PS 101 SDSU Mercurio 2019 Final Van Belle 5th Edition Chapter Terms (Political Science) (San Diego State University) (John Mercurio)

agreement reality

Things that we believe are real even though we have never directly experienced them through our five senses

classic conservatism

A political ideology that maintains that unrestrained individual human reason cannot take the place of long-standing, traditional institutions

classic liberalism

A political ideology that emphasizes the belief that people should be generally free from governmental constraints or interference

communism

A political ideology that advocates, via revolution, a classless, socialist society in which justice and fairness for the whole prevail over the interests of individuals

conceptual frameworks

The personal experiences, preferences, and expectations that we all use to make sense of the world

democratic socialism

A political ideology that advocates for a socialist state through democratic means

experiential reality

Things that we directly experience through our five senses

fascism

A political ideology that argues for the supremacy and purity of one group of people or nationality in a society

idealism

A way of looking at the world in which the focus is on what we would like to do or what we would like the world to be; also refers to a theoretical perspective in international relations that stresses the quest for peace

idealist period

The two decades between the world wars that were marked by the effort to envision and attain a perfectly peaceful world

imperialism

The extension of an empire's or nation's rule or authority over foreign countries or the acquisition and holding of colonies and dependencies for the purpose of economic gain

league of nations

An international institution created after World War I that attempted to bring nations together to peaceably resolve conflict in a form of collective security

karl marx

A German economist, theorist, sociologist, and philosopher most notable for his works criticizing capitalism and advocating communism—a classless, collective socialist society

political ideology

You know, that thing where you take an ideal and turn it into a bunch of cheesy slogans for action in pursuit of the utopia that supposedly results from the ideal

political science

Field of study characterized by a search for critical understanding of the good political life, significant empirical understanding, and wise political and policy judgments

political theory

Individual or combined actions of individuals, governments, and/or groups aimed at getting what they want accomplished; when those actions have public consequences

realism

A way of looking at the world in which the focus is on what we are able to do, what is possible for the world to be; also refers to a theoretical perspective in international relations that views international politics as a strategy game

reform liberalism

A political ideology that argues that within a capitalist system, government should play a role in regulating the economy and removing major inequalities

scientific method

A specific set of rules and processes for pursuing knowledge with observation, hypothesis-building, experimentation, and replication

adam smith

An English economist whose Wealth of Nations argued that individual, rational choices in a free market are the ideal way to foster efficient economic activity

sophist

One who in ancient Greece taught promising young men practical skills, such as rhetoric, so that they could be successful in public life—they did not focus on metaphysics or ethics

utopia

An ideal world

socially responsible investing (SRI)

The purchasing of stock in corporations or the acquiring of proxy votes from willing corporate stockholders by groups seeking to change or influence the direction of corporate policies

alliances

An agreement between groups or individuals to join resources and abilities for a purpose that individually benefits the members of the alliance

anarchists

Radical ideologues who long for a lack of authority or hierarchy because they believe that human beings are capable of peacefully intermingling and ordering society without broad, formalized governmental structures

anarchy

The absence of any kind of overarching authority or hierarchy

authority

Where knowledge, natural ability, or experience makes it rational for people to choose to place themselves in a subordinate position to another individual or group

individual security

Focus on the continued safety of the individual

national security

Encompasses the requirement to maintain the survival of the nation-state through the use of economic, military, and political power and the exercise of diplomacy

the other

Someone who is identified as an outsider and not part of the group, defined as a means of initiating conflict, and is therefore identified as the enemy

political capital

An individual's or institution's reserve of power that can be called upon to achieve political goals

collective action

Coordinated group action that is designed to achieve a common goal that individuals acting on their own could not otherwise obtain

government

The creation of institutions or structures to provide the security that people continually need; the result of a group's need to institutionalize, or make permanent, its power

group identity

The degree to which members identify with a group, and conversely, identify who is not part of that group, a process that affects the group's strength, cohesiveness, and survival

power

The ability to get something done

regime security

The leaders' ability to protect their hold on power

security

The ability to protect oneself and one's property

state security

The ability at the governmental level to protect borders and governmental structures from outside threats

hierarchy

: A societal structure that elevates someone or some group to a position of authority over others

atomization

The deliberate isolation of people from each other in society to keep them from forming a group that could threaten a leader's hold on power

crosscutting cleavages

When a group contains many different points of conflict, thus allowing people to find many points of agreement and conflict within the group

legitimacy

People's voluntary acceptance of their government and its exercise of authority

panopticon

A social mechanism of control in which people know that while they are not watched all the time, they may be watched at any time

peer policing

A system in which people police each other

preference falsification

When people hide the way they truly feel while publicly expressing what those in power want them to communicate

public goods

revolution

safety valve

A mechanism that allows people to blow off steam in order to avoid larger conflict

self-policing

A social mechanism by which only a few enforcers are needed to maintain control of the population because the fear of being punished keeps people in line

totalitarian

A form of government that tries to control every aspect of life, sometimes down to the level of thought

capitalism

An economic system based on the free market and individual competition for profits

central bank

A kinda-sorta government bank that loans imaginary money to real banks

currency

A universally accepted "placeholder" between trades of all the myriad different forms of real wealth, simplifying trade and enabling the fractionalization of whole goods

deflation

Situation in which the number of currency units is falling relative to available wealth

enlightened self-interest

The idea that people will restrain their self-interest in recognition of the need to preserve a common resource

federal reserve rate

The interest rate the Federal Reserve charges on loans to banks

feudalism

An economic system under which peasants raise crops and livestock on small plots within the landlord's estate and are obligated to give a substantial percentage of their production to the landlord in exchange for protection

humanist

An idealist who is interested in and motivated by concern for the broader human condition and the quality of people's lives

inflation

Situation in which the number of currency units in circulation is increased, measured relative to the real stuff of value out there, which reduces the value people place upon each unit of the currency

laissez-faire capitalism

An economic system allowing very little, if any, government involvement, interference, or regulation

means of production

The mechanisms for transforming labor into wealth

monetary policy

The collection of most-commonly used mechanisms that governments use to manage the collective resource of currency

socialism

An economic system in which society controls the means of production

stag hunt

A commonly used parable that demonstrates how the interdependence of actions and choices affects collective efforts to attain a goal

tragedy of the commons

A problem that demonstrates how the rational choices of individuals collide with the needs or interests of the larger community

aristocracy

A wealthy landowning elite

confederal system

A system in which the local governmental units have all the real power

democracy

Rule by the people, usually through elected representatives, under a constitution that provides protection for basic rights and majority rule

dictatorship

Form of government in which power is centralized in a single person or possibly a small group of people

federal system

Systems in which the final authority for at least some aspects of government are left to the local or subnational level

institutions

The organizational structures through which political power is exercised

oligarchy

Government by the few, especially for corrupt and selfish purposes

political culture

The shared social context from which people make political choices

polity

Constitutional government that is a mixture of democracy and oligarchy

republic

A government in which decisions are made by representatives of the citizens rather than by the citizens themselves; also refers to a country without a monarch or an authoritarian leader

structures

Basic elements that governments need in order to govern, which determine, enable, and limit how the particulars of the government take shape

unitary system

A system in which sovereignty and authority rest quite clearly with the national government

checks and balances

A system whereby each branch of government can limit the powers of the other branches

divine right of kings

The principle that earthly rulers receive their authority from God

electoral college

An election system in which electoral votes are divvied between the states according to population

head of government

The political role of a country's president or ruler as the leader of a political party or group and chief arbiter of who gets what resources

head of state

The apolitical, unifying role of a country's president or ruler as symbolic representative of the whole country

hereditary monarchies

The most common form of monarchy; used by almost all of the world's existing monarchies. Under a hereditary monarchy, all rulers come from the same family, and the crown is passed along from one family member to another.

monarchy

An authoritarian government with power vested in a king or queen

parliamentary system

A system in which there is a fusion of legislative and executive institutions

patriarchy

A form of social organization in which the father is recognized as the head of the family or tribe, and descent and kinship are traced through the father's side

presidency

An executive institution that includes all formal and informal powers—the offices, the staffs, and the historical precedents that define it

presidential system

A system in which there is a separation between legislative and executive institutions

prime minister

A member of parliament, who, as the leader of the winning party in the parliament, exercises some of the functions of a chief executive

separation of powers

A system designed so that no one branch of government can become too powerful over the others

bicameral legislature

A legislature with two houses

cohabitation

Under the French political system, when the president is from one political party while a different political party controls the legislature

delegate

Representative who attempts to do exactly what his or her constituents want

divided government

When one political party controls the presidency and another party controls either all or part of the legislature

filibuster

A delaying tactic used by a senator or a group of senators—who indefinitely talk about the bill—to frustrate the proponents of the bill and ensure defeat of the measure

first-past-the-post system:

An electoral system in which the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether that person has a majority of the votes cast; there is no runoff election

geographic representation

A legislature divided according to geography, in which people are represented by the area they live in

gerrymandering

The process of intentionally drawing districts to gain a partisan advantage

gridlock

When the checks and balances within the presidential system work too well so that they not only prevent one institution from overwhelming the others but also prevent anyone from doing much of anything

ideological representation

Representation in which people's belief is the main concern of leadership

immobilism

When, because of the complexity and fragility of a ruling coalition, it becomes nearly impossible to enact any kind of coherent policies out of fear that a coalition party will break away and force the government to collapse