Levels of Measurement

These flashcards cover key concepts related to levels of measurement, types of variables, and methods of assessing democracy as discussed in the lecture.

Nominal Level

A measurement level categorizing variables without any inherent order or ranking, indicating only differences between categories.

Dichotomous Variable

A specific type of nominal variable that measures the presence or absence of an attribute with only two possible categories.

Ordinal Level

A measurement level that ranks categories in a specific order, indicating a hierarchy or preference without assuming equal intervals.

Interval Level

A measurement level that includes all information from nominal and ordinal levels but introduces meaningful intervals between values without a true zero.

Ratio Level

The highest level of measurement that includes a meaningful zero point, representing the absence of the attribute being measured.

Ex ante uncertainty

A condition in contested elections where voters do not know the outcome before voting.

Ex post irreversibility

A condition in elections where the electoral winner actually assumes office, confirming the transfer of power.

Polity Score

A composite score calculated as the difference between Democracy and Autocracy scores, ranging from -10 to +10.

Freedom House

An organization that evaluates political and civil rights in nearly 200 countries annually, producing a composite score classifying nations as Free, Partly Free, or Not Free.

Operationalization

The process of translating abstract concepts into measurable variables to enable empirical analysis.