CoGo Terms

Special economic zones

areas in China (particularly along China’s east coast) designated by the government as regions where private businesses could attract foreign direct investment.

Multinational corporations (MNCs)

businesses with a large presence in countries in different regions of the world.

Privatization

converting government-owned industries to businesses run with free-market forces that are owned and operated by private investors.

Nationalization

government-owned industries run without free-market forces.

Economic Globalization

includes economic networks that are growing more interconnected, a worldwide market with actors unconstrained by political borders, and a reduction in state control over economies.

Foreign direct investment

money invested in private businesses by individuals or a corporation outside of the country that can pose a challenge to a government’s foundational economic and political ideas and principles.

International organizations

organizations joined by member states with a common interest such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF,) the World Bank and the United Nations

Environmental degradation

environmental problems created by industrialization and other forms of economic development.

Supranational organizations

organizations in which member states grant the governing organization sovereignty over policies typically related to trade such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the European Union (EU), and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

World Bank (WB)

multi-country financial services provider and lender that offers loans and grants for lower income countries to build infrastructure projects

International Monetary Fund

exerts great influence through preconditions for financial assistance; countries that receive its assistance often must agree to structural adjustment programs requiring privatization of state-owned companies, reduced tariffs, and reduced governmental subsidies of domestic industries

Tariff

taxes imposed by a government against imported goods

Structural adjustment programs

neoliberal reforms often required by international organizations granting emergency loans to countries that require privatization of state-owned companies, reduced tariffs, and reduced governmental subsidies of domestic industries.

Demographic changes

the growth (or decrease) and movement of a population in a country

Subsidies

government funding made to support domestic industries against foreign competition or to shape economic behaviors

Gender equity

civil rights ideal for women to be protected with equal treatment and to secure equal power as men in governing a country

Austerity measures

governmental budget cuts and / or tax increases intended to decrease budget deficits and national debt; often required for IMF emergency loans.

Trade liberalization

affects the growth of domestic and foreign business, the amount of direct foreign investment, foreign exchange rates, population movement, and often the quality of the environment.

Rentier states

countries that obtain a sizable percentage of total government revenue from the export of oil and gas or from leasing the resource to foreign countries and have been able to raise standards of living and fund governmental programs based on their huge reserves

Maquiladora zones

areas of Mexico’s manufacturing industry mostly located in northern Mexico; factories established to assemble parts imported from the United States for assembly in Mexico made more possible due to NAFTA.

Economic diversification

when a country is able to obtain economic balance between agriculture, manufacturing and service without over dependence on one commodity or economic sector.

Import substitution industrialization (ISI)

policies aimed at reducing foreign dependency by raising tariffs and encouraging local production of industrialized products.

Resource curse

countries that rely too heavily on the export of commodities face negative economic, political and environmental consequences.

Industrialization

movement from agricultural economic production to industrial manufacturing

Political Socialization

the lifelong process of acquiring one’s beliefs, values, and orientations toward the political system

Political Culture

the collective attitudes, values, and beliefs of the citizenry and the norms of behavior in the political system

Political Ideology

is a set of values and beliefs about the goals of government, public policy, or politics

Civil Society

voluntary associations independent from the state, including local religious and neighborhood organizations, news media, business and professional associations and nongovernmental organizations

Nongovernmental Organizations

civil society groups that provide services governments can also provide such as volunteer fire departments.

Communism

belief in the abolition of private property with near total governmental control of the economy

Individualism

belief in individual civil liberties and freedom over governmental restrictions

Socialism

belief in the reduction of income disparities and the nationalization of major private industries

Neoliberalism

belief in limited government intervention in the economy.

Fascism

extreme nationalist ideology that favors authoritarian rule and the rights of the ethinic majority over that of ethnic minorities and the political opposition

Populism

political philosophy that supports the interest and rights of the common people over the elite

Rule of Law

is the principle that a state should be governed by known laws and not arbitrary decisions made by individual government officials

Authority

state’s legitimate right to enforce a power

Power

ability of the state to influence the conduct of individuals and organizations within the state

Political Rights

is the protection of citizen’s ability to run for office in free, fair and competitive elections

Welfare State

a government that takes responsibility for providing key social services such as healthcare, education, housing and retirement benefits

Civil Liberties

is an individual’s protection against abuse of powers by the government

Post-Materialism

social values of self-expression and quality of life issues and social and economic equality such as LGBT rights and abortion rights

Civil Rights

is the protection of groups of citizens from discrimination by the government or other individuals

Formal Political Participation

Government controlled methods of individuals voicing political opinions that are regulated by set laws such as casting a ballot in a government election

Political Participation

ways citizens can attempt to shape government policy.

Informal Political Participation

Voluntary individual actions intended to shape governmental policies with less regulation by the government such as protest and political criticism expressed through social media.

Cleavages

internal decisions that structure societies and may be based on class, ethnicity, religion, or territory

Brute Repression

use of coercive force by the government to suppress actions the government opposes

Referenda

allow citizens to vote directly on policy questions

Separatist Movement

when a group’s actions to gain greater autonomy from a government diminishes the sovereignty of that government

Political Stability

the ability of a government to consistently provide services that meet the basic needs of most of the population to foster the public’s confidence in the institutions of the state

Quantitative Data

information that can be measured with numbers

Qualitative Data

information that is difficult to measure including sources such as speeches, foundational documents, political cartoons, maps, and political commentaries

Empirical Data

fact-based information from observation or experimentation.

Normative Statement

is a value or opinion statement that cannot be proven or disproven.

Governmental Transparency

the ability of citizens to access information about a government’s policy making and policy implementation to help hold officials accountable

Causation

causal relationship that's difficult to determine with certainty. Often there are numerous variables that potentially influence things with no way to isolate and demonstrate which is producing the change

Correlation

exists when there is an association between two or more variables.

Human Development Index

a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions including statistics about life expectancy, amount of schooling, and income

GDP Growth Rate

shows the rate of national economic expansion.

Gini Index

shows income inequality within a country.

Gross Domestic Product

the market value of goods and services produced over a certain time in a country. Depicts the overall size of a national economy.

GDP Per Capita

can reflect the size of the national economy in comparison with the population size.

Governmental Corruption

when public officials abuse power for personal benefit.

Freedom House

scores are reported by a non-governmental organization that ranks countries based on scores for political rights and civil liberties.

The Fragile State Index

reported by The Fund for Peace which is a non-governmental organization that assesses and ranks countries based on their potential to weaken due to conflicts and domestic turmoil.

Regimes

the fundamental rules that control access to and the exercise of political power. Typically endure from government to government

Government

the set of institutions or individuals legally empowered to make binding decisions for a state

States

are political organizations that combine a permanent population with governing institutions to exercise control over denied territory with international recognition

Political Systems

comprises the law, ideas, and procedures that address who should have authority to rule and what the government’s influence on its people and economy should be.

Sovereignty

the independent legal authority over a population in a particular territory.

Free and Fair Elections

allow competition so that an opposition candidate and party can defeat the ruling candidate and party.

Rule of Law

principle that a state should be governed by known laws and not arbitrary decisions made by individual government officials

Nation

group of people with commonalities including race, language, religion, ethnicity, political identity and aspirations.

Corporatist System

government created and supported interest groups that become the government’s preferred linkage institutions for citizen participation

Suffrage

the right to vote

Civil Rights

protection of groups of citizens from discrimination by the government or other individuals

Civil Liberties

an individual's protection against abuse of powers by the government.

Pluralist System

citizens can affiliate with more independent interest groups to attempt to shape public politics

Independent Election Commissions

attempt to reduce voter fraud and manipulation and enhance electoral competition

Independence of Government Branches

prevents any one branch from controlling all government power

Gender Quotas

governmental or party rules intended to increase female representation in legislatures

Authoritarianism

a political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public

Democratic Electoral System

accommodate and increase multiparty competition with rule adjustments, including gender or cultural quotas, proportional representation, and changes in vote thresholds and district boundaries

Democracy

a political system in which political power is exercised either directly or indirectly by the people

One-Party States

when rival parties are prohibited from controlling governmental power

Illiberal Democracies

a regime where democratic institutions that rest upon the rule of law are weakly institutionalized and poorly respected

Theocracies

require the state to be controlled by leaders of a particular religion

Hybrid Regimes

hold elections with little competition toward the ruling party and that tend to have diminished civil liberties

Military Regimes

when military leaders hold top positions of government authority

Democratization

transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime

Political Efficacy

citizen’s belief that their political participation impacts the shaping of governmental policies

Coup

a sudden and illegal removal of a government and seizure of its power by an elite faction typically allied with military and security leaders

Revolution

overthrow and replacement of a political system with the support of a large portion of the country's population

Totalitarian Governments

authoritarian governments that severely limit citizens rights to movement and free choice of employment

Democratic Consolidation

process by which a democratic regime matures in terms of election rules, separation of powers, and protection of civil liberties, making it unlikely to revert to authoritarianism without an external shock

Coercion

the use of government force to guide citizen behavior and actions. Can be as small as a citation and small fine to as large as brute force and violence

Federal States

divide power among different levels of government to confer a degree of local autonomy in supplying social and educational services, while also reserving powers for the national government

Power

ability of the state to influence the conduct of individuals and organizations within the state

Authority

state’s legitimate right to enforce a power