The Social Requisites of Democracy Revisited - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on Seymour Martin Lipset's presidential address 'The Social Requisites of Democracy Revisited' (1994).

Democracy (Schumpeter's Definition)

That institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for the people's vote.

The Third Wave

Samuel Huntington's term for the major expansion of global democratization that began in the mid-1970s in Southern Europe and subsequently spread to Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa.

Kuznets Curve

An economic concept indicating that as a less developed nation begins to grow and urbanize, income inequality initially worsens, but becomes more equitable as the economy industrializes.

Autarchy

A self-sufficient economic system that limits competition; according to Carlos Waisman, state-imposed autarchy fosters authoritarianism rather than democracy.

Traditional Legitimacy

Max Weber's concept of political title to rule derived from long-standing custom and 'always' having possessed authority, best exemplified by monarchies.

Rational-Legal Legitimacy

Max Weber's concept of authority grounded in popular acceptance of the appropriateness of an established system of rules and constitutional laws under which officeholders operate.

Charismatic Legitimacy

Max Weber's concept of authority resting upon public faith in a leader who is believed to possess extraordinary personal talents, devotion, or divine gifts.

Effectiveness

The actual performance of a government and the extent to which it satisfies the basic needs of most of the population as well as key interest groups such as the military and business leaders.

Consociational Systems

Constitutional structures, emphasized by Arend Lijphart, that grant ethnic or societal minorities veto power in policy decisions to ensure political inclusion in multi-cultural polities.

Proportional Representation

An electoral system in which legislative seats are allocated to political parties in proportion to the percentage of the total vote they receive.

Civil Society

A vibrant realm of independent mediating institutions, groups, media, and social networks operating between the individual and the state to countervail central government authority.

Post-Materialistic Issues

Political concerns highlighted by Ronald Inglehart—such as environmental protection, quality of life, female and minority rights, and permissive morality—that emerge in post-industrial societies.

Center-Periphery Conflict

A major political cleavage identified by Lipset and Rokkan arising from the National Revolution, characterized by tensions between the central nation-state culture and subordinate regional, ethnic, or linguistic groups.

Rule of Law

A legal system providing predictable and stable governance where individuals and institutions are treated equally by courts, police, and civil service without arbitrary state interference.

Efficacy

The capacity of a government to deliver tangible performance, particularly in economic management and political stability, necessary to build legitimacy in new democracies.