Comp pol midterm

Comparative Politics

The study and comparison of domestic politics across countries.

Political Institutions

Organizations or activities that are self-perpetuating and valued for their own sake.

Power

The ability to influence or impose one's will on others.

The Comparative Method

A way to make comparisons and draw conclusions across case studies.

Inductive Reasoning

Using case studies to generate hypotheses.

Deductive Reasoning

Research that works from a hypothesis and tests this with data.

Correlation

Apparent relationships between two or more variables.

Modernization Theory

Argues that as societies become more sophisticated, they have a desire for more control over the state.

Behavioral Revolution

A shift in comparative politics incorporating scientific methods.

Freedom

The ability of an individual to act independently, free of retribution.

Equality

A shared material standard of individuals within a community.

The State

A series of institutions maintaining a monopoly of force over a territory.

Sovereignty

The ability to carry out actions in a territory independently.

Regime

The rules and norms of politics in a state.

Government

The leadership in charge of running the state.

Institutionalization

Seen as irreplaceable or embedded in a political system.

Legitimacy

The idea that something or someone is recognized by the public as right and proper.

Federalism

System where significant powers reside in regional or local authorities.

Decentralization

The trend of distributing power away from a central authority.

Strong State

A state that can fulfill basic functions and enforce rules.

Failed State

A state that cannot execute essential tasks well.

Political Economy

The study of the relationship between politics and economics.

Markets

Interactions between supply and demand for goods and services.

Public Goods

Services or goods provided or secured by the state that no one can own.

Taxation

The process by which states collect money to fund public services.

Central Bank

An institution that controls the flow of money in an economy.

Hyperinflation

A rapid and uncontrolled increase in prices.

Regulations

Rules set to manage the production and exchange of goods.

Liberalism

Emphasizes individual freedoms and the power of markets over the state.

Social Democracy

Seeks to balance economic freedom and equality through state intervention.

Communism

Emphasizes collective equality through state control of economic resources.

Mercantilism

Focuses on economic growth to increase state power.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

The total value of all goods and services produced in a country.

Human Development Index (HDI)

Measures the overall well-being of a country's people.

Liberal Democracy

Political system promoting participation, competition, and emphasizes civil rights.

Direct Democracy

A political system where power is exercised directly by the people.

Current Political Attitudes

Radicals, Liberals, Conservatives, Reactionaries.

Political Ideologies

Values held by individuals on the fundamental goals of politics.

Fundamentalism

An ideology that seeks to unite religion with the state.

Political Culture

Basic norms for political activity in a society.

Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Promotions of equality and freedom rights like speech and religion.

Nondemocratic Rule

Regimes controlled by a small group without public responsibility.

Totalitarianism

Highly centralized state with a strong ideology aiming to transform society.

Political Violence

Violence outside of state control that is politically motivated.

Terrorism

The use of violence by nonstate actors against civilians for political goals.

Revolution

A public seizure of the state to overturn the existing government.

Guerrilla War

Violence by nonstate actors targeting the state, typically with some rules of war.