ps 220 exam 2

collective action problem

A situation in which individuals would all benefit from a certain action but have an incentive to free ride on the efforts of others, leading to suboptimal outcomes

collective action problem - solution

• coercion

  • participating because they have no choice

• appeal (emotions, morals)

  • emotional or psychological satisfaction

• entice (private goods)

  • attract participants by offering private goods in exchange for participation

  • private access to leaders/decision making

• political leadership

  • coherent messaging, organizational skills and charisma to attract followers

social movements

• organized, sustained, and collective efforts

• make claims on behalf of members of a group

• challenge the power of government authorities or other groups in civil society

social movements - interactions with government

• outside actor - pressuring government for specific goals

• inside actor - becoming part of government to fight for your policy from the inside

  • may cause policy goals to become watered down

  • may lose legitimacy within your original base

Civil society in democracies vs. autocracies

• democracies

  • encourage strong civil society

• autocracies

  • civil society still present

  • slight control - can’t be anti government

  • must still fit in with the general culture and vibe of the regime

• totalitarianism

  • no civil society

  • ‘civil society’ completely controlled by the government

democratic transition

liberalizing/weakening of authoritarian regime

democratic consolidation

institutionalization and acceptance of new regime as the legitimate government, ensuring stability and adherence to democratic norms.

democratic backsliding

regime change toward autocracy in which the exercise of political power becomes more arbitrary and repressive. The process typically restricts the space for public contest and political participation in the process of government selection.

causes/types of democratic backsliding

• grievance-filled illiberalism

  • coming into power saying they’re going to disrupt the system

  • ie Orban

• opportunistic

  • come into power conventionally

  • undermine democracy once they’re in power

  • say their power is necessary for survival

  • easier to do when democracy is more influx

• entrenched interest revanchism

  • interest group fighting to get back into power

  • most common in new/transitioning democracies

examples of democratic backsliding

• Hungary/Orban

• USA/Trump

civic culture

• pluralistic culture based on communication and persuasion

• consensus and diversity

• permitted change but moderated

• emphasizes the importance of civic engagement, tolerance, and shared values among citizens.

modernization theory

• economic growth and technological change lead to social and political progress

• weakness: china

foreign policy of major powers

• WWII - caused democratization, formation of EU

• china and russia support autocracies

• US/west usually doesn’t

  • too inconsistent to actually be super helpful

neighborhood effect

• if your neighbor democratizes, you might as well

• if your neighbors are all authoritarian, you might not democratize

• weakness: not all neighbors have the same regime type

linkage and leverage

The strategies used by external actors to influence the political outcomes in other countries, often through conditionality and incentives.

political identity definition

form of social identity marking membership of certain groups that share a common struggle for a certain form of power

political identity types

include ethnic, national, religious, and ideological identities that shape individuals' political behavior and affiliations.

primoridialism

• identities are innate and largely unchangin

• emphasizes kinship bonds:

  • connection to others formed by blood, marriage, or other family ties

  • fundamental building blocks of collective political identities

  • biological instincts create group loyalties

  • kinship bonds become political groups

  • collective mobilization occurs when people perceive threat to collective identity

• critique:

  • what is a civilization ?

  • they lowkey don’t exist now

    • ie muslim world is divided + doesn’t speak with one voice

  • ignores that people can change and choose their identities to an extent

  • potential to mobilize around an identity is not consistent over time

constructivism

• individuals have some choice over their political identities, but the choice is constrained by social context

• certain aspects are choices (nationality, presentation, religion), some are not (ethnicity)

  • may depend on context

    • Brazilians have a wider definition of ‘white’ than Americans

    • may present as one way in one context and a different way in another

• identity can be politicized because someone or some group has an interest in an outcome

  • ie identity politicized for political power

salience

how important is the aspect of identity as a driver of politics

descriptive representation

• • do the representatives resemble the represented

    • race, gender, political identity, religion, life experience, etc

substantive representation

• • requires action

  • are the representatives engaging in surveying the interest of the represented

symbolic representation

• to what extent to representatives stand up for the represented

  • symbols, attire, parades, etc

formal representation

• process by which people come to power

  • procedures, accountability

benevolent secularism

relationship between religion and the state that encourages cooperation between the two. It's a way to describe how religious and secular actors can work together to preserve democracy

secularism trap

• result of tension between religious mobilization and democracy.

• Breakdown of democracy by religious and secular elites - demanding their agenda decreases democracy

• Breakdown of democracy due to the decision of either religious or secular elites to pursue maximalist demands related to the place of religion in democratic politics

ways to avoid secularism trap

• Differentiation of religion and state establishment, religions and the state have cooperation in different issue areas.

• Different material support, religious leaders consulted in policy.

• Principled distance: equal access to cooperation for all religions and religious exemptions.

gender as a category

• men and women possess gender identities as masculine or feminine or in-between.

• Helps categorize continuity and change in cultural traits associated with male and female characteristics.

gender as a political process

• Why/how gender roles and norms have changed.

• Why people involve themselves in politics and how gender involvement in politics changes the political environment

gender gap

• In less-developed societies women are more conservative (traditional)

• In more-developed societies women are more liberal (modern)

• Socioeconomic status impacts gender roles. 

gender quota

• Having a threshold of women in legislative office.

• many ways to accomplish

• Assigned a certain percentage of women for political office.

• Can be official or written into law that all genders have to follow, or voluntary and placed in political parties.

• Seats and percentage of women in the legislature, or candidates.

• Women are still under men in these spots.