UNIT ONE: Political Systems, Regimes, and Gov'ments

Political Scientists

Individuals who constuct knowledge and communicate inferences and explanation about political systems, institutional interactions, and behavior

Quantitative

Numerical

Qualitative

Descriptive

Correlation

When there’s an association between two variables

Causation

When one variable directly causes an event (i.e. another variable) to happen

Empirical

Data that is factual, objective, and based on observations or experiments

Normative

Statement based on opinion (includes a value statement)

Political Systems

Comprise the laws, ideas, and procedures that address who should have the authority to rule and what the gov’ments influence on the people and economy should be

Government

The set of institutions or individuals legally empower to make binding decisions for a state; its authority is derived from:

• The state’s legitimate right to use power and enforce policy

• Its right and power to govern itself without outside interference

Nation

A group of people with commonalities (e.g. race, religion, ethnicity, political identity, and aspirations)

State

Must:

• Control a defined territory and its population

• Must implement a gov’ment institution that makes public policy

• Must have international recognition

Sovereign State

Has independent legal authority over a population in a particular territory; can be internal or external

Sovereignty

A state’s individual legal authority over a population in a particular territory and recognized by other countries

External Sovereignty

Other states recognize a country’s authority

Internal Sovereignty

The people within a country recognize its authority

Strong State

Perform the basic tasks of defending their border from outside attacks and defending their authority from internal or nonstate rivals

Weak State

Has trouble defending itself against internal and external assault at the most basic level; often suffer from

• Endemic violence

• Poor infrastructure

• Weak rule of law

• Inability to collect taxes

Failed State

Experience a complete loss of legitimacy and power and are overwhelmed by anarchy and violence

Regime

Comprised of the fundamental rules that control access to and the exercise of political power

* Typically endure from gov’ment to gov’ment

Authoritarian Regime

Authority is vested in a small group of people who exercise power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public

Illiberal Democracy/Hybrid Regimes

• Have elections, but they aren’t free or fair

• No independent media

  E.g. Russia

One-Party State

• One political party controls the gov’ment

• Media is often controlled by the gov’ment

  E.g. China

Theocracy

• Religious leaders are most important

• Gov’ment decisions are based on religion

  E.g. Iran

Totalitarian Gov’ment

Gov’ment has total control over the gov’ment (i.e. separate branches) and decisions

Military Regime

A military leader (or group thereof) is in control

* E.g. Nigeria before 1999

Politics

Who gets what when and how (and the struggle for power to decide this)

Power

The ability to get someone to do what you want them to do

Authority

The gov’ments right to rule/the legitimate right to use power to enforce policies and decisions

Rule of Law

System in which all individuals and groups (including those in gov’ment) are subject to the law

Rule by Law

Laws are arbitrarily and inconsistently applied; law is used as a tool of political power

Civil Rights

Individual rights regarding __equality__, created by a constitution and political regime

Civil Liberties

Individual rights regarding __freedom__, created by a constitution and political regime

Proportional Representation

Political parties compete in multimember districts and voters choose between parties (seats are awarded proportionally)

Election Thresholds

The minimum percentage of votes a party must receive in order to hold a seat in the legislature (lowering this percentage increases diversity)

Democratic Consolidation

Process in which a democratic regime matures in terms of election rules, separation of power, and protection of civil liberties, making it unlikely to revert to authoritarianism without an external shock

Real Gross Domestic Product

Annual measure of the market value of the goods and services produced within a country’s borders for a given year

* NOTE: “Real” means adjusted for inflation

Per Capita GDP

Measure of a country’s economy’s output per person in a given year

GDP Growth Rate

Annual average rate of change of GDP using constant prices during a given time period

Coup

Forcible takeover of government power

• E.g. 1991 - Soviet elites attempt to overthrow Gorbachev

• E.g. 1993 - Yeltsin dissolved the parliament and used the military to support himself

Revolution

Removal and long-term replacement of a form of government

Federal System

Significant power is given to the subnational/regional governments

* Includes Nigeria, Mexico, and Russia

Asymmetric Federal System

The central government consolidates power in itself (constitutionally ranted powers of the regional governments are taken away, supposedly temporarily due to threats)

Unitary System

All political authority is given to the central government

• Regional governments can exist, but they have little power and serve the national government

• Includes the United Kingdom, China, and Iran

Devolved Unitary System

The central government devolves power to regional governments (these powers aren’t constitutionally protected, so they can be taken away)

Legitimacy

The degree to which a government’s right to rule is accepted by the people - confers __authority__ on the government

Political Stability

State goal in order to maintain sovereignty; challenges:

• Loss of territory

• Loss of population

• Loss of government authority

• Revolution

• Regime change

Corruption

Misuse of government __authority__

Foreign Direct Investment

The purchase of assets in a country by foreign firms (China has highest, Nigeria lowest)

Civil Society

Community of citizens linked by common interests, separate from business and government

Social Cleavages

Historically determined social or cultural line that divides citizens within a society into groups with differing political interests (results in conflict among these groups)

Nationalism

Identification with one’s own nation and support for its interests, __especially to the detriment of other nations__

Human Development Index (HDI)

Used to create a numerical value for the living standard of a country using three measures:

1. Life expectancy

2. Education

3. Per capita income

Gini Index/Coefficient

Used to measure income distribution across a country (0% is equitable, 100% is completely inequitable)

Freedom House Score

Rates states based on various freedoms in their country (political and civil liberties)

Transparency International

Measures the ability of citizens to gain information on a government policy or event (uses measure of Corruption Perception Index)

Fragile States Index

Measures the ability for a state to weaken due to several indicators related to: cohesion, economy, politics, and society