POLI SCI MIDTERM 1

Absolute Monarchy

System where a ruler holds almost unlimited power.

Agenda Setting

Process of deciding which issues receive political attention.

APC

Major political party in Nigeria (All Progressives Congress).

Analytical

Approach that explains why and how political events occur.

Berlin Conference

European meeting in 1884–1885 that divided Africa among colonial powers.

Biafra War

Nigerian civil war fought from 1967 to 1970.

Boko Haram

Islamist militant group based in Nigeria.

BA Regime

Authoritarian system ruled by military and technocratic elites.

Charismatic Authority

Power based on devotion to a leader's personal appeal and extraordinary qualities.

Citizenship

Legal membership in a state with associated rights and duties.

Constitutional Monarchy

System where a ruler's power is limited by legal structures or a constitution.

Coup d’état

Sudden, illegal seizure of government power.

Cult of Personality

Exaggerated public glorification and idealization of a political leader.

Direct Democracy

System where citizens vote directly on policies rather than through elected representatives.

Empirical

Based on direct, observable evidence or data.

Executive Power

Authority to enforce laws and administer public policy.

Externalities

Effects or costs/benefits experienced by third parties outside of a political or economic transaction.

Federalism

System dividing political power between a national government and subnational state governments.

Forbearance

Intentional decision by political actors not to exercise available legal authority.

Head of Government

Chief official who leads executive functions and daily management of government.

Head of State

Chief official who serves as the primary symbolic representative of a nation.

Herrenvolk Regime

System in which political rights and privileges are restricted to a single racial group.

Illiberal Democracy

System with regular elections where civil liberties and rights are severely restricted.

Judicial Power

Authority to interpret laws and resolve legal disputes.

Junta

Council of military officers ruling a country after seizing power.

Legislative Power

Authority to make, alter, and repeal laws.

Nation-State

Sovereign state closely aligned with a shared cultural or national identity.

NGOs

Independent non-profit organizations pursuing social or public policy goals.

Normative

Perspective focused on evaluating how political systems or events ought to be.

Olusegun Obasanjo

Nigerian military ruler who later served as an elected civilian president.

PDP

Major political party in Nigeria (People's Democratic Party).

Personalistic Regime

Authoritarian system where power is heavily centered on a single individual ruler.

Polyarchy

Democracy characterized by broad citizen participation and open political competition.

Presidentialism

System where an elected chief executive is separate from the legislature.

Procedural Democracy

System defined by formal democratic processes like elections, regardless of substantive outcomes.

Rational-Legal Authority

Power based on established rules, legal rationality, and formal procedure.

Regime

Set of formal and informal rules and institutions organizing political power.

Representative Democracy

System where citizens elect officials to make policy decisions and govern on their behalf.

Rule of Law

Principle that all people and institutions, including the government, are subject to law.

Single-Party Authoritarian Regime

System where one political party controls government and restricts political competition.

Sovereignty

State's supreme legal authority and control over its territory and domestic affairs.

Supermajority

Voting requirement greater than a simple majority (50%) needed to pass measures.

Technocratic Rule

System where political decision-making power is held by specialized experts.

Territoriality

Principle of political authority exercised over a defined geographic space.

Theocratic Regime

Government system strongly based on religious authority and divine law.

Totalitarian Regime

Government that seeks complete control over nearly all aspects of public and private life.

Traditional Authority

Power rooted in longstanding customs, habits, and social traditions.

Treaty of Westphalia

1648 settlement that established principles of modern state sovereignty.

Unitary States

Systems in which ultimate political authority is concentrated in a single central government.