Comparative Politics Final

Rational Choice Theory

Assumption that individuals are rational and bring a set of self-defined preferences into the political arena.

Modernization Theory

Societies go through distinct stages from tradition to modern through the development of capitalistic democracies (industrialization, urbanization, democratic government), often seen as a linear path to Western-style development.

Behavioralism

Emphasis on the political behavior of individuals, not larger political structures; focuses on quantitative methodology.

Dependent Variable

The factor/outcome we seek to explain.

Inference

Two types: causal (why it happened) and descriptive (what happened).

State

An ongoing administrative apparatus that develops and administers laws and generates and implements public policies in a specific territory.

Institutionalism

Institutionalists argue that political institutions are crucial to understanding political behavior.

Types of Legitimacy: Traditional

built by habit and custom like in African kingships

Types of Legitimacy: Charismatic

builds on the force of ideas and presence of the leader

Rational-legal

built on rules and procedures.

Bureaucracy

Large set of appointed officials whose function is to implement the laws of the state as directed by the executive.

Kleptocracy

Rule by theft.

Resource Curse

Occurs when a state relies on a key resource for almost all of its revenue, allowing it to ignore its citizens.

Personalist Regimes

A central leader dominates the state, eliminating opposition and maintaining power through patronage.

Theocracy

Rule by religious authorities on behalf of a god, following religious dictates.

Civil Society

The sphere of organized nongovernmental, nonviolent activity by groups larger than individual families or firms.

Political Rights

Rights associated with active political participation (e.g., voting, running for office).

Social Rights

Rights related to basic well-being and socioeconomic equality.

Civil Rights

Rights guaranteeing individual freedom and fair treatment by the state.

Assimilation

Belief that immigrants or minority groups should adopt the culture of the majority.

Multicultural Integration

Accepts ethnocultural diversity within society.

Majoritarian

A type of democratic system that concentrates power more tightly in a single-party executive with executive dominance over the legislature, a single legislative branch and constitution that can be easily ammended

Consensus democracy

A democratic system with multiparty executive-legislative balance, bicameral legislatures, and rigid constitutions that are not easily amended.

Parlimentarism

parlimentary system of democracy where the executive and legistlative branches are fused via parliments election of the cheif executive

Prime minister

the head of government in parliamentary and semi presidential systems

Member of Parliament

an elected member of the legistlature in a parlimentary system

Vote of no confidence

in parlimentary system a vote by parliment to remove a government (prime minister and cabinet from power

Impeachment

When a legistlative body (House of Representatives) formals charges a government of a crime (treason). After the hosue votes the senate holds a trial to determine if guilty. If there is a two-thirds vote, they are removed from their position

Cohabition

Sharing power between a president and a prime minister from different parties in a semipresidential system

Proportional representation

electoral system in which seats in a legislature are appointed on a purely proportional basis, giving each party the share of seats that matches its share of the total vote

Closed-list PR

electoral system in which each party presents a ranked list of candidates, voters vote for the party rather than for individual candidates, and each party awards the seats in wins to the candidates on its list in rank order

Open-list PR

An electoral system in which multiple candidates run in each district, and voters vote for the individual candidate of their choice, and the candidates with the most votes in the party get the seats the party wins

Duverger’s Law

Institutionalist argument by French political Scientist Maurice Deverger that SMD electoral systems will produce major parties eliminating smaller parties

Neocorporatism

corportatism that evoles historically and voluntary rather than being mandated by the state: Ex. Germany

Peak associations

orgs. that bring together all interest groups in a particular sector to influence and negotiate in the U.S.

State coportaism

corporatism mandated by the state (common in facist regimes)

Political revolution

the fundamental transformation of an existing regime, instigated and primarily carried out by a social movement or armed group

Social Revolution

The fundamental transformation of an existing regime, instigated and primarily carried out by a social movement or armed group

Dictators dilemma

An authoritarian rulers repression creates fear, which breeds uncertainty about how much support the ruler has; in response, the ruler spends more resources than is rational to co-opt the opposition

Consociationalism

democratic system designed to ease ethnic tensions via recognizing the existence of specific groups and granting some share of power in the central government to each

Coup d’état

when the military forcibly removes an existing regime and establishes a new one

Public goods

goods or services that cannot or will not be provided via the market because their costs are too high or their benefits are too difuse

Market failure

goods or services that cannot or will not be provided via the market because their costs are too high or their benefits are too diffuse

Ethnicity

Ethnic group: a group of people who see themselves as united by one or more cultural attributes or a sense of common history.

• Attributes: language, religion, geographical location, customs, history

• Ascriptions: certain qualities assigned at birth

Corporatism

system of representation in which one organization represents each important sector of society (labor, business, farmers)

Horizontal accountability

when state institutions check and balance eachother (courts, legistlatures, oversight agencies)

Vertical accountability

when sitizens hold leaders and institutions accountable (through elections)

Technocracy

A claim to rule based on knowledge or expertise