trust

Van der Meer

4 factors of trust

absolute monarchy, ruling party, presidential monarchy, military rule

types of authoritarianism

Direct democracy

citizens vote on policies themselves

Representative democracy

citizens vote for representatives who make decisions on their behalf

Hybrid regime

Mix of democratic and authoritarian elements, leaning authoritarian. Elections held but not free/fair, playing field skewed for incumbents, chance of electoral regime change possible

Authoritarian regime

Does not meet basic democratic criteria. Power concentrated, opposition eliminated, elections absent or meaningless, media controlled, courts not independent.

Totalitarianism

Extreme authoritarianism: seeks to dominate ALL aspects of life (ideology, education, culture, private behaviour). Official ideology, mass surveillance, propaganda.

Competitive authoritarianism

Elections still happen but the playing field is unfair. The state punishes opponents, co

Electoral, participatory, liberal

dimensions of democracy

Huntington

the Waves of Democracy

suffrage, breaking up WWI empires, Andrew Jackson populism

WWII and beginnings of decolonization

Second Wave (1945 to 1960s)

suffrage, break up of WWI empires, Jacksonian populism

First Wave (1800 to 1920s)

collapse of USSR, continued decolonization, historic transitions to democracy (Portugal, Spain, Sub

Saharan Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe)

Political communication

Production, dissemination and effects of political
information. Connects governments, parties, media, interest groups and citizens, shapes perceptions and choices.

Transmission Model

"Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect?", who is sending the message has a fundamental impact on everything else

commercialization

competition for air time

fragmentation

increased options for channels/voices

globalization

less state control of media

interaction

led to greater interest in politics and direct democracy, or no interest at all (due to exposure)

reinforcement

strengthening existing beliefs

agenda setting

affecting what we see and talk about

framing

deciding how an event is talked about

priming

influencing how we interpret events beyond those in a particular story

Cleavage

Deep and lasting division in society influencing political preferences. 3
components

social structural division (ethnicity, class, religion), collective identity and willingness to act upon it, organizational expression (parties, unions, etc.)

components of cleavages

Centre periphery cleavage

State formation conflict between the political/cultural
centre and peripheral regions seeking autonomy or independence

Church state cleavage

Secular states vs religious institutions over moral authority
and policy.

Rural urban cleavage

Industrial Revolution conflict between agricultural/rural
interests and urban/commercial/industrial centres.

Class cleavage

Capital owners vs working class after Industrial Revolution.

England

one dominant cleavage (class)

Germany

two overlapping cleavages (christain democrats and catholics = capital owners, protestants = workers)

Netherlands

new class cleavage cutting through older one, class cleavage over religion/reduction in religious parties

Left/right axis

Economic: Left = higher taxes, social welfare, redistribution. Right =
free markets, lower taxes, limited government.

Libertarian/authoritarian axis

Cultural: Libertarian = social freedoms,
multiculturalism, LGBTQ rights. Authoritarian = nationalism, traditional values, stricter
immigration.

Society divided into pillars (Catholic, Protestant, secular working class, secular middle class), each with its own organisations, schools, media. Voting was highly predictable. Declined through secularisation and social mobility.

Dutch pillarisation

Party identification (sociological model)

Long term emotional attachment to a party, people vote as members of a social group

voters choose parties that are closest to their ideological principles

spatial model (rational)

Partisan dealignment

Weakening of party attachment over time. More independent
voters, more switching between elections, parties struggle to maintain loyalty

Performance voting

Voters judge past government performance and reward
(re elect) or punish (vote against).

scope

expression of how much power is given to the people, are representatives being elected or appointed?

franchise

constitutional or legal right to vote (non

Plurality

Candidate with most votes wins (no majority needed).

Electoral Threshold of Israel

3.25%

Electoral threshold of Sweden

4%

Electoral threshold of Germany

5%

Electoral threshold of Turkey

7%

Electoral threshold of the Netherlands

0.67%

plurality

one seat per district, the candidate with the most votes in the district wins

majority system

winners must have a majority (50%+1), second round if nobody wins the first time

Examples of plurality

Example of a majority system

France