AP Comparative Government & Politics Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary definitions directly generated from the lecture notes transcript for Comparative Government.

Constituencies

A geographical area that an elected official represents.

Multimember districts

An electoral district with more than one seat.

Referendum

A national vote called by the government to address a specific issue that citizens have a say in.

Initiative

A vote on a specific issue that is called for directly by citizens themselves.

Civil rights

Rights regarding equality that are created by the government and regime.

Civil liberties

Rights regarding freedom and liberties that are created by the government and regime.

Political-economic system

The relationship between political and economic systems and the outcomes they create.

Parastal

An industry that is partially owned by the state.

State

A political system that exercises sovereignty over a population in a defined geographic territory through a set of public institutions.

Regimes

The overarching rules and systems under which the political process takes place, which do not change often.

Government

The specific group of people and organizations that hold political authority in a state at one time.

Democratization

The process of transitioning from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime.

Democratic consolidation

The stage achieved when a regime has stable democratic institutions and is unlikely to revert back to authoritarianism.

Democratic backsliding

A decline in the overall quality of a democracy.

Direct democracy

A democratic system where citizens vote directly on policy decisions.

Representative democracy

A democratic system where citizens vote for elected officials who vote on policy on their behalf.

Coalition

An alliance formed when two or more groups work together to achieve a common political goal.

Co-optation

The process by which individuals outside the regime are brought into a beneficial relationship with it, making them dependent on the regime for rewards.

Corporatism

A system where society is organized into state-sanctioned organizations that hold a monopoly over specific segments or issues.

Clientelism

A form of co-optation where the state provides benefits to individuals in exchange for political support.

Sovereignty

The legal right and capacity of a state to independently carry out actions and policies within its territory.

Authority

The legal right to exercise power on behalf of society or government, representing legitimate control over people within a territory.

Power

The capacity to direct the behavior of others through coercion, persuasion, or leadership to enforce authority.

Traditional legitimacy

Political legitimacy rooted in long-standing traditions, habits, and customs.

Charismatic legitimacy

Legitimacy based on the dynamic personal character, speeches, and virtue of an individual leader.

Rational-legal legitimacy

Legitimacy rooted in a system of accepted laws, including competitive elections and rule of law.

Political efficacy

Empowering citizens to influence political decisions, reflecting trust in their own ability to understand and impact government.

Discretionary power

The authority given to an official or body to make decisions using their judgment within legal limits rather than following rigid rules.

Judicial independence

The principle that judges can decide cases according to the law without interference from politically powerful officials or institutions.

Political Culture

A set of widely held attitudes, values, and beliefs about government and politics that shapes how citizens understand political life.

Political Cleavages

Divisions among citizens based on political beliefs regarding the role of government and policy goals.

Insular

A geographical term meaning made up of or consisting of islands.

Political Socialization

The process by which individuals learn about politics and absorb society's political values and beliefs.

Formal Participation

Official political activities such as voting, contacting officials, joining political parties or interest groups, and donating to campaigns.

Informal Participation

Non-traditional political activities including protests, civil disobedience, and political violence like terrorism.

Import substitution industrialization

An economic strategy where a nation attempts to protect internal manufacturing by restricting foreign imports.

Neoliberalism

Policies supporting free markets and reduced trade barriers, promoting economic liberalization to lower unemployment and trade deficits.

Structural adjustment

Economic reform packages promoted by international financial organizations like the IMF and World Bank.

Empirical statement

Factual statements that can be tested, verified, or proven through observation and experimentation.

Normative statement

An opinion-based value claim that expresses judgment and cannot be empirically proven.

One-party state

A regime type where a single political party holds exclusive governing power, such as in China.

Military regime

A non-democratic regime type where military officers hold political power, such as historically in Nigeria.

Theocracy

A political system where religious leaders or religious law hold supreme political authority, such as in Iran.

Divided government

A political arrangement where one party controls the executive branch while another party controls the legislative branch.

Dual-executive

An executive arrangement where the head of state and head of government are two distinct positions, such as in China, Iran, Russia, and the UK.

Single executive

An executive arrangement where the roles of head of state and head of government are combined into one individual, such as in Mexico and Nigeria.

Civil service

The administrative body or bureaucracy of non-elected government officials responsible for implementing state policies.

Human development index

A UN-compiled statistical measure assessing average national achievement in health, education, and standard of living.

Growth domestic product

The total market value of all final goods and services produced inside a country, used to evaluate economic growth and scale.

GDP per capita

A measure of living standards calculated by dividing a country's total economic output by its population.

Gini index

A statistical measure of economic inequality within a nation, where a score of 0 represents perfect equality.

Purchasing power parity

An economic adjustment factor applied to GDP to normalize differences in local prices and relative cost of living.

Freedom house

A US-based non-governmental organization (NGO) that researches and evaluates global civil rights, political freedom, and human rights.

Transparency international

A non-governmental global organization focused on curbing governmental corruption and increasing public transparency.

Fragile state index

An annual ranking metric measuring a country's vulnerability to internal conflict and state failure.

Supranational organization

An international alliance where member states delegate portions of their sovereign power to a central governing council.

Centripetal forces

Cultural, political, or social attitudes and institutions that unify the population of a state.

Centrifugal forces

Internal cultural, social, and political conditions that divide the population of a country.

SMD system

Single-Member District system; a winner-takes-all electoral system where the single candidate receiving the most votes wins the seat.

Proportional representation

An electoral system with multi-member districts where parties receive legislative seats proportional to the share of votes received.

Liberalism

An economic system theoretical framework originated by Adam Smith prioritizing individual liberty, private property, and minimal state regulation.

Social democracy

An economic model associated with Eduard Bernstein supporting private enterprise alongside extensive state welfare programs and higher taxation.

Communism

An ideology based on Karl Marx asserting that class inequality causes revolution, calling for complete nationalization of property and indirect taxation.

Mercantilism

An economic strategy associated with Frederich List prioritizing national wealth using protective high tariffs and controlled expenditures.

Illiberal democracies

A governing system with electoral procedures that lack key democratic features, resulting in partial protection of rights (e.g., Nigeria, Russia).

Totalitarianism

A highly centralized regime using state violence and strict ideology to dominate all aspects of public and private life.

Rule of law vs rule by law

Rule of law binds rulers to constitutional limits; rule by law uses the legal apparatus state instrumentally to manipulate citizens while exempting leaders.

Civil society

Voluntary non-governmental organizations created by citizens to represent group interests independently of state authority.

Asymmetric federalism

A federal governance structure where subnational units or regions are granted unequal levels of power or autonomy, such as in Russia.

Devolution

The statutory delegation of power from a central government in a unitary state to subnational or local authorities.

Code law

A legal system based strictly on comprehensive written statutory laws created by legislative bodies.

Common law

A legal system based on judicial precedent and past written legal decisions rather than statutory codes.

Sharia law

An Islamic system of law based on the teachings and legal traditions of the Quran.