Comparative Politics terms

anarchy

defined as a lack of societal structure and order, where there is no established hierarchy of power

absolute monarchy

when the monarch is wholly responsible for all decisions and rules the state with absolute power over all political, economic and social matters

annex

to take over a region

aristocracy

a form of government where a group of social elites rule the state

authority

defined as having the power to get things done. If we put these two terms together, a state is legitimate in its operations if it has the authority to make decisions and carry out its policy goals

charismatic legitimacy

means that citizens follow the rules of a state based on the charisma and personality of the current leader

civil liberties

defined as individual rights that are protected by law to ensure the government does not unreasonably interfere with certain specific individual rights (e.g., like freedom of speech, religion, assembly, etc.)

constitution

a state’s described laws of the land

constitutional monarchy

when a monarch must abide by a state-adopted Constitution, which dictates the scope and depth of its power in all state-related activities

country

defined as a nation, which may have one or more states within it, or may change state-type over time

coup d’etat

an attempt by elites to overthrow the current government of a state through abrupt seizure of power and removal of the government’s leadership

cult of personality

occurs when a state leverages all aspects of a leader’s real and exaggerated traits to solidify the leader’s power

democracy

a political system wherein government is dictated by the power of the people

dictatorship

a form of government where one person has sole and absolute power over the state

feudalism

was a system or social order that arose out of the Middle Ages, particularly in Europe, wherein peasants (sometimes called Serfs) were forced to provide members of the upper class with their crops, produce, goods as well as their services, fealty and loyalty

hard power

the ability to get others to do what you want using physical and potentially aggressive measures, for instance, like fighting, attacking or through war

junta

a regime type where there is a small, military group of elites who rule state activities

legitimacy

defined as the state’s ability to establish itself as a valid power over its citizens

nation

can be broadly defined as a population of people joined by common culture, history, language, ancestry within a designated region of territory.

naturalization

the process by which noncitizens formally become citizens of the country they reside in

oligarchy

a form of government where elites rule, though there is not necessarily an assumption of nobility

personalist dictatorship

where power lies with a single, charismatic and all-powerful person who drives all actions of the state

political capacity

the ability of a state to use its power, as derived through authority and legitimacy, to get things done and promote its own interests

power

the ability to get others to do what you want them to do

protectorate

an area or nation that is managed, possessed, controlled and protected by a different state

rational-legal legitimacy

occurs when states derive their authority through firmly established, often written and adopted, laws, rules, regulations, procedures through a constitution

regime transitions

occur when a formal government changes to a different government leadership, structure or system

representative democracy

where the people elect representatives to serve on their behalf to make the laws and rules of society

Scramble for Africa

sometimes also called the Conquest of Africa, where Western European powers attempted to control and colonize all parts of Africa.

social contract

defined as either a formal or informal agreement between the rulers and those ruled in a society

soft power

the ability to get others to do what you want them to do using the methods of persuasion or manipulation

state

defined as a national-level group, organization or body which administers its own legal and governmental policies within a designated region or territory

strong states

are those which are able to work their political agendas effectively, to make sure basic political tasks are completed

traditional legitimacy

occurs when states have the authority to lead based on historical precedent

weak states

are those which are unable to perform basic political tasks, and unable to work the political agenda of the authority in charge. Weak states are typically unable to defend their territories and interests

apartheid

defined as a system of governance wherein racial oppression is institutionalized

aristocracy

a form of government where power is held by nobility or those concerned to be of the highest classes within a society

autocracies

forms of government where countries are ruled either by a single person or group, who/which holds total power and control

Ba’athist Party

a former transnational Arab political party that espouses pan-Arab nationalism and socialist economic policies

checks and balances

a system that attempts to ensure that no one branch can become too powerful

congressional legislature

one where groups of legislators, elected by the people, make laws and share powers with other branches within the government

consultative legislature

where the legislature advises the leader, or group of leaders, on issues relating to laws and their application

democracy

a government system in which the supreme power of government is vested in the people

democratic consolidation

a type of regime transition whereby new democracies evolves from fledgling regimes to established democracies, making them less at risk to fall back into authoritarian regimes

direct democracy

a government system that enables citizens to vote directly, or participate directly, in the formation of laws, public policy and government decisions

elections

the mechanism through which leaders get chosen around the world

electoral

an adjective which means relating to elections or electors

electoral democracy

a form of representative democracy where political leaders are elected through an election (electoral) process to exercise political power and manage the basic tasks of government operations

electoral systems

also known as a country's system of voting; an electoral system provides a set of rules that dictate how elections (and other voting initiatives) are conducted and how results are determined and communicated

executive branch

typically made up of a singular leader, a leader with an assistant (vice-president) or a small group of leaders who have institutional powers

fair elections

those in which all votes carry equal weight, are counted accurately, and the election results are able to be accepted by parties. Ideally, the following standards are met to ensure elections are free and fair

free elections

those where all citizens are able to vote for the candidate of their choice. The election is free if all citizens who meet the requirements to vote (e.g., are of lawful age and meet the citizenship requirements, if they exist), are not prevented from participating in the election process

flawed democracies

those where elections are free and fair, and basic civil liberties are protected, but issues exist which may hamper the democratic process

head of government

refers to the chief executives who must run and manage the dayto-day business of the state

head of state

refers to when the chief executive must represent the country in formal gatherings as well as for ceremonial responsibilities

illiberal democracies

those regimes where elections occur, but civil liberties are not protected

indirect democracy

channels the power of the people through representation, where citizens elect representatives to make laws and government decisions on their behalf

judicial review

is the ability to interpret the constitutionality of laws, and in doing so, the ability to overturn decisions made by lesser courts when doing so

judiciary

refers to the part of government where laws can be interpreted and enforced

legislative branch

tasked with performing three main functions: (1) making and revising laws; (2) providing administrative oversight to ensure laws are being properly executed; (3) and providing representation of the constituents to the government

majoritarian voting system

an electoral system where candidates must win a majority in order to win the election. If they do not win a majority, there needs to be a runoff election

no-fly zone

when a foreign power intervenes to prevent that country or another country from gaining air superiority

pariamentary legislature

where members are elected by the people, enacts laws on their behalf, and also serves as the executive branch of government

parliamentary system

sometimes called parliamentary democracy, a system of government where the chief executive, usually a Prime Minister, attains their role through election by the legislature

plurality voting system

an electoral system where the candidate who gets the most votes, wins. In this system, there is no requirement to attain a majority, so this system can sometimes be called the first-past-the-post system

political parties

groups of people who are organized under shared values to get their candidates elected to office to exercise political authority

presidential system

a system of government, sometimes called a single executive system, where the head of government is a president who leads the executive branch of government

primitive democracy

small communities have face-to-face discussions in order to make decisions

proportional voting systems

an electoral system where voting options reflect geographical or political divisions in the population to enable a proportional leadership when elected

semi-presidential system

sometimes called the dual executive system, a system of government where a country has both a president and a prime minister and cabinet

separation of powers

a term that divides government functions into three areas: the legislature, tasked primarily with the making of laws; the executive, who carries out or enforces these laws; and the judiciary, tasked with interpreting the constitutionality of laws

suffrage

the right to vote in political elections and propose referendums

waves of democracy

moments in history when multiple countries transition to democracy during the same time period

clientelism

system of exchange in which political elites obtain the political loyalty of clients by distributing resources to clients

corruption

misuse of public resources for private gain

democratic backsliding

when a democracy degrades and becomes more illiberal, authoritarian or autocratic

hybrid regime

non-democratic form of governance that exhibits characteristics of different types of non-democracies

illiberal regime

non-democratic form of governance that presents a façade of liberal institutions

military rule

non-democratic rule by a country’s military elites

monarchy

non-democratic rule by a single individual, with legitimacy typically based in tradition and/or divine right

non-democracy

regimes which deny citizens meaningful institutional channels for making choices about their collective well-being

oligarchy

non-democratic rule by a political elite with control over national wealth and resources

paramilitary

refers to state-affiliated groups with access to military tools and training, usually employed to carry out violence on behalf of the state

patronage networks

refers to social relations that involve the exchange of resources in exchange for loyalty

personalist rule

non-democratic rule by a single individual, with legitimacy typically based in charisma and/or other political authority such as a ruling ideology or tradition

political accountability

institutional channels for holding political leaders responsible for their decisions and actions

political competition

presence of multiple options in political life, for example more than one political party, candidate for office, or policy position

propaganda

biased information meant to convince an audience of a particular perspective or narrative

sharp power

efforts by one country to use information war and diplomatic tactics to undermine the institutions of a target country, often a democracy

single-party rule

non-democratic rule by a political party

theocracy

non-democratic rule by elites who are legitimated by sacred texts

totalitarian regime

non-democratic rule that seeks total control over society by a ruler or political elites

typology

descriptive means to divide a category into sub-categories based on underlying characteristics of items in the category