ap comp gov unit 1

comparative method

the means by which social scientists make comparisons across cases

qualitative methods

study through an in-depth investigation of a limited number of cases

quantitative methods

study through statistical data from many cases

politics

the struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group

power

the ability to influence others or impose one’s will on them

multicausality

an event/conflict has multiple causes

selection bias

a focus on effects rather than causes, which can lead to inaccurate conclusions about correlation or causation

random sample

a polling or research method where every member of a target population has an equal and random chance of being selected

empirical research

factual, objective info gathered through real-world observation, measurement, or stats

normative statement

a value judgement or an opinion about what a political system should or ought to be, rather than a verifiable fact

consolidated democracy

a stable, long-established democratic regime where free and fair elections, the rule of law, protected civil liberties, and peaceful transfers of power are widely accepted by both citizens and political elites as the only way to govern

behavioral revolution

a movement within political science during the 50s and 60s to develop general theories about individual political behavior

rational choice/game theory

an approach that assumes that individuals weigh the costs and benefits and make choices to maximize their benefits/emphasizes how actors or organizations behave in their goal to influence others, built upon assumptions of rational choice

modernization theory

the idea that modernizing leads to an increased standard of living and shared characteristics

correlation

an apparent relationship between 2 or more variables

state

a political organization with a permanent population, defined territory, governing public institutions, and sovereignty

devolution

a process in which political power is “sent down” to lower levels of state and government

federalism

a system in which significant state powers, such as taxation, lawmaking, and security, are devolved to regional or local bodies

government

the leadership or elite in charge of running the state

legitimacy

a value whereby an institution is accepted by the public as proper, thus giving it authority and power

failed state

a state so weak that its political structures collapse, leading to anarchy and violence

sovereignty

a state’s independent, supreme legal authority to govern its own territory and make domestic and foreign policy without external interference

nation

a group that desires self-government through an independent state

nation-state

a state encompassing one dominant nation that it claims to embody and represent

ethnicity

specific attributes and societal institutions that make one group of people culturally different from others

conservatives

those with a political attitude that is skeptical of change and supports the current order

liberals

those with a political attitude that favors evolutionary change and who believe that existing institutions can be instruments of positive change

reactionaries

those who seek to restore the institutions of a real or imagined earlier order

political ideology

the basic values held by an individual about the fundamental goals of politics or the ideal balance of freedom and equality

political culture

the basic norms for political activity in a society

fundamentalism

a view of religion as absolute and inerrant and that it should be legally enforced by making faith the sovereign authority

democratic consolidation

the process by which a new democracy matures, making its institutions stable, widely accepted, and unlikely to collapse back into an authoritarian regime

illiberal

a governing system that holds regular elections but lacks foundational civil liberties, transparency, and robust checks on executive power

political socialization

the lifelong process by which an individual acquires their political values, beliefs, and patterns of behavior

political stability

the ability of a government to maintain social order without facing regime collapse

reform

a change or policy that alters, improves, or adjusts a political or economic system without fundamentally replacing the core regime or type of government

representation

how citizen’s voices, interests, and preferences are brought into government decision-making by elected or appointed officials

rule of law

the principal that all citizens and government officials are equally bound by legal code, making no leader above the law

transitional

a temporary leadership system set up to manage a country during a shift from one political regime to another

transparency

the ability of citizens and the media to see and access government information