Introduction to Comparative Government

state

Institutions that exercise power and authority

critical junctures

Historical moments that shape future outcomes

regime

Enduring practices from one government to the next

nation

Identity or ethnicity of a group

false

True or false: Collective identities do not impact homogenous states

legitimacy

Belief in the right to rule

false

Globalization does not allow for the global spread of democracy

civil society

Degree to which groups may form and interact within a state

political culture

Assumptions and values towards authority and political themes

economic liberalization

Ability of states to reduce oversight in economic markets

government

Administration of the day

post-materialists

Individuals concerned with abstract societal concepts once basic needs are met

rule of law

Application of procedures and standards to all people

social movements

Large-scale grassroots action demanding reforms of social practices and government policies

false

True or false: Liberal democracies typically include the characteristic of affluence

false

Mexico does not employ a unitary system

true

Russia typically violates neutrality of the judiciary

true

A parliamentary system of government does not promote conflicts between levels of government

presidential system

System of government highlighting the impact of separation of branches

neutrality of the judiciary

Ability to carry out legal punishment without influence from other branches

hybrid state

Facade of democratic institutions concealing practices that violate core features of democracy

supranational organizations

OPEC, EU, and UN are examples of

distributional politics

Use of power, particularly by the state, to allocate valued resources among competing groups

democratic transition

More participatory opportunities for citizens

nation-state

Alignment of national identity and political boundaries

liberal democracy

a democratic system of government that officially recognizes and legally protects individual rights and freedoms and in which the exercise of political power is constrained by the rule of law

populism

a style of mobilization by a political party or movement that seeks to gain popular support by emphasizing anti-establishment rhetoric, decrying elite concentrations of power as the source of national decline, and promising to be responsive to the needs of ordinary people

comparative politics

the field within political science that focuses on domestic politics of countries and analyzes patterns of similarity and difference among countries

comparativist

a political scientist who studies the similarities and differences in the domestic politics of various countries

World Bank

an international financial institution (IFI) comprising over 180 member states that provides low-interest loans, policy advice, and technical assistance to developing countries with the goal of reducing poverty

Human Development Index

a composite number used by the UN Development Programme to measure and compare levels of achievement in health, knowledge, and standard of living

Global Gender Gap

a measure developed by the World Economic Forum of the extent to which women in 58 countries have achieved equality with men

Environmental Performance Index

developed by Yale and Columbia, a measure of how close countries come to meeting specific benchmarks for national pollution control and natural resource management

Corruption Perceptions Index

A measure developed by Transparency International that ranks countries in terms of the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians

Economist Intelligence Unit Democracy Index

an index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, based in the UK, that measures and ranks the state of democracy in 167 countries, classifying states as full democracies, flawed democracies, hybrid regimes, and authoritarian regimes

Keynesianism

an economic approach that prioritizes government influence in the economy

Neoliberalism

emphasizes the importance of market-friendly policies

Rational Choice Theory

a largely quantitative approach to analyzing political decision making and behavior that assumes that individual actors rationally pursue their aims in an effort to achieve the most positive net result

Middle-Level Theory

a theory that seeks to explain phenomena in a limited range of cases, such as comparing presidential democracies with parliamentary democracies

democratic transition

the process of a state moving from an authoritarian to a democratic political system

institutional design

the institutional arrangements that define the relationships between executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government and between the national government and subnational units, such as states in the United States

World Trade Organization

a global international organization that oversees the "rules of trade” among its member-states. The main functions are to serve as a forum for its members to negotiate new agreements and resolve trade disputes. Its fundamental purpose is to lower or remove barriers to free trade

International Monetary Fund

a global institution whose mandate is to "foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty.” It has been particularly active in helping countries that are experiencing serious financial problems. In exchange for IMF assistance, a country must agree to conditions and policies that promote economic liberalization.

North American Free Trade Agreement

a treaty among the US, Mexico, and Canada implemented on 1/1/1994, that largely eliminates trade barriers among the three nations

Political Economy

the study if the interaction between the state and the economy in a country; that is, how politics influences the economy and how the organization and performance of the economy influence the political process

Communist party-state

a type of nation-state in which a communist party exercises a complete monopoly on political power and controls all important state institutions

Gross Domestic Product

the total of all goods and services produced within a country that is used as a broad measure of the size of its economy

Gross National Product

GDP + income earned by the country’s residents

Purchasing Power Parity

a method of calculating the value of a country’s currency based on the actual cost of buying goods and services in that country rather than how many USD the currency is worth

Social Progress Index

a composite measurement of social progress in countries that takes into account basic needs, their food, shelter, security, access to healthcare, education, and a healthy environment, and the opportunity for people to improve their lives

Social class

a group whose members share common worldviews and aspirations determined largely by occupation, income, and wealth

typology

a method of classifying by using criteria that assign cases to categories whose members share common characteristics

consolidated democracy

a democratic political system that has been solidly and stably established for an ample period of time and in which there is relatively consistent adherence to core democratic principles

hybrid state

a country whose political systems exhibit some democratic and some authoritarian elements

illiberal democracy

a state where the government has been brought to power (and perhaps reelected) by democratic election, but then takes steps to seriously limit political competition, undermine the rule of law, and deprive citizens of their basic rights

Authoritarian Regime

a form of government in which power is highly concentrated at the top, political freedom is limited, and those with authority are not accountable to those they govern

neoliberalism

a term used to describe government policies aiming to reduce state regulations and promote competition among business firms within the market

bureaucracy

a system of government in which the most important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives

sustainable development

an approach to promoting economic growth that seeks to minimize environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources

hegemony

the capacity to dominate the world of states and control the terms of trade and the alliance patterns in the global order

Freedom in the World Rating

annual evaluation by Freedom House of the state of freedom in countries around the world measured according to political rights and civil liberties

Empirical Data

factual data

Normative Data

subjective data

Unitary system

power is centralized at the national level

Federalism

divides power between the national and subnational levels

Judicial review

the ability to determine what is constitutional or unconstitutional

linkage institutions

school, media, family, etc

civil rights

being treated equally in society

civil liberties

personal freedoms/expressions

coinciding social divisions

social divisions that are deep, unsolvable, and historical

cross-cutting social divisions

social divisions for which, as the issue at hand changes, alliances and divisions change

cabinet

the body of officials who direct executive departments presided over by the chief executive

failed state

state in which the government no longer functions effectively

third world

refers to countries with a low or relatively low level of economic development, particularly as measured by gross national income or gross domestic product per capita