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Empirical Data
fact-based information from observation or experimentation.
Normative statement
a value or opinion statement that cannot be proven or disproven.
Quantitative Data
information that can be measured with numbers.
Qualitative Data
information that is difficult to measure including sources such as speeches, foundational documents, political cartoons, maps and political commentaries.
Correlation
exists when there is an association between two or more variables.
Causation
causal relationships are difficult to determine with certainty in comparative politics, as often there are numerous variables that potentially influence political policies and/or regime stability, with no way to isolate and demonstrate which is producing the change.
Governmental Corruption
when public officials abuse power for personal benefit.
The Fragile States Index (Failed States Index)
is reported by The Fund for Peace which is a non-governmental organization that assesses and ranks countries based on their potential to weaken due to conflicts and domestic turmoil.
Political Systems
comprise the laws, ideas, and procedures that address who should have authority to rule and what the government's influence on its people and economy should be.
States
political organizations that combine a permanent population with governing institutions to exercise control over a defined territory with international recognition.
Regimes
refer to the fundamental rules that control access to and the exercise of political power. Regimes typically endure from government to government.
Government
the set of institutions or individuals legally empowered to make binding decisions for a state.
Human Development Index (HDI)
comes from the United Nations Development Programme as “a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development” including statistics about life expectancy, amount of schooling, and income.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
which is the market value of goods and services produced over a certain time in a country. GDP can depict the overall all size of a national economy.
GDP per Capita
can reflect the size of the national economy in comparison with the population size.
GDP Growth Rate
shows the rate of national economic expansion.
Gini Index
shows income inequality within a country. A Gini of 100% indicates perfect inequality whereas a Gini of 0% indicates perfect equality.
Freedom House
scores are reported by a non-governmental organization (Freedom House) that ranks countries based on scores for political rights and civil liberties.
Governmental Transparency
the ability of citizens to access information about a government’s policy making and policy implementation to help hold officials accountable.
Sovereignty
the independent legal authority over a population in a particular territory.
Nation
a group of people with commonalities including race, language, religion, ethnicity, political identity and aspirations.
Rule of Law
the principle that a state should be governed by known laws and not arbitrary decisions made by individual government officials.
Free and fair elections
allow competition so that an opposition candidate and party can defeat the ruling candidate and party
Independence of Governmental Branches
Prevents any one branch from controlling all governmental power.
Independence of Governmental Branches
prevents any one branch from controlling all governmental power.
Independent Election Commissions
attempt to reduce voter fraud and manipulation and enhance electoral competition.
Suffrage
a synonym for voting rights. Universal suffrage means that every citizen above a certain age is legally eligible to vote.
Civil Rights
the protection of groups of citizens from discrimination by the government or other individuals
Civil Liberties
is an individual’s protection against abuse of powers by the government.
Corporatist System Government
created and supported interest groups (typically for labor groups, business owners, and agricultural workers) that become the government’s preferred linkage institutions for citizen participation.
Pluralist System
citizens can affiliate with more independent interest group to attempt to shape public policies.
Democratic Electoral Systems
accommodate ethnic diversity and increase multiparty competition with rule adjustments, including gender or cultural quotas, proportional representation, and changes in vote thresholds and district boundaries.
Gender Quotas
governmental or party rules intended to increase female representation in legislatures.
Coup
a sudden and illegal removal of a government and seizure of its powers by an elite faction typically allied with military and security leaders.
Revolution
the overthrow and replacement of a political system with the support of a large portion of the country’s population.
Democratic Consolidation
the process by which a democratic regime matures in terms of election rules, separation of powers, and protection of civil liberties, making it unlikely to revert to authoritarianism without an external shock.
Power
ability of the state to influence the conduct of individuals and organizations within the state.
Authority
state’s legitimate right to enforce a power.
One-Party States
rival parties are prohibited from controlling governmental power.
Theocracies
require the state be controlled by leaders of a particular religion.
Totalitarian Governments
authoritarian governments that severely limit citizens’ rights to movement and free choice of employment.
Military Regimes
when military leaders hold top positions of governing authority.
Political Efficacy
citizens’ belief that their political participation impacts the shaping of governmental policies.
Democratization
a transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime; the transition process can start or temporarily change direction, but typically moves toward more competition, fairness, and transparency in elections; increased citizen participation in policy-making processes; universal suffrage for adult citizens; greater governmental transparency; protected civil rights and liberties; equal treatment of citizens; and establishment of the rule of law.
Federal States
divide power among different levels of government to confer a degree of local autonomy in supplying social and educational services, while also reserving powers for the national government.
Devolution
the delegation of power to regional governments that can enhance or weaken legitimacy; can create both opportunities for as well as obstacles to resolving social, political, and economic issues.
Unitary states
concentrate power at the national level with more uniform policies and potentially more efficient policy making.
Multiethnic States
countries that are comprised of a
population of a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
Legitimacy
refers to whether a government’s constituents believe their government has the right to use power in the way they do. Legitimacy confers authority on and can increase the power of a regime and government.
Political Stability
the ability of a government to consistently provide services that meet the basic needs of most of the population to foster the public’s confidence in the institutions of the state.
Coercion
the use of government force to guide citizen behavior and actions. Can be as small as a citation and small fine to as large as brute force and violence.
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