Government, Political Power and Social Movements

A series of vocabulary flashcards derived from lecture notes on government, political power, social movements, and related sociological concepts.

Social movements

A large group of people who seek to accomplish, or to block, a process of social change.

Democracy

Rule by the people.

Participatory democracy

Everyday people involved in running the government.

Representative democracy

A form of democracy in which citizens elect representatives who then vote on laws and policies.

Liberal democracy

A type of democracy commonly associated with the US, where elected representatives hold power.

Monarchy

A government ruled by a king or queen, typically by divine right.

Constitutional monarchy

A system of government in which a king or queen is largely a figurehead and real power rests in the hands of other political leaders.

Authoritarianism

A political system in which the governing bodies or leaders use force to maintain control.

Populism

The belief that politics should reflect the needs and interests of ordinary people rather than those of elite individual groups.

Civil society

The realm of activity that lies between the state and the market, including family, schools, and community associations.

Nation states

Particular types of states where the state is assumed to be of a unified nation.

Sovereignty

The undisputed political rule of a state over a given territorial area.

Failed States

States in which the central government has lost authority and resorts to deadly force to retain power.

Nationalism

A set of beliefs and symbols expressing identification with a national community.

Power

The ability of individuals or members of a group to achieve aims or further their interests.

Authority

A government’s legitimate use of power.

Citizens

Members of a political community, having both rights and duties associated with that membership.

Civil rights

Legal rights held by all citizens in a given national community.

Political rights

Rights of political participation, such as the right to vote in elections.

Revolution

Processes of political change involving the mobilizing of a mass social movement that successfully overthrows an existing regime.

Democratic elitism

A theory that suggests democratic participation is limited to the regular election of political leaders.

Power elite

Small networks of individuals who hold concentrated power in modern societies.

Interest group

A group organized to pursue specific interests in the political arena.

Collective action

Action undertaken by a large number of people assembled together.

New social movements

Social movements that have arisen since the 1960s in response to changing societal risks.

Legitimation crisis

The failure of a political order to govern properly due to insufficient citizen commitment.

Globalization

The development of social and economic relationships stretching worldwide.

Global stratification

Systematic differences in wealth and power between countries.

GNI (Gross National Income)

A commonly used measure based on total income earned from a country’s yearly output of goods and services.

Absolute poverty

A state of poverty in which one lacks the minimal requirements necessary for a healthy existence.

Relative poverty

Poverty defined according to the living standards of the majority in a society.

Neoliberalism

The economic belief that free-market forces, minimized government restrictions, provide the only route to economic growth.

Dependency theories

Theories arguing that the poverty of low-income countries stems from their exploitation by wealthy countries.

Core countries

The most advanced industrial countries that take the lion’s share of profits in the world economic system.

Peripheral countries

Countries that have a marginal role in the world economy.

Colonialism

The process where Western nations established their rule in parts of the world away from their home territories.

Social stratification

The existence of structured inequalities between groups in a society.

Intersectionality

A sociological perspective that multiple group memberships affect lives in distinct ways.

Wealth

Money and material possessions held by an individual or group.

Cultural capital

Accumulated cultural knowledge within a society that confers power and status.

Surplus value

In Marxist theory, the value of workers' labor power leftover after repaying costs.

Communism

A social system based on shared needs of production and wealth.

Status

The social honor or prestige accorded to a particular group.

Pariah groups

Groups suffering from negative status discrimination.

Middle class

A social class composed broadly of individuals working in white-collar occupations.

Working class

A social class broadly composed of people working in blue-collar, or manual, occupations.

Social mobility

Movement of individuals or groups between different social positions.

Poverty line

An official government measure defining those living in poverty.

Feminization of poverty

The increase in the proportion of the poor who are female.

Kuznets curve

A formula showing inequality increases during early capitalist development, then declines.

Culture of poverty

The thesis that poverty is the outcome of the larger social and cultural atmosphere.

Dependency culture

A term describing individuals relying on state welfare provision instead of entering the labor market.

Secularization

A process of decline in the influence of religion.

Liberation theology

An activist Catholic religious movement combining Catholic beliefs with social justice.

Sects

Religious movements that break away from orthodox practices.

Alienation

The sense that human abilities are taken over by other entities.

Monotheism

The belief in a single god.

Polytheism

The belief in two or more gods.

New Age movement

A term describing diverse beliefs oriented on inner spirituality.

World-affirming movements

Religious movements that seek to enhance followers’ success in the outside world.

Glass ceiling

A promotion barrier preventing a woman’s upward mobility within an organization.

Sexual harassment

Unwanted sexual advances that persist despite clear indications of resistance.