Political Economy and UK State Building Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering theories of state building in the UK, economic growth metrics, inequality measures, and political economy concepts.

Secession of the Republic of Ireland (1923)

The 1923 departure of a significant portion of Ireland from the UK, while Northern Ireland remained part of the UK.

September 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum

A referendum where two main blocks argued 'Yes' for independence or 'No' to stay in the UK; $55\%$ of Scots voted to remain part of The UK.

Bellis' Theory

A state-building theory arguing that the unified state was created through military conflict, annexation, and incorporation.

Economic Theory of UK State Building

An explanation of state building pointing to the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the capitalist class as creating strong incentives for modern state institutions to develop.

Cultural Argument for State Building

A theory suggesting that Calvinism (a version of Protestantism) along with the rise of nationalism was a key factor in shaping modern UK state institutions.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per Capita

The basic standard guiding economic indicator measuring total GDP divided by population, used by organizations like the World Bank to cluster countries by income level.

Gross National Income (GNI)

A broad indicator of economic development measuring the total income of a country's population regardless of whether they live at home or abroad.

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

An indicator sensitive to currency purchasing power, using a benchmark (such as $1\,\text{US Dollar}$) to compare what local currency can buy across different regions.

Gini Coefficient

A measure of income inequality conceptualized on a line from $0$ to $1$, where $0$ represents a perfectly equal society and $1$ represents complete inequality where one person owns everything.

Resource Curse

An economic phenomenon where countries with abundant natural resources often face high unemployment, economic destabilization, and authoritarian political tendencies over time.

Predatory States

States whose political elites pocket income from resource exports rather than sharing wealth with the population, using military force and political repression to retain power.

Human Capital

An indicator representing accumulated skills and human investments, evaluated specifically through two primary measures: health and education.

Economic Functions of Modern States

Core state responsibilities including economic management, delivering welfare (education, healthcare, infrastructure), and intervening in the economy (such as providing pension systems).

Oil Watch

A grassroots advocacy group across African countries that monitors environmental sustainability, transparency, and local community benefits from natural resource investments.