Introduction to Political Science: Concepts, Ideologies, and Governance

Vocabulary flashcards covering core political concepts, major traditions, ideologies, state structures, forms of government, and aspects of globalization based on lecture notes.

Politics (Heywood, 2013)

An activity that involves the interaction of people, whose relationship is characterized by conflict and cooperation, and who come together to solve disagreements through binding solutions.

Politics as Public Affairs

A perspective defining politics as the conduct and management of public interest and public affairs.

Politics as Compromise and Consensus

A view where politics attempts to resolve conflict through discussion, compromise, bargaining, and consensus to reach a binding decision.

Politics as Power

A view where politics involves the exercise of authority in the production, distribution, and use of resources, describing who gets what and under what circumstances.

Political Science

A social science discipline that studies the state and the government.

State

A political community that possesses sovereign jurisdiction over a clearly defined territory and encompasses four elements: people, territory, sovereignty, and government.

Government

The instrument and machinery of the state through which the will of the people is formulated, expressed, and carried out.

Governance

The condition that arises when the government involves the people in its agenda and in the process of policy-making.

Philosophical Tradition

The traditional approach to political science, associated with Plato and Aristotle, that asks what 'should' or 'ought' to be rather than what is, emphasizing the analytical study of doctrines.

Empirical Tradition

An approach believing that any account of political reality must be impartial and tested through observation, seeking to analyze and explain rather than offer recommendations.

Behavioralism

The belief that social theories should arise from observation and quantifiable data, promoting objective and quantifiable methods in political science.

Post-positivism

An approach to studying politics that emphasizes how people conceive or construct the political world.

Political Ideology

A more or less coherent set of ideas that direct or organize specific political action, consisting of belief and value systems, existing power relations, and a desired future.

Liberalism

A political ideology emphasizing individualism, individual liberty, reason, moral equality, tolerance, and authority based on consent.

Organicism

A conservative belief that society is an organic whole and a living entity, rather than an artifact of human ingenuity.

Conservatism

A political ideology prioritizing tradition, pragmatism, awareness of human imperfection, organicism, natural hierarchy, authority from above, and property for security and independence.

Socialism

A political ideology centered on community, fraternity, the primacy of social equality, common ownership, and analyzing divisions caused by social class.

Historical Materialism

The Marxist conception of history providing that the economy or mode of production conditions all other aspects of social life, including law, government, politics, and education.

The Dialectic

A process of interaction between competing forces that drives change and leads to a higher stage of development.

Social Democracy

An ideology advocating a balance between the market and the state, balancing capitalism with the moral distribution of wealth to protect the weak, vulnerable, and underdog.

Fascism

An ultranationalist ideology emphasizing struggle, war, leadership, power, and an obedient 'new man' devoted to duty, honor, self-sacrifice, and unity.

Anarchism

An ideology at the intersection of liberalism and socialism that views the state and any political authority as both evil and unnecessary, advocating for a stateless society.

Legitimacy

The perception of the people that their government rules rightfully and thus must be obeyed.

Sovereignty

The ability of a national government to be the sole leader with final authority, encompassing territorial jurisdiction and independence from external control.

Authority

A political leader's ability to command respect and exercise power, defined in political science as legitimate power.

Effective State (Roskin, 2012)

A state that controls and taxes its entire territory, enforces obeyed laws, provides general welfare and security, and exhibits only minor corruption.

Weak State (Roskin, 2012)

A state where crime has penetrated politics, law enforcement is ineffective, justice is bought, elections are rigged, and government revenues are diverted into private pockets.

Failed State (Roskin, 2012)

A state where no national government exists, warlords and private militias rule, the 'gun' is the law, and education and health standards decline.

Polity

Aristotle's positive form of government ruled by the many for the common good by following certain laws.

Nation

A group of people bound together by commonalities in language, history, traditions, and religion.

Nation-State

An integrated entity fusing the political structure of a state with the cultural cohesion of a nation to achieve unity.

Globalization

The process through which societies become so interconnected that events and decisions in one part of the world significantly affect people in another part.

Economic Globalization

The integration of national economies into a single global economy, characterized by internationalized production and the free movement of financial capital.

McDonaldization (George Ritzer, 1993)

The extension of Max Weber's bureaucratic rationalization to fast-food chains, leading to the global standardization of processes such as production.

Political Globalization

A form of globalization characterized by the growing importance of international, transnational, and non-governmental organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank.