AP Comp Gov Terms

State

political institutions with a monopoly of force (control of military force) over a territory

Nation

a psychological sense of identity based on shared ethnicity, language, history, or culture

Government

leadership/elite that administers or controls the state

Legitimacy

the people's belief that the government has the right to rule

Rational Legal Legitimacy

based on a fair and understandable system of laws that are followed and apply to everyone

Traditional Legitimacy

right to rule based on long-standing customs ("because it has always been this way")

Charismatic Legitimacy

based on a ruler's engaging personality or brutal use of power

Strong States

They perform tasks of defending their borders from outside attacks & defending their authority from internal non-state rivals (have a strong monopoly of force)

Weak States

They have trouble protecting their borders, suffer internal violence, poor infrastructure, unable to collect taxes, and enforce the RULE OF LAW (have a weak monopoly of force)

Failed States

They have a complete loss of legitimacy and power with increased anarchy/violence

Unitary System

all power is held by the central government and state power is not protected (ex. UK - Parliament)

Federal System

power is shared between the national and state government and some state power is protected (ex. Mexico)

Devolution

when the national government grants more power to the states (not applicable to Fed. System)

Political Regime

Norms and rules of governmental power and use of that power (gov. where the system has not changed, even with different leaders)

Democratic Regime

large role for the public in governance, protects basic rights/freedoms, ensure transparency, follows rule of law, accountable for actions

Authoritarian Regime

limits role of public involvement in government, deny basic rights, restricts freedom, does not follow rule of law, not accountable for actions

Hybrid Regime

a government with both authoritarian and democratic elements

Regime Change

A total change in the type of government that a state has previously followed (often, but not always caused by violence) [ex. Soviet Union vs. Russia (1991)]

Bureaucracy

a system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than elected representatives

Head of State (HOS)

a symbol, representative of people nationally/internationally, gives voice to goals of regime

Head of Government (HOG)

deals with day to day running of government

Common Law

court decisions are written down and serve as a precedent for future cases (judicial power)

Code Law

based on rules written by legislature (legislative power)

Judicial Review

the ability of a Judiciary to overturn a law or executive action if it is unconstitutional

(CONCRETE = asked to review Constitution)

(ABSTRACT = court decides to review with no request from other person/branch of government)

Prime Minister (Parliamentary System)

Head of Government, elected from within Legislature

Cabinet (Parliamentary System)

Executive Policy i.e. defense, agriculture, etc. (PA)

Head of State (Parliamentary System)

Monarch or indirect elected official

President (Presidential System)

Head of Government & Head of State; directly elected by the people

Cabinet (Presidential System)

Executive Policy i.e. defense, agriculture, etc. (PR)

President (Semi-Presidential System)

Head of Government & Head of State; directly elected by the people; shares power with Prime Minister

Prime Minister (Semi-Presidential System)

Head of Government & Head of State elected by legislature; shares power with the President (only has jobs if the president gives it to him)

Cabinet (Semi-Presidential System)

Executive Policy i.e. defense, agriculture, state, etc. (SP)

Proportional Representation (PR) / Multi-Member Districts (MMDs)

Awards seats to political parties based on percentage of votes recieved; there may be a thjreshold for getting seats

Single Member District (SMD) or First Person to Post (FPTP)

Awards one seat to the candidate with the most votes in a district

Mixed Electoral System

Combines PR & SMD; voters given 2 votes (1 Candidate) + (1 Party)

Authoritarian State

a government where elections are not free & fair and civil rights & liberties are lacking

Theocracy

a state led by religious rulers

Illiberal/Procedural Democracy

a government with elections that are NOT completely free & fair or lacking some civil rights & liberties

Communism

A system of government based on the writings of Karl Marx in which the stated goal is economic equality

Totalitarian Regime

a system of government that uses force to create a strong ideology that shapes the state

Personality Cult

state exaltation of a leader

Corporatism

when large businesses and labor unions are brought into the policymaking process; give preference to or favor some groups and restrict or ignore other groups

Clientelism

government leaders exchange goods and services for political support

Rent Seeking/Rentier States

government rents land/resources to others countries (states derive a significant portion of their revenues from rent)

Co-Optation

The process by which individuals are brought into a beneficial relationship with the state, making them dependent on the state for certain rewards

Civil Society

organizations outside of state that advance specific interests; consist of voluntary associations outside of government control which "strengthen" society or specific agendas

Grassroots movements

a collective effort by ordinary citizens to influence social, political, or environmental change

Revolution

an overthrow of the government and regime based on broad popular support

Coup

a change in the leader brought about by a small group, often a military leader

Ethnicity

specific attributes that makes one group of people culturally different from others (customs, language, religion, geographical region, history)

Political Culture

pattern and norms of relating to politics

Nationalism

the belief that a group of people has its own unique destiny, often including a desire for a separate state (pride in one's country & common political identity)

Nationalist

a person who seeks creation of a new state for those who share a common political identity

Democratization

the transition from an authoritarian state to an illiberal democracy to a liberal democracy

Liberal/Substantive Democracy

a government with free & fair elections and civil rights & liberties

Transparency

the ability of citizens to see what the government is doing

Civil Rights

protections granted by the government to prevent discrimination against groups, like ethnic or religious minorities and women

Civil Liberties

protect individuals from government infringement, like free speech

Political Ideology

an individual's belief system about the role of government

Political socialization

the process through which an individual acquires his or her political beliefs and behaviors

Political culture

the shared beliefs of a group of people

Pluralism

when many groups compete in policymaking

Conservative (Political Attitude)

favors the status quo/conservatives and does not like change (Right)

Liberal (Political Attitude)

favors evolutionary change; usually support citizens focused programs (Left)

Reactionaries (Political Attitude)

want rapid change backwards, are extreme, and want to go back to the past (extreme Right)

Radical (Political Attitude)

support rapid, revolutionary change (extreme Left)

Liberalism (Political Ideology)

favors high individual freedom but VERY low on equality; no government intervention (Laissez-Faire)

Communism (Political Ideology)

focuses on economic equality, low freedom

Social Democracy

regulates capitalism with laws, high taxes for social good (equality and freedom balanced)

Regulated Democracy (Political Ideology)

regulates capitalism with laws and government oversight (high equality, high freedom)

Facism (Political Ideology)

merges corporation with politics, rejects equality, hostile to individual freedom (low equality, low freedom)

Anarchism (Political Ideology)

low value on government, high value personal freedom often violent (high equality, high freedom)

Fundamentalism

unites religion and state (low freedom, low equality)

Political Cleavage

a division over a policy issue

Cross cutting cleavages

divisions within society that bring different kinds of groups together, strengthening society (focus on issues together)

Coinciding cleavages

divisions within society that strengthen feelings of difference, weakening society (just concerned about own political party)

Political recruitment

the process for selecting current and potential leaders, including formal and informal power structures

Referendum

a measure sent by the legislature to the citizens for approval (the people vote for a huge policy change for the state)

Economy

the wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services

Political Economy

the relationship between government policies and the economy

Economy liberalization

the move to a free market by reducing tariffs, trade barriers, and government control over the economy

Market

interaction between forces of supply and demand

Market Economies

set wages, production, and prices based on supply and demand with less government interference (based on capitalism)

Command Economies

the government makes decisions regarding wages, prices, and production; private property is limited (based on communism)

For _________ _______, the government often provides oversight of clean air, electricity (rural), water, roads, passenger trains, etc.

public goods

In ________ ______________, the government provides support to citizens, such as unemployment benefits, education, transportation, and health care

Social Expenditures

Dependency Theory

the idea that colonial rule left a legacy of political and economic dependence making it difficult for formal colonies to improve their economies and democratize

Structural Adjustment

these programs require countries to DECREASE taxes and cut spending (austerity measures) to improve budges

World Bank

an international organization dedicated to providing financing, advice, and research to developing nations to aid their economic advancement

Post-Materialism

societies in which basic needs are met and citizens can concentrate on higher goals, like the environment

Globalization

the increasing interconnectedness of the world through economic, political, and social relationships

Sovereignty

the ability of a government to rule without internal or external influence (otherwise known as "self-rule")

Developed countries

these countries have high GDP per capita and HDI rankings; service-based economies; have basic rights, freedom

Developing countries

these countries are emerging economies; based on production, improving rights, and freedom

Underdeveloped countries

these countries have low GDP per capita and HDI rankings; agricultural, limited rights and freedoms

Least Developed countries

these countries are the poorest of the poor with weak states and higher levels of social violence

Multinational Corporations (MNCs)

companies with operations in more than one country

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

investment made by a foreign company in the economy of another country

Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs)

International organizations that operate outside of the formal political arena but that are influential in spearheading international initiatives on social, economic, and environmental issues

Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)

institutions created and joined by states' governments, which give them authority to make collective decisions to manage particular problems on the global agenda