Unit 1: Political Systems, Regimes, and Governments

Governmental transparency

ability of citizens to access information about a government’s policy making and policy implementation to help hold officials accountable

Governmental corruption

when public officials abuse power for personal benefit

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

the fundamental rules that control access to and the exercise of political power; typically endure from government to government

Government

set of institutions or individuals legally empowered to make binding decisions for a state

Sovereignty

independent legal authority over a population in a particular territory

Nation

group of people with commonalities including race, language, religion, ethnicity, political identity, and aspirations

Rule of law

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

Independent election commissions

attempt to reduce voter fraud and manipulation and enhance electoral competition

Suffrage

synonym for voting rights; universal suffrage means that every citizen above a certain age is legally eligible to vote

Civil rights

protection of groups of citizens from discrimination by the government or other indviduals

Civil Liberties

indvidual’’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

Democracy or Authoritarianism

include extent of state adherence to rule of law; the degree of governmental influence on or control of the media; degree and practice of free and fair elections; degree of transparency of governmental decision making the degree of political participation by citizens; and the degree of independence of governmental branches

Illiberal democracies

hold elections with little competition toward the ruling party and that tend to have diminished civil liberties

One party states

when rival parties are prohibited from controlling governmental power

Theocracy

requires 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

Democratization

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 policymaking processes; universal suffrage of adult citizens greater governmental transparency; protected civil rights and liberties; equal treatment of citizens; and establishment of the rule of law

Democratic consolidation

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 organization within the state

Authority

state’s legitimate right to enforce a power

Sources of power and authority

Include constitutions, religions, military forces, political parties, legislatures, and popular support

Power

ability to influence and control others within a political system

Authority

recognized right to wield power

Federal states

divide power among different levels of government to confer a degree of local autonomy in sup[plying social and educational services, while also reserving powers for the national government

Unitary states

concentrate power at the national level with more uniform policies and potentially more efficient policy making

Devolution

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

Legitimacy

whether a government’s constituents believe their government ahs the right to use power in the way they do; confers authority ona nd can increase the power of a regime and government

Sources of legitimacy

can include popular elections, constitutional provisions, nationalism, tradition, governmental effectiveness economic growth, ideology, religious heritage and organizations, and the dominant political party’s endorsement

Political stability

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

Democratic backslide

when a government adopts policies or actions that hinder democratic practices

Impunity

freedom from punishment, penalty, or negative consequences for one's actions, whether legal, social, or otherwise

Authoritarianism

a system of government where power is invested in a small group of people who exercise power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public

Democracy

a system of government where the government derives its authority from the consent of the governed, power in the people