Unit 1: Political Systems, Regimes, and Government - Glossary Terms (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions from Page 1 notes on political data, indexes, and indicators.

Empirical statements

Fact-based information derived from observation or experimentation.

Normative statements

Value or opinion statements that cannot be proven or disproven.

Qualitative data

Non-numeric information from sources like speeches, foundational documents, political cartoons, maps, and political commentaries.

Quantitative data

Information based on numerical values.

Correlation

An association between two or more variables.

Causation

A relationship where one variable causes another; often difficult to prove in comparative politics due to many influencing factors.

Human Development Index (HDI)

UNDP's summary measure of average achievement in key human development dimensions (life expectancy, education, income).

Gross domestic product (GDP)

The market value of all goods and services produced within a country over a period; indicates the overall size of the national economy.

GDP per capita

GDP divided by the population; reflects average economic output per person.

GDP growth rate

The rate at which a country's GDP expands over a period.

Gini index

A measure of income inequality within a country; 0% = perfect equality, 100% = perfect inequality.

Freedom House scores

Scores from Freedom House used to evaluate political rights and civil liberties; typically on a 1–7 scale with categories Free, Partially Free, Not Free; also used with a 0–100 index.

Governmental transparency

Citizens’ access to information about government policy making and implementation to hold officials accountable.

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

Transparency International’s index ranking perceived corruption in countries; higher scores indicate lower perceived corruption.

Fragile States Index (FSI)

The Fund for Peace index assessing a country’s fragility based on 12 indicators across cohesion, economic, political, and social factors; higher scores indicate greater fragility.

The Fund for Peace

A non-governmental organization that publishes the Fragile States Index.

12 indicators grouping (FSI)

Indicators are organized into cohesion, economic, political, and social/cross-cutting categories.

120-point scale (FSI)

The Fragile States Index uses a 0–120 point scale; higher scores denote greater state fragility.

Purchasing power parity (PPP)

The idea that goods cost the same across countries after adjusting for exchange rates.