Comparative World Politics Vocab

Comparative politics

the study and comparison of domestic politics across countries

International relations

the study of relations between countries

Institutions

organizations or activities that are self-perpetuating and valued for their own sake. Define and shape what is possible and probable in political life by laying out the rules, norms, and structures in which we live

Politics

the struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group

Power

the ability to influence others or impose one’s will on them

Comparative method

a way to compare cases and draw conclusions

Inductive reasoning

the means by which we go from studying a case to generating a hypothesis

Deductive reasoning

starting with a puzzle and from there generating some hypotheses about cause and effect to test against a number of cases

Correlation

an apparent association between certain factors or variables

Casual relationship

cause and effect

Area studies

Regional focus and study of parts of the world where similar variables are clustered, rather than comparing countries from different parts of the world

Selection bias

Choosing cases that support one hypothesis or another

Endogenity

The issue in distinguishing something as a cause or effect

Theory

an integrated set of hypotheses, assumptions, and facts

Modernization theory

as societies develop, they become capitalist democracies, converging around a set of shared values and characteristics (how countries develop)

Behavioral revolution

the subject of investigation shifted away from political institutions and towards individual political behavior (a set of methods with which to approach politics)

Formal institutions

based on officially sanctioned rules that are effectively clear

Informal institutions

unwritten and unofficial, but no less powerful as a result

Freedom

an individual's ability to act independently, without fear of restriction or punishment by the state or other individuals or groups in society

Equality

a material standard of living shared by individuals within a community, society, or country

Political science

the study of the theory and practice of government and politics, focusing on the structure and dynamics of institutions, political processes, and political behaviour

Social science

the study of human society and of the structures and interactions among people within society

Democracy

a political system in which government is based on a fair and open mandate from all qualified citizens of a state

Government

the institutions and structures through which societies are governed

Institution

a formal organization or practice with a political purpose or effect, marked by durability and internal complexity

Political system

the interactions and organizations through which a society reaches and successfully enforces collective decisions

Governance

the process by which decisions, laws, and politics are made, with or without the input of formal institutions

Power

the capacity to bring about intended effects. Often used as a synonym for influence, but is also used more narrowly to refer to more forceful modes of influence, notably, getting one’s way by threats

Authority

the right to rule. Authority creates its own power, so long as people accept that the person in authority has the right to make decisions

Legitimacy

the condition of being legitimate. A legitimate system of government is one based on authority, and those subject to its rule recognize its right to make decisions

Ideology

a system of connected beliefs, a shared view of the world, or a blueprint for how politics, economics, and society should be structured

Typology

a system of classification by which states, institutions, processes, political cultures, and so on are divided into groups or types with common sets of attributes