POLS 131- Pigeon CSU Exam 1

Demographics

Statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it.

Malthusian

A theory suggesting that population growth will outpace agricultural production.

Cornucopian

A belief that technological progress will provide unlimited resources.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size an environment can sustain indefinitely.

Graying population

A demographic trend characterized by an increasing proportion of elderly people in the population.

Youth bulge

A demographic phenomenon where a large proportion of the population is young.

Demographic transition theory

A model explaining the transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates in a population.

Women's education and fertility rates

The inverse relationship between women's education levels and fertility rates.

Son complex

A cultural preference for male offspring.

Female infanticide

The intentional killing of female infants.

Replacement rate

The fertility rate at which a population replaces itself from one generation to the next.

Push factors of migration

Factors that force individuals to leave their current location.

Pull factors of migration

Factors that attract individuals to a new location.

Chain migration

A pattern of migration where one immigrant helps bring over family or friends.

Urbanization

The process of population concentration in cities.

Megacity

A city with a population over 10 million people.

Fragile city

A city facing significant challenges such as poverty, violence, or weak governance.

Cosmopolitan

A person who is familiar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures.

Xenophobia

A fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers.

Clash of Civilizations theory

A theory by Samuel Huntington suggesting that cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world.

Culture

The beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time.

Ethnicity

The fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.

Civilization

The stage of human social development and organization that is considered most advanced.

Cultural reservoir

A place or situation in which something originates or flourishes.

Ethnocentrism

Evaluating other peoples and cultures according to the standards of one's own culture.

Material culture

The physical objects, resources, and spaces that people use to define their culture.

Nonmaterial culture

The nonphysical ideas that people have about their culture.

Causes of ethnic conflict

Factors that lead to tensions and conflicts between different ethnic groups.

Ethnic cleansing

The mass expulsion or killing of members of an unwanted ethnic or religious group in a society.

Genocide

The deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.

Responsibility to Protect

A principle that holds nations responsible for shielding their own populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.

Peacekeeping

The active maintenance of a truce between nations or communities.

Peacemaking

The action of attempting to establish peace.

Peacebuilding

Actions that are intended to identify and support structures that will tend to strengthen and solidify peace in order to avoid a relapse into conflict.

Democracy

A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

Direct democracy

A form of democracy in which people decide policy initiatives directly.

Indirect democracy

A system of government in which the people control the government through elected political officials.

Majoritarian model

A model of democracy in which the majority has the power to make decisions binding upon the whole.

Consensus model

A model of democracy in which the goal is to secure widespread agreement among the population.

Parliamentary system

A system of government where the executive branch derives its legitimacy from and is accountable to the legislature.

Presidential system

A system of government where the executive branch is elected and separate from the legislature.

Liberal democracy

A form of representative democracy where elected representatives hold power, and there is an emphasis on individual rights and freedoms.

Constitutional liberalism

A political ideology that emphasizes the protection of individual rights through a constitution.

Electoralist fallacy

The mistaken belief that democracy is only about elections and voting.

Factors conducive to democracy

Conditions or elements that support the establishment and flourishing of democratic systems.

Obstacles to building democracies

Challenges that hinder the development and maintenance of democratic systems.

Human rights

Rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status.

UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

A declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enumerates a set of rights to which all individuals are entitled.

Four freedoms

Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

Positive rights

Rights that require action by others to fulfill.

Negative rights

Rights that require others to refrain from interfering with the right holder.

Human rights controversies

Disputes and debates surrounding the interpretation and application of human rights.

International Court of Justice (ICJ)

The principal judicial organ of the United Nations, settling legal disputes between states.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

A court that tries individuals accused of the most serious crimes of international concern.

War crimes

Violations of the laws or customs of war, including intentionally targeting civilians or prisoners of war.

Sanctions

Measures taken by countries against others to coerce a change in behavior.

Intervention

The interference by a state in another's affairs for the purpose of changing what is happening.

Globalization

The process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.

State

A nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.

Treaty of Westphalia

A series of peace treaties signed in 1648 that ended the Thirty Years' War and established the foundation of the modern state system.

Sovereignty

The full right and power of a governing body over itself, without interference from outside sources or bodies.

Anarchy

A state of disorder due to the absence or nonrecognition of authority.

Nation

A large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory.

Colonization

The action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area.

Guns, Germs, and Steel

A book by Jared Diamond that explores how geography and environmental factors have shaped human history.

Industrial Revolution

The transition to new manufacturing processes in Europe and the United States, from hand production to machines.

Imperialism

A policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force.

DIME Model

A framework used by the U.S. military to analyze the elements of national power: Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic.

Intergovernmental Organization (IGO)

An organization composed primarily of sovereign states, or of other intergovernmental organizations.

Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)

A non-profit organization that operates independently of any government, typically pursuing social or political aims.

Internet

The global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities.

Web 2.0

The second stage of development of the Internet, characterized by the change from static web pages to dynamic or user-generated content.

Gatekeepers

Entities that control the flow of information on the Internet.

Actor

An individual, organization, or state that plays a role in an international system.

Generalization

The act of making a statement that applies to a group of people or things.

Data

Facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.

Legend

A traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated.

Universal Coordinated Time (UTC)

The primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time.

Process tracing

A method used to study causal mechanisms linking causes with outcomes.

Causal factors

Factors that contribute to the occurrence of a particular event or outcome.

Wicked problems

Complex problems with no simple solution due to incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements.

Zero-sum

A situation in which one person's gain is equivalent to another's loss.

Non zero-sum

A situation in which the interacting parties' aggregate gains and losses can be more than zero.

Ecological fallacy

An error in reasoning in which incorrect conclusions about individual-level processes are drawn from group-level data.

Individualistic fallacy

An error in reasoning in which group-level processes are assumed to be the same as individual-level processes.