POSC 1040 - General and UK

Horizontal Accountability

Government agency audits government accountability

Vertical Accountability

People audit government accountability

Administration

Chief executive and cabinet

Anti-Establishment

Against current political structure

Authoritarianism

Ruling party has complete state control

Ballot Structure

Who/what people vote for

Bicameral Legislature

Legislature with two sections

Unicameral Legislature

Legislature with one section

Bourgeoisie

Elite capitalist class

Brexit

Britain's EU exit: June 23, 2016

Bureaucracy

Hierarchical organization administering regulations

Cabinet

Officials directing executive departments

Cabinet Government

Government where executive power is with cabinet

Capitalism

Economic system with private control over decisions

Causal Theory

Explains cause and effect in politics

Civil Right

Political and social freedoms

Classical Liberalism

Advocates individual liberty and economic freedom

Coalition Government

Power-sharing after no majority in election

Cohabitation

President and PM from opposing coalitions

Collective Identities

Group, cultural, regional identity

Collective Responsibility

Support policy publicly after internal debate

Collectivist Consensus

Agreement on post-WWII UK policies

Communism

Aims for classless society with common ownership

Communism Party-State

Authoritarian regime with party control

Comparative Politics

Study of politics across countries

Comparativist

Scholar studying political system differences

Consensus Democracy

Decision-making through broad agreement

Consolidated Democracy

Stable democratic system with adherence to principles

Constitutional Monarchy

Limited power hereditary head of state

Contractarian View of State

State result of social contract for protection

Core

Dominant and technologically advanced countries

Corruptions Perception Index

Ranks countries by perceived corruption level

Country

Distinct political entity recognized as a nation

Critical Juncture

Turning point leading to path-dependent development

Democracy

Government where power is vested in the people

Democratic Consolidation

Maturing of new democracy unlikely to revert

Democratic Transition

Shift to more democratic regime

Democratization

Process of moving to democratic regime

Dependency Theory

Economic development constrained by dependence

Dependent Variable

Outcome variable in cause-effect statement

Devolution

Delegation of powers to local governments

Dictatorship

Concentrated power in one ruler or few rulers

Disproportionality

Gap between votes cast and winner

Distributional Politics

Power allocation among groups

District Magnitude

Number of voting districts/seats

Duverger's Law

Electoral system determines number of parties

Economic System

Structure for resource allocation and distribution

Economist Intelligence Unit Democracy Index

Measures democracy in 167 countries based on categories

Economy

System for producing, distributing, and consuming goods

Enterprise Culture

Encourages entrepreneurial skills and activities

Environmental Performance Index

Quantifies state's environmental performance

Ethnocentric

Evaluating others by own culture's standards

Executive

Government agencies implementing policy

Extreme Poverty (how measured)

Poverty based on income threshold

Failed State

Government unable to function properly

First Past the Post

Single-Member Districts electoral system

Foreign Direct Investment

Ownership stake in foreign entity

Fusion of Powers

Parliament merges branches of government

Global Gender Gap

Index measuring gender equality

Globalization

Growing interdependence of world's economies

Government

System governing a community or state

Grand Coalition

Coalition of largest opposing parties

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Total goods and services produced in a country

Gross National Product (GNP)

GDP plus income by country's residents

Head of Government

In charge of government operations

Head of State

Represents country's unity and sovereignty

Hegemonic Power

Strong country controlling others geopolitically

House of Commons

UK branch with elected representatives

House of Lords

UK branch appointed by monarch with PM advice

Human Development Index

Measures country's human development achievements

Hung Parliament

No party has majority seats

Hybrid State

Mix of democratic and authoritarian elements

Idea

Opinion, conviction, or principle

Identifiability

Knowing chief executive before election

Identity/Identities

Self-perception and external perception

Ideology

Beliefs on state governance

Illiberal Democracy

Democratic election followed by rights limitations

Independent Variable

Variable causing outcome

Individual Ministerial Responsibility

Ministers take full responsibility for department

Industrial Policy

Government promotes economic sector development

Industrial Revolution

Transition to mass manufacturing

Institutional Design

Defines relationships between government branches

Institutionalization

Installs rules in social and political spheres

Institutions

Rules and procedures structuring social interaction for political actors

Interests

Motives, beliefs, agenda, and worldview of a political actor

Iron Triangle

Mutual support relationships among government agencies, congressional members, and interest groups

Judicial Independence

Judges' ability to make impartial decisions unaffected by external factors

Judicial Review

High court's power to nullify unconstitutional actions by other branches

Judiciary

Political institutions responsible for justice administration and constitutionality review

Keynesianism

Economic policy advocating government intervention for stable growth

Labour Unions

Worker groups negotiating with management on pay, benefits, and conditions

Laissez-Faire

Free-market economic philosophy opposing government intervention

Legislature

Political body responsible for making laws and financial decisions

Legitimacy

Belief in rightful state authority by powerful groups and citizens

Less Developed Country

Nation with majority struggling to meet basic needs due to weak infrastructure

Liberal Democracy

Government system protecting individual rights and constrained by rule of law

Macroeconomics Policy

Policy shaping overall economy focusing on targets like inflation and growth

Majoritarian(ism)

System favoring larger parties, making representation difficult for smaller ones

Majority

At least 51% of a total

Marxism

Theories of Marx and Engels criticizing capitalism for worker exploitation