Poli sci: CH 8

Institutions can be understood as…

..‘regular patterns of behaviour that
provide stability and predictability to
social life’.

Institutions can be seen both as ___ and _____

resources, constraints

Institution are ____ and ____

formal and informal. — The former being institutions like courts,bureaucracies and the latter being families, classes, kinship groups etc.

Political scientists tend to focus on ______

Formal institutions, which allow them to advance general propositions about political behavior.

Institutions can be seem as…

defining ‘the rules of the game’, and deciding who
wins and who loses.

Political institutions can also be understood as …..

structures, which interact with other factors in shaping political political events

structure is often contrasted with

agency

Modern states typically claim…

the sole right to formulate laws and enforce them

The state designates the apparatus of institutions and
individuals who are responsible for…..

managing public affairs (e.g. executives, legislators, courts of justice, the
armed forces, etc).

The liberal democratic model of the state originated in

Britain

what treaty ended the European Thirty Years’ War

The 1648 Treaty of Westphalia

what three principles did the treaty of Westphalia embody

The sovereignty of states and the right to self-
determination;
 Legal equality between states;
 Non-intervention of one state in the affairs of
another.