AP Comparative Government and Politics

advanced democracies

countries that have institutionalized democracy and a high level of economic development and prosperity

authoritarian regime

a system of government in which the state has control over the lives of its citizens.

bicameral legislatures

Legislatures that possess two chambers.

unicameral legislatures

a legislature with only one chamber or house

bureaucratic authoritarian regimes

authoritarian regimes in which bureaucracies have a certain amount of control

bureaucracy

system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials

cabinet coalition

where several parties join forces and are represented in different cabinet posts, forms in countries with a multi-party system where there is no clear majority

causation

The belief that events occur in predictable ways and that one event leads to another

checks and balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

civil society

society created when citizens are allowed to organize and express their views publicly as they engage in an open debate about public policy

coinciding cleavage

A division that strengthens feelings of difference and discrepancy, weakening society.

crosscutting cleavage

cleavage that strengthens society by bringing groups together

command economies

Economic systems in which the government largely decides what goods and services will be produced, who will get them, and how the economy will grow.

common law

(civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions

code law

a written set of laws that apply to everyone under a government

communism

a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

competitive elections

elections that are regular, free, and fair and that offer a real possibility of the incumbent government being defeated

confederal system

A system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states.

conflictual political culture

the citizens are sharply divided, often on both the legitimacy of the regime and solutions to major problems

consensual political culture

citizens tend to agree on the appropriate means of making political decisions and to agree on the major problems facing the society and how to solve them

conservatism

a political or theological orientation advocating the preservation of the best in society and opposing radical changes

constitutional courts

Federal courts created by Congress under Article III of the Constitution, including the district courts, courts of appeals, &specialized courts such as the U.S. Court of International Trade

co-optation

allocation of power throughout various political, social, and economic institutions

corporatism

A method of co-optation whereby authoritarian systems create or sanction a limited number of organizations to represent the interests of the public and restrict those not set up or approved by the state.

correlation

a statistical relation between two or more variables such that systematic changes in the value of one variable are accompanied by systematic changes in the other

cosmopolitanism

Cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all kinds of human ethnic groups belong to a single community based on a shared morality.

coup d'état

A sudden overthrow of the government by a small group

democratic consolidation

a country with a stable political system in which all of the major actors seeking political influence accept democratic competition, citizen participation, and the rule of law.

democratic

representing or appealing to or adapted for the benefit of the people at large

direct democracy

A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives

economic liberalization

Philosophy that aims to limit the power of the state and increase the power of the market and private property in an economy.

electoral systems

A set of rules that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in the legislature

elites

a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status

empirical data

Information gathered from sensory observation and experimentation

fascism

a political theory advocating an authoritarian hierarchical government (as opposed to democracy or liberalism)

federal system

a government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments

first-past-the-post (plurality, winner-take-all)

Electoral system based on single-member districts in which the candidate who receives the most votes wins.

fragmentation

Fragmentation occurs when cities and/or the counties create separate organizations and infrastructures to provide the same services.

Freedom House ratings

"A rating system in which countries are rated from 1, most free, to 7, least free".

Gini Index

a mathematical formula that measures the amount of economic inequality in a society

Globalization

growth to a global or worldwide scale

GDP

measure of the United States economy adopted in 1991

GNP

former measure of the United States economy

GNP per capita

The value of a nationality's final output of goods and services in a year, divided by its population

government

the act of governing

head of government

the political role of the president as leader of a political party and chief arbiter of who gets what resources

head of state

the chief public representative of a country who may also be the head of government

hypothesis

a proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations

illiberal democracies

Countries that have regular, free, fair elections, but are missing other qualities(Civil liberties,rule of law, etc.)

independent variable

(statistics) a variable whose values are independent of changes in the values of other variables

dependent variable

(statistics) a variable in a logical or mathematical expression whose value depends in the independent variable

indications of democratization

The essential characteristic of democratization is the presence of regular competitive elections.

indirect democracy

Form of democracy in which individuals are represented by appointed representatives.

informal politics

Takes into consideration not only the ways that politicians operate outside their formal powers, but also the impact that beliefs, values, and the actions of ordinary citizens have on policy-making

initiative

readiness to embark on bold new ventures

institutions

organizations where governmental power is exercised

institutionalized

given the character of an institution or incorporated into a structured and usually well-established system

integration

the action of incorporating a racial or religious group into a community

interest group pluralism

Competition among open, responsive, and diverse groups help preserve democratic values and limits the concentration of power in any single group.

judicial review

review by a court of law of actions of a government official or entity or of some other legally appointed person or body or the review by an appellate court of the decision of a trial court

legitimacy (traditional, charismatic, rational-legal)

Political legitimacy is the general belief that the government has the right to rule/
exercise power. When people believe that they ought to obey the laws, legitimacy is high. When people see no reason to obey them, or only comply with them out of fear, legitimacy is low. Governments with high legitimacy are the most effective.

liberal democracies

systems of democracy based on parliamentary institutions, coupled to the free-market system in the area of economic production

liberalism as a political ideology

Maximize freedom for all people, including speech, religion, and association. Also have right to disagree with state decisions.

liberalism as an approach to economic and political change

Political and economic doctrine that emphasizes the rights and freedoms of the individual and the need to limit the powers of government.

linkage institutions

the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

market economies

Individuals make their own decisions about what to produce, how to produce it, and for whom to produce it.

marketization

The state's recreation of a market in which property, labor, goods, and services can all function in a competitive environment to determine their value.

military rule

Rule by one or more military officials, often brought to power through a coup d'état.

mixed economies

Economic systems in which some allocation of resources is made by the market and some by the government

mixed electoral system

An electoral system that uses a combination of single-member districts and proportional representation

multi-member districts

Legislative districts containing more than one seat

single-member districts

an electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official (not voting for more than one person for any position)

multi-party system

political party system that recognizes 3 or more major political parties

nation

a politically organized body of people under a single government

nationalism

a strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country

normative questions

a question whose answer is based on an opinion

parliamentary system

A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president.

party system

A concept in political science that political parties control government

patronage

(politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

patron-client system

Relations in which "Patron" gains support of "Client" through mutual exchange of benefits and obligations.

plebiscite

a vote by the electorate determining public opinion on a question of national importance

pluralism

the doctrine that reality consists of several basic substances or elements

political culture

an overall set of values widely shared within a society

political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference

political elites

persons with a disproportionate share of political power

political frameworks

Structures of a political system that carry out the work of the governing.

political ideologies

An organized system of political beliefs, values, and ideas.

political liberalization

Increasing citizen rights and liberties and minimizing government supervision of society/individuals

political socialization

the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

politicization of religion

the use of religious principles to promote political ends and vise versa

PPP

Purchasing Power Parity: evens exchange rates between currencies, compares goods to other countries goods

presidential system

a system of government in which the legislative and executive branches operate independently of each other

privatization

To change from government or public ownership or control to private ownership or control.

procedural democracy

Decision making process involving; universal participation, political equality, majority rule, and responsiveness

proportional representation

representation of all parties in proportion to their popular vote

radicalism

the political orientation of those who favor revolutionary change in government and society

reactionary belief

oppose revolution, reform, and status quo. want to 'turn back the clock' and reinstate institutions that once existed. similar to radicals b/c both most willing to use violence.

recruitment of elites

Ways to identify and select people for future leadership positions.

referendum

a legislative act is referred for final approval to a popular vote by the electorate

reform

self-improvement in behavior or morals by abandoning some vice