Comparative Government Unit 1

Quantitative method

analyzing empirical data, test hypothesis, cause and effect

Qualitative method

analyzing characteristics through case studies of history, culture, looking in depth for understanding

Empirical statement

factual and observable rather than purely theoretical or logical.

Normative statement

value-related questions

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

all the goods and services produced by a country’s economy in a given year, excluding income earned outside the country

GDP per capita

divides the GNP by population of the country

Gross National Product (GNP)

like GDP, but includes income earned outside the country

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

like GDP, except that it takes into consideration what people can buy in their local economy. A way to compare GDP for countries fairly by standardizing the currency.

Gini Index

mathematical formula that measures amount of economic inequality in a society

Human Development Index (HDI)

measures well-being of a country’s people by factoring in life expectancy, and education enrollment, as well as per capita income.

Politics

the authoritative allocation of values through a society: the power to enforce who gets what, when, and how.

Power

the influence to get what one wants from others and instruct them to follow one.

Authority

the legal right to have and use power

Legitimacy

when people accept the power of the government and respect orders

Nation

group of people with one common relationship who claim a homeland

State

institutions that carry out policy, the only people who can legitimately carry out violence

sovereignty

ability to control what happens in their borders, to carry out laws over their people

institutions

stable, long-lasting organizations that help turn ideas in politics into policy.

supranational organization

organization with the states as members, and they give up sovereignty in the organization

regime

a type of political system or the set of rules that determine how decisions are made

government

the leadership or elite in charge of running the state or ruling institutions

democracies

power from the people to shape political decisions through free, fair, and competitive elections and when government is held accountable

cold wars

the hostile relations that prevailed between the US and the USSR from the late 1940s until the USSRs collapse

critical juncture

an important historical moment when political actors make critical choices, which shape institutions and future outcomes

collective identities

the groups with which people identify gender, class, race, region, and religion, and which are the “building blocks” for social/political action

comparitive politics

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

globalization

the intensification of worldwide interconnectedness associated with the increased speed and magnitude of cross-border flows of trade, investment and finance, and processes of migration, cultural diffusion, and communication

comparativist

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

keynesianism

an approach to economic policy in which state economic policies are used to regulate the economy in an attempt to achieve stable economic growth

neoliberalism

government policies aiming to promote free competition among business firms within the market, including reduced governmental regulation and spending

country

a territorial unit controlled by a single state. They encompass governments as well as culture, economies, and collective identities

state

the most powerful political institutions in a country, including the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, the police, and armed forces

executive

the agencies of government that implement or execute policy

cabinet

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

bureacracy

an organization structured hierarchically in which lower-level officials are charged with administering regulations codified in rules that specify impersonal, objectives guidelines for making decisions

legislature

one of the primary political institutions in a country, in which elected or appointed members are charged with responsibility for making laws and usually providing for the financial resources for the state to carry out its functions

judiciary

one of the primary political institutions in a country; responsible for the administration of justice and in some countries for determining the constitutionality of state decisions

state formation

the historical development of a state, often marked by major stages, key events, or turning points (critical junctures) that influence the contemporary character of the state

nation-state

politically defined territory where state and national identity coincide

casual theories

an influential approach in comparative politics that involves trying to explain why “if X happens, then Y is the result”

rational choice theory

an 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

seeks to explain phenomena in a limited range of cases, in particular, a specific set of countries with particular characteristics, such as parliamentary regimes, or a particular type of political institution (political parties) or activity (protest)

dictatorships

a form of government which power and political and political control are concentrated in one or a few rulers who have concentrated and nearly absolute power

democratic transitions

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 subnational units such as states in the us

World Trade Organization (WTO)

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 (IMF)

The global institution with a mandate 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.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

A treaty among the US, Mexico, and Canada implemented on January 1, 1994 that largely eliminates trade barriers among the 3 nations.

political economy

the study of the interaction between the state and the economy

sustainable develop,ent

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

communist party-state

A type of nation-state in which the communist party attempts to exercise a complete monopoly on political power and controls all important state institutions.

social movements

large-scale grassroots action that demands reforms of existing social practices and government policies

social class

A group whose members share common world views and aspirations determined largely by occupation, income and well

distributional politics

the use of power, particularly by the state, to allocate some kind of valued resource among competing groups

typology

A method of classifying by using criteria that divide a group of cases into smaller cases with common characteristics

consolidated democracies

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

mixed systems

countries whose political systems exhibit some democratic and some authoritarian elements

authoritarian regimes

a system of rule in which power depends not on popular legitimacy but on the coercive force of the political authorities

hegemony

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

particilaristic

relative to the specific context of a given country

civil society

wide array of voluntary organizations independent from the state

social capital

networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate coordination and cooperation for mutual benefit

civil liberty, rule of law, independent judiciary, open civil society, civilian control of the military

components of liberal democracy