POLS 2602 (Test 1)

Democratization

Countries becoming democratic

Socioeconomic devlopment

People are living lives better economically (cleaner water, food accessibility)

Globalization

Opportunity to trade products and ideas

Public Sphere

Deals with collective decisions that extend beyond the individual and involve government action

Private Sphere

Deals with actions that do not bind anyone outside a group (family, friends)

Politics

Activities associated with the control of public decisions among a given people and within a given territory

Common challanges of the state

Building community and identity, securing economic development and growth, and advancing democracy and civil liberties

Political consequences of absence of common identity

Conflicts over nationality, ethnicities, religious identities can cause political turmoil

Nation

Self-identification of a people with a common identity

Ethnicity

Max Weber argued that ethnic groups are usually defined by common physical traits, languages, and cultures that individuals believe seperates them from other people

Two major forces that transform political systems

Process of economic development and political democratization

Largest cause of political conflict

Unequal distribution of resources and opportunities

Population growth

Increases due to health care improvement, increased living standards, increased life expectancy

Environmental costs

Despoiled forests, depleted soils and fisheries, polluted air and water, nuclear waste, endangered specoes, and ozone questions

Democratization

Second major force of transforming political systems — includes enhancement of human rights and expansion of freedom

Democracy

Political system where citizens enjoy basic civil and political rights. Political leaders are elected in free and fair elections and are accountable under the law

What governments do

Community and nation building, security and order, protecting rights, promoting economic efficiency and growth, social justice, protecting the weak

When do Governments become the problem

Economic inefficiency, government for private gain, vested interests and inertia, destruction of community, violations of basic rights and tyranny

Contemporary Political Scientists

Explains difference between processes and performances of political system.

Conceptual framework

Clearly defined and well understoof

Intersubjective

Understood in same way by different subjects

Theories

Well supported statements about causal relationships

Hypotheses

Casual explanations not yet proven

Political Data

Useful in testing hypotheses

Variables

Differing features associated with cases

Predictions

Testing hypotheses against data

Political Systems

Set of institutions concerned with formulating and implementing collective goals (legislatures, bureaucracies, and courts)

International political systems

Exchanges among countries, interdependence and globalization

Domestic political systems

Economic and social systems, political culture

Structure

Perform functions which enable governments to formulate, implement, and enforce policies

Six types of political strucures

Political parties, interests groups, legislatures, executives, bureaucracies, courts

Functions

Activities necessary for policy to be made and implemented in any political system

Interest Articulation

inviduals/groups expressing needs/demands

Interest Aggregation

Combines different demands into policy proposals

Policymaking

Decided which policy proposals become authoriative rules

Policy Implementation

Enforces public policies

Policy Adjudication

Settles disputes about policy applications

Structural-functional approach

Can have two coountries with the same structures but dont function in the same way

System Functions

Determine whether or not system will be maintained or changed

Political Socialization

Families, schools, media, churches, and political structures that develop, reinforce and transform the political culture

Political Recruitment

Selection of people for political activity and government offices

Political Communication

Flow of the information through society and various structures that make up the political system

Policy Performance

Essential to understanding how political systems respond to the great contemporary challenges of building community, fostering economic development, and securing democracy

Outcome of Public Policy

Never wholly in the hands of the poeple and leaders: internal environment, external world, simple chance may frustrate most thoughtfully crafted programs and plans

Political Culture

Public attitudes toward politics and its role within political system

Political Socialization

How individuals form their political values and beliefs through various influences such as family, education, and media.

Three levels of political culture

Political system, Political and Policymaking Process, and Policy Outputs and Outcomes

System Level

How people view values and organizations that comprise the political system

Process level

Expectations of how politics should function and individuals’ relationship to political process. Broad support for democratic principles and nondemocratic forms of governance no longer accepted.

Policy Level

Public’s policy expectations for government. This includes opinions on specific policies, the effectiveness of government actions, and the role of government in addressing societal issues.

Legitimacy

Basic understanding between citizens and political officials (people obey laws, government meets obligations)

Systems with low legitimacy

People resort to violence to solve political disagreement

Consensual or Conflictual Political Cultures

A country deeply divided in its political values with differences persisting over time, may develop distinctive political subcultures

Congruence Theory

Distribution of cultural patterns typically related to type of political process citizens expect and support a given political system. It suggests that political stability is enhanced when cultural values align with political institutions.

Political Socialization

Refers to a way political values are formed and political culture is transmitted from one generation to next

Direct Socialization

Involves an actor explicitly communicating information

Indirect Socialization

Political views are inadvertently molded by our experiences

Democratization

Modernization eroded legitimacy of nondemocratic ideologies; increased citizens claims for equal participation in policymaking

Marketization

Increased acceptance of free-market over government control of economy

Globalization

Increasing international interactions expose people to norms of other nations