APCG FINAL ASSESMENT

state

political institutions with international recognition that govern a population in a territory

government

institutions and individuals that make legally binding decisions for the state and have the lawful right to use power against those decisions

bureaucracy

a set of appointed officials officials and government workers who carry out policies

sovereignty

a states ability to act without internal or external interference

international recognition

when

regime

a type of government, such as liberal democracy

regime change

a change in the fundamental rules and system of government

coup d’etat

an overthrow of government by a small group of people, often military leaders

revolution

an overthrow of a regime based on widespread political support

change in government

a change in leaders without the fundamental change of governing system

nation

a group of people who share a sense of belonging and who often have a common language, culture, etc,

nationalism

when a group has a strong sense of identity and believe it has its own destiny

liberal democracy

a system with free and fair elections in which a wide array of civil rights and liberties is protected

authoritarian state

a system WITHOUT free and fair elections in which civil rights and liberties are restricted

totalitarian state

a type of authoritarian government where the state controls nearly all aspects of citizens lives

illiberal democracy

a system in which elections may be marred by fraud and the state protects some civil liberties but restricts others

rule OF law

a clear set of rules where government officials are subject to the same rules as citizens

rule BY law

where the law is applied only to citizens, and government officials are not subject to the same rules as citizens

transparancy

the ability of citizens to know what the government is doing

democratization

the process of transitioning from an authoritarian to a democratic regime

democratic backsliding

decline in the quality of democracy, including a decrease in citizen participation

power

the ability to make someone do something they would not otherwise do

authority

the legitimate power a state has over people within its territory

theocracy

a system based on religious rule

coercion

the use of force, or the threat of force to get someone to do something they would not otherwise do

legitimacy

the citizens belief that government has the right to rule

political efficacy

a citizens belief that his or her actions can actually impact the government

unitary system

a political system in which the central government has sole constitutional sovereignty and power

federal system

a political system in which a state’s power is legally and constitutionally divided among more than one level of government

patron clientelism

when those in power offer benefits to citizens in exchange for political support

head of state

the symbolic representative of a country

head of government

the key executive in the policymaking process

cabinet head

a official appointed to run a governmental department with a specific policy area

sexenio

the single six year term for the Mexican president

NGO

a non-profit group outside of the government’s control

bicameral

a legislature with two chambers

chamber of deputies

the elected lower house of the Mexican congress which has the power to pass legislation, levy taxes, approve the budget, and certify elections

senate (mexico)

the elected upper house of the Mexican congress which has the power to confirm appointments, ratify treaties, and approve federal intervention in states

lower house

the legislative body in a bicameral system that typically has more members, shorter terms, and less prestige, but it may be the more powerful body

upper house

the legislative body in a bicameral system that typically has fewer members and may have more prestige but less power than the lower house.

civil society

groups that form outside of the government’s control

mandate

the broad support of the people to carry out proposed policies

mixed electoral system

a system for electing members of the legislature that includes both single member districts seats awarded through proportional representation

single member plurality sytem (SMD)

a system in which the candidate who earns the most votes in a district wins a seat in legislature

proportional representation (PR)

a system in which seats are awarded according to the percentage of votes a party recieves.

corporatism

a system in which the state controls interest groups and chooses the ones it wants to recognize

peak association

an organization authorized by the government to represent a group, such as labor business or agriculture

pluralism

political system

a system in which groups are allowed to grom and advocate for their interests outside of government control

civil liberties

fundamental rights and freedoms protected from from the government

civil rights

protections granted by the government to prevent people from being against when engaged in fundamental political actions

social cleavages

a division in society among social factors such as ethnicity

political cleavages

a division among citizens according to political beliefs

economic liberalism

economic policies that support the free market and reduce trade barriers

globalization

the increased interconnectedness of people, states, and economies

protectionist economic policies

policies design to protect domestic industry and reduce foreign influence

nationalized industry

a state-owned company controlled by the government

import substitution industrialization

enacting high tariffs and providing incentives to encourage the growth of domestic manufacturing

privatization

when a government transfers ownership and control of a nationalized industry to the private sector

institutions

the executive and bureaucracy, the legislature and the judiciary

executive

the chief political power in a state, usually a prime minister or president

legislature

a group of lawmakers that pass laws and represent citizens

judiciary

a system of courts that interprets the law and applies it to individual cases

parliamentary system

a system in which the executive and legislative are fused

prime minister

the head of government in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system where the PM is a member of parliament and is selected by majority party.

coalition government

when two or more parties agree to work together to form a majority and select a prime minister

member of parliament

a representative in the legislature elected by the citizens

vote of no confidence

in parliamentary systems, a vote by parliament to remove government

presidential system

a system in which the executive and legislative are elected separately and have different powers.

divided government

when both houses of legislature are controlled by a political party other than the party of the president

seperation of powers

a division of power among the major branches of government

semi-presidential system

a system that divides executive power between a directly elected president and a prime minister

term limit

a restriction on the number of terms the executive may serve

impeachment

the process of removing a president from office before the end of his and her term

cabinet

the heads or major departments or ministries in the bureaucracy

legislative oversight

the power of the legislature to hold cabinet officials and members of bureaucracy accountable for their actions and policies

unicameral legislature

a legislature with one chamber

common law

a legal system in which previous written opinions serve as precedent for future cases

code law

a legal system in which judges follow the law written by the legislature, and previous court decisions do NOT serve as precedent

judicial independence

the ability of judges to decide cases according to the law, free of interference from politically powerful officials to other institutions.

civil welfare system

a method of staffing the bureaucracy based on competitive testing results, education, and other qualifications, rather than patronage

welfare state

government porgrams to benefit the health and wellbeing of citizens

parliamentary sovereignty

the principle that parliament’s power is supreme and extends over all aspects of the state.

monarch

a hereditary ruler that serves for life

House of Commons

the directly elected lower house of parliament which holds most of the policymaking power

House of Lords

the unelected upper house of parliament which has the power to suggest amendments to bills and delay legislation.

supreme court

a high court. in the UK it can’t overturn acts of parliament but has the authority to protect civil rights and liberties on cases involving devolution.

FPTP (first-past-the-post) electoral sys

Another term for an SMD plurality system, in which the candidate with the most votes wins the seat in a legislative district.

referendum

a vote on a policy issue sent by the government to the people

regulated market economy

an economy in which wages, prices and production are mostly set by supply and demand with some regulation and mostly private control of business and natural resources.

National Health Service

the government financed and managed health-care system in the UK

austerity measures

raising taxes and cutting spending in an effort to reduce the deficit and the national debt

civil society

groups that form outside of government control

political culture

a set of collectively held attitudes, values and beliefs about government and politics.

political socialization

the process through which an individual learns about politics and is taught about society’s common political values and beliefs.

postmaterialism

a set of values in a society in which most citizens are economically secure enough to move beyond immeadiate economic concerns to quality of life issues like human rights, etc,

individualism

the belief that people should be free to make their own decisions and that government should not unnecessarily regulate individual behaviour or restrict civil liberties.

political ideology

an individuals set of beliefs and values about government, politics and policy

neoliberalism

a philosophy favoring economic policies that support the free market and reduce trade barriers

communism

an ideology that advocates state ownership of all property with the government excercising complete control over the economy