AP Comp Gov: Russia Vocab

Civil society

space occupied by voluntary associations outside the state

Clientelistic networks

Informal systems of asymmetrical power in which a powerful patron (president, prime minister, etc) offers less powerful clients resources, benefits or career advantages in return for support, loyalty or services

Collectivization

process in which agricultural land is removed from private ownership and organized into large state and collective farms. Putting group goals ahead of personal goals and defining one's identity in terms of the groups one belongs to

Democratic centralism

form of democracy in which the true interests of the masses were discovered through discussion within the Communist party, and then decisions were made under central leadership to serve those interests.

Dominant party

political arrangement where one party holds significant control over the government

Asymmetrical Federalism

political authority is shared between a central government and regional or state governments, but wheresome sub-national units in the federal system have greater or lesser powersthan others

Glasnost

“Openness” Soviet policy of open discussion of political and social issues

Insider privatization

transformation of formerly state owned enterprises into joint-stock countries or private enterprises in which majority control of the enterprise is in the hands of employees and/or managers

Market reform

strategy of economic transformation that involves reducing the role of the state in managing the economy and increasing the role of market forces

Mixed electoral system

combines elements of both majoritarian and proportional representation (PR) methods

Oligarchs

small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes in a type of government

Patrimonial state

system of governance in which a single ruler treats the state as personal property. Appointments to public office are made on a basis of unswerving loyalty to the ruler

Political culture

collective attitudes, values, beliefs, and norms shared by citizens

Power vertical

Vladimir Putin’s brand of post-Soviet authoritarian governance. It characterizes the concentration of power in the hands of a central authority, often at the expense of democratic checks and balances

Siloviki

person who works for any state organization authorized to use force against citizens or others

Soft authoritarianism

Political control in which a combination of formal and informal mechanisms ensure the dominance of a ruling group or dominant party

Sovereign democracy

concept of democracy articulated by Putin’s advisor Surkov, to communicate the idea that democracy in Russia should be adapted to Russian traditions and conditions rather than based on Western models.

Vanguard party

political party that claims to operate in the 'true' interests of the group or class it purports to represent, even if this understanding doesn't correspond to the expressed interests of the group itself.