CP: Midterm

1) comparative politics

The study and comparison of domestic politics across countries

1) International relations

A field in political science that concentrates on relations between countries, such as foreign policy, war, and foreign aid.

1) institution

an organization or activity that is self-perpetuating and valued for its own sake.

1) politics

The struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group.

1) power

The ability to influence others or impose one’s will on them.

1) comparative method

The means by which social scientists make comparison across cases.

1) inductive reasoning

Research that works from case studies in order to generate hypotheses.

1) deductive reasoning

Research that works from a hypothesis that is then tested against data.

1) correlation

an apparent relationship between two or more variables.

1) causal relationship

cause and effect; when a change in one variable causes a change in another variable.

1) multi-causality

when variables are interconnected and interact together to produce particular outcomes.

1) area studies

A regional focus when studying political science, rather than studying parts of the world where similar variables are clustered.

1) selection bias

A focus on effects rather than causes, which can lead to inaccurate conclusions about correlation or causation.

1) endogeneity

The issue that cause and effect are not often clear in that variables may be both cause and effect in relationship to one another.

1) theory

An integrated set of hypotheses, assumptions, and facts.

1) modernization theory

A theory asserting that as societies developed, they would take on a set of common characteristics, including democracy and capitalism.

1) behavioral revolution

A movement within political science during the 1950s and 1960s to develop general theories about individual political behavior that could be applied across all countries.

1. qualitative method

study through an in-depth investigation of a limited number of cases.

1) quantitative method

study through statistical data from many cases.

1) rational choice

Approach that assumes that individuals weigh the cost and benefits and make choices to maximize their benefits.

1) game theory

An approach that emphasizes how actors or organizations behave in their goal to influence other; built upon assumptions of rational choice.

1) formal institution

institutions usually based on official sanctioned rules that are relatively clear

1) informal institution

Institution with unwritten and unofficial rules

1) freedom

The ability of an individual to act independently, without fear of restriction or punishment by the state or other individuals or groups in society.

1) equality

A shared material standard of individual within a community, society, or country.

2) state

The organization that maintains a monopoly of force over a given territory. A set of political institutions to generate and execute policy regarding freedom and equality

2) sovereignty

the ability of a state to carry out actions or policies within a territory independently from external actors or internal rivals.

2) regime

the fundamental rules and norms of politics, embodying long-term goals regarding individual freedom and collective equality, where power should reside and the use of that power.

2) government

the leadership or elite in charge of running the state

2) country

term used to refer to state, government, regime, and the people who live within that political system.

2) legitimacy

A value whereby an institution is accepted by the public as right and proper, thus giving it authority and power.

2) traditional legitimacy

Legitimacy that accepts aspects of politics because they have been institutionalized over a long period of time.

2) charismatic legitimacy

Legitimacy built on the force of ideas embodied by an individual leader.

2) federalism

a system in which significant state power, such as taxation, lawmaking, and security are devolved to regional or local bodies.

2) asymmetric federalism

when power is divided unevenly between regional bodies- for example, some regions are given greater power over taxation or language right than others- a more likely outcome in a country with significant ethnic divisions.

2) unitary state

A state in which most political power exists at the national level, with limited local authority.

2) devolution

A process in which political power is “sent down” to lower levels of state and government.

2) Strong state

A state that is able to fulfill basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules collecting taxes, and managing the economy.

2) weak state

a state that has difficulty fulfilling basic tasks, such as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy.

2) failed state

A state so weak that its political structure collapse, leading to anarchy and violence.

2) capacity

the ability of the state to wield power to carry out basic tasks such as defending territory making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes and managing the economy.

2) autonomy

The ability of the state to wield its power independently of the public.

3) society

complex human organization; a collection of people bound by shared institution that define how human relations should be conducted.

3) ethnic identity/ethnicity

Specific attributes and societal institutions that make one group of people culturally different from others.

3) nation

a group that desires self-government through an independent state.

3) national identity

A sense of belonging to a nation and a belief in its political aspirations.

3) nationalism

Pride in one’s people and the belief that they have a unique political destiny.

3) citizenship

An individual’s relationship to the state, wherein citizens swear allegiance to that state and the state in return is obligated to provide rights to those citizens.

3) patriotism

Pride in one’s state.

3) nation-state

A state encompassing one dominant nation that it claims to embody and represent.

3) ethnic conflict

A conflict in which different ethnic groups struggle to achieve certain political or economic goals at each other’s expense.

3) national conflict

a conflict in which one or more groups within a country develop clear aspirations for political independence, clashing with others as a result.

3) Political attitude

Description of one’s views regarding the speed and methods with which political changes should take place in a given society.

3) radicals

those with a political attitude that favor dramatic, often revolutionary change.

3) liberals

those with a political attitude that favors evolutionary change and who believe that existing institutions can be instruments of positive change.

3) Conservatives

those with a political attitude that is skeptical of change and supports the current order

3) reactionaries

Those who seek to restore the institutions of a real or an imagined earlier order.

3) political ideology

The basic values held by an individual about the fundamental goals of politics or the ideal balance of freedom and equality.

3) liberalism

A political attitude that favors evolutionary transformation. An ideology and political system that favors a limited state role in society and the economy and places a high priority on individual political and economic freedom.

3) liberal democracy

A political system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty and emphasizes individual freedom and civil rights.

3. Communism

A political economic system in which all wealth and property are shared so as to eliminate exploitation, oppression, and, ultimately, the need for political institutions such as the state. A political ideology that advocates such a system.

3) social democracy (socialism)

A political economic system in which freedom and equality are balanced through the state’s management of the economy and the provision of social expenditure. A political ideology that advocates such a system.

3) fascism

A political ideology that asserts the superiority and inferiority of the different groups of people and stresses a low degree of both freedom and equality in order to achieve a powerful state.

3) anarchism

A political ideology that stresses the elimination of the state and private property as a way to achieve both freedom and equality for all.

3) fundamentalism

A view of religion as absolute and inerrant and that should be legally enforced by making faith the sovereign authority.

3) culture

basic institutions that define a society

3) political culture

the basic norms for political activity in a society

4) political economy

The study of the interaction between states and markets

4) Markets

The interaction between the forces of supply and demand that allocates resources.

property

Goods or services that are owned by an individual or a group, privately or publicly

4) Public goods

Goods, provided or secured by the state, available to society and which no private person or organization can own

4) social expenditures

State provision of public benefits, such as education, health care, and transportation

4) gross domestic product (GDP)

the total market value of all goods and services produced by a country over a period of one year.

4) central bank

The state institution that controls how much money is flowing through the economy, as well as how much it cost to borrow money in that economy.

4) inflation

an outstripping of supply by demand, resulting in an increase in the general price level of goods and services and the resulting loss of value in a country’s currency.

4) hyperinflation

Inflation of more than 50% a month for more than two months in a row.

4) deflation

A period of falling prices and values for goods, services, investment, and wages.

4) regulations

A rule or an order that sets the boundaries of a given procedure.

4) monopoly

A single producer that is able to dominate the marker for a good or service without effective competition.

4) Tariff

A tax on imported goods.

4) quota

A non-tariff barrier that limits the quantity of a good that may be imported into a country

4) non-tariff regulatory barriers

Policies and regulations used to limit imports through methods other than taxation

4) comparative advantage

The ability of one country to produce a particular good or service more efficiently relative to other countries efficiency in producing the same good or service.

political-economic system

the relationship between political and economic institutions in a particular country and the policies and outcomes they create.

4) laissez-faire

The principle that the economy should be “allowed to do” what it wishes; a liberal system of minimal state interference in the economy

4) Capitalism

A system of production based on private property and free markets.

4) mercantilism

A political-economic system in which national economic power is paramount and the domestic economy is viewed as an instrument that exists primarily to serve the needs of the state.

4) parastatal

Industry partially owned by the state

4) purchasing power parity (PPP)

A statistical tool that attempts to estimate the buying power of income across different countries by using prices in the United States as a benchmark.

4) Gini Index

A statistical formula that measures the amount of inequality in a society; its scale ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 correspond to perfect equality and 100 to perfect inequality.

4. Human Development Index (HDI)

A statistical tool that attempts to evaluate the overall wealth, health, and knowledge of a country’s people.

4) economic liberalization

Changes consistent with liberalism that aim to limit the power of the state and increase the power of the market and private property in an economy.

6) democracy

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

6) liberal democracy

A political system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty and emphasizes individual freedom and civil rights.

6) Republicanism

indirect democracy that emphasizes the separation of power within a state and the representation of the public through elected officials.

6) separation of powers

the clear division of power among different branches of government and the provision that specific branches may check the power of other branches.

6) civil society

Organizations outside of the state that help people define and advance their own interests

6) executive

The branches of government that carries out the laws and polices of a state

6) Head of state

The executive role that symbolizes and represent the people both nationally and internationally

6) Head of Government

the executive role that deals with everyday tasks of running the state, such as formulating and executing policy.