POSC 240 final Scherpereel JMU comparative politics

Absolute poverty

A conception of poverty that involves setting a certain line below which people will be defined as poor, typically understood in terms of the inability to purchase a certain set of basic goods or services

Apportionment

The process by which legislative seats are distributed among geographic constituencies

Authoritarian persistence

The ongoing continuation of an authoritarian regime, such that democratic transition doesn't take place.

Authoritarianism (D&E)

A form of government or regime that is not democratic

Authoritarianism (L&S)

3 types- totalitarian, post-totalitarian, and sultanistic

Average district magnitude

representatives per population

Bellicist theories of state

Theory associated with scholars such as Charles Tilly, who argue that interstate wars were decisive in the creation of the modern state.

Boko haram

A branch of ISIL that has been active in Nigeria since 2009. States that western learning is a sin.

Bureaucracy

A form of organization that, in its ideal form, has individuals operating and working under established, specified, and complex rules. In the context of the modern state, it typically consists of unelected officials, often in the executive branch, responsible for the implementation, execution, and enforcement of laws and politics.

Caliphate

An Islamic state that is led by a Caliph, who is a political and religious leader that is a descendent of Mohammad

Catch-all parties

Political parties that are flexible on their ideological positions and aim to attract support from a broad range of interest groups and voters

Centrifugal party system

Party system that is moving toward the middle, appealing to more and more voters

Centripetal party system

Party system that is moving toward the middle, appealing to more and more voters

Christian Democratic Welfare States

based on the principle of subsidiarity and the dominance of social insurance schemes, offering a medium level of decommodification and a high degree of social stratification

Civil society

A space in society, often thought of as composed of organizations and voluntary groups, outside of the organization of the state, in which citizens come together to articulate and advance their interests.

Closed-list PR

parties present voters with a list of candidates to elect multiple candidates in a district. In a closed list PR system, you cast your vote for a party list, not for a specific candidate.

Coalition government

A cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate, reducing the dominance of any one party within that coalition

Collective action program

Program in which action is undertaken by individuals and groups to pursue their ends in formally or informally coordinated ways, often in pursuit of some common or public good such as expanded civil rights or sustainable use of common resources

Colonialism

the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically

Comparative checking

The process of testing the conclusions from a set of comparisons against additional cases or evidence

Comparative politics

The subfield of political science that aims to analyze multiple cases using the comparative method

Comparative politics (7 steps)

-Observation

-Conceptualization

-Operationalization

-Comparison across spatial and temporal contexts

-Explain

-Predict

-Advise

Concentrated party system

The extent to which political power and representation in a party system is characterized by relatively small numbers of relatively small numbers of relatively large parties

Concepts

Ideas comparativists use to think about the processes we study

Conceptualization

The deliberate process through which we create and select social-scientific concepts

Congress (vs. parliament)

A form of legislature, typically associated with a presidential system in which there is a separation of powers

Consociationalism

An institutional approach to managing potential conflict in polities with multiple groups, one which involves ensuring that each group has political representation

Constitutional monarchy

A political system in which a monarch such as a king, queen, or emperor plays a role as a head of state, but has powers limited by a constitution

Constitutional republic

A polity without a monarch in which the basic rules of politics are laid out in a constitution

Constructivism

A general term arguing that key phenomena are socially or culturally constructed. In international relations, constructivists hold that decisions made by states need to be understood in the context of social and political interactions, and that behavior is shaped by norms and values as well as narrowly defined interests. In nationalism studies, constructivists argue that national identity should be viewed as a cognitive phenomenon, explained by tracing the historical development of how it was described by members and outsiders.

Coordinated export-led growth

a trade and economic policy aiming to speed up the industrialization process of a country by exporting goods for which the nation has a comparative advantage

Coporatism

A system of interest group representation in which certain major groups are officially designated as representatives of certain interests, and have a more structured interaction with the government in power and with the state's administration

Correlation

A relationship between two variables in which they tend to move in either the same direction (positive ) or in opposite directions (negative)

Coup d'etat

The use of force or threat of force, typically by the military or a coalition involving the military, to impose a non-electoral change of government

Cultural theories of the state

seeks to define the heuristic concept of culture in operational and/or scientific terms

Daesh

Another name for ISIS that they hate because it is a derogatory term.

Declining terms of trade

The price of exports falls relative to imports. Typically a country will have lower living standards and less ability to import.

Deductive reasoning

The process of moving from general claims or theories to specific observations or predictions about a phenomenon or set of cases

Democracy (procedural)

A democracy in which the people or citizens of the state have less influence than in traditional liberal democracies. This type of democracy is characterized by voters choosing to elect representatives in free elections.

Democracy (substantive)

A form of democracy in which the outcome of elections is representative of the people. In other words, substantive democracy is a form of democracy that functions in the interest of the governed.

Democracy's three waves

The First Wave -- during the 19th century, democracy was begun in Western Europe and North America. He argues this first wave lost momentum in the interwar period between WWI and WWII when a number of dictators rose to power.

The Second Wave -- began after WWII and faded out around the 60s - 70s.

The Third Wave -- began in the mid 1970s and is still continuing today. Includes the democratization of Central, Latin, and South America as well as post-Communist Europe. Huntington originally had this wave ending in 1990, but it is generally accepted now to be continuing currently.

Democratic breakdown

The transition from a democratic to a non-democratic regime

Democratic transition

The process through which a non-democratic regime becomes democratic

Democratic consolidation

The process through which, after a transition from authoritarianism, a polity strengthens its democracy

Democratization

The process of a regime becoming more democratic, including both democratic transition and democratic consolidation

Dependency

A theory that argues that developing countries cannot simply embrace free trade because this will lead to ever-increasing wealth disparities between them and the advanced economies

Deviant case

A case that does not fit the pattern predicted by a given theory

Devolution

the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central government to local or regional administration

Diffusion theories of the state

The process through which a practice or idea spreads locally, nationally, and globally

Direct democracy

A conception of democracy that places great emphasis on direct citizen involvement in politics, especially involving plebiscites and/or citizen assemblies

Direct election

With regard to executives, an electoral system in which voters cast a vote directly for the head of government or head of state

Direct interventions

Regulatory actions taken by a government in order to affect or interfere with decisions made by individuals, groups, or organizations regarding social and economic matters

Dissolving the legislature

The practice of a chief executive disbanding the legislature, often accompanied in a democratic regime by calling for new elections

District magnitude

The primary determinant of an electoral system's ability to translate votes cast into seats won proportionally. The district magnitude also has an impact on political parties, candidates, and campaigning.

Dominant-party system

Party system in which a country contains only one large political party that predominates politically, often controlling the legislative and executive branches

Dutch disease

the negative impact on an economy of anything that gives rise to a sharp inflow of foreign currency, such as the discovery of large oil reserves

Duverger's law

a principle that asserts that plurality rule elections structured within single-member districts tend to favor a two-party system

Economic management

States' efforts to shape the economic performance of their societies, especially in fiscal and monetary policy

Economic theories of state

At the most basic level, exchange rates are determined by the demand and supply for different currencies. Most economic theories of exchange rate movements seem to agree that three factors have an important impact on future exchange rate movements in a country's currency: the country's price inflation, the country's interest rate, and market psychology.

Effective number of parties

A measure designed to capture the number of meaningful parties in a party system that weights the number of parties represented by their size

Effectiveness

the degree to which something is successful in producing a desired result; success

Electoral system

consists of the set of rules which must be followed for a vote to be considered valid, and how votes are counted and aggregated to yield a final result

Elite parties

Political parties in which membership scope were largely restricted to a small number of political elites

Empirical critique

An effort to point to important evidence that does not support a conventional version of any given theory

Empirical argument

An argument drawn from actual observation of the world

Empirical falsifiability

Falsifiability or refutability of a statement, hypothesis, or theory is the inherent possibility that it can be proven false

Empirical sovereignty

is not conferred on states by international society. It is demonstrated through a country's capacity to manage its political, economic, legal, and social affairs.

Endogeneity

The name given to any circumstance in which two variables exhibit mutual or reciprocal effects

Environment sustainability

The quality that one or another practice has with being compatible with the long-term health of the environment

Ethnic group

A group that identifies itself as having strong cultural commonality and a shared sense of long-run history, sometimes thinking of itself as a king of kinship group

Ethnic groups of Nigeria

Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%

Ethnic nationalism

A form of nationalism that says that you are a member of the nation because of your ancestry

European social model

a common vision many European states have for a society that combines economic growth with high living standards and good working conditions

Ex-ante popular sovereignty

the principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives (Rule by the People), who are the source of all political power; based on forecasts rather than actual results

Ex-post popular sovereignty

the principle that the authority of a state and its government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives (Rule by the People), who are the source of all political power; based on actual results rather than forecasts

Executive state organs

president, public administrators, governors, etc.

Executive-legislative relations

The set of political relationships between the executive branch of government, which executes laws/policies, and the legislative branch, which often has the authority to pass those laws/policies

Failed state

A state that cannot or does not perform its expected functions

Federalism

System of government with constitutional design of separation of powers between central government and subnational government

Fiscal policy

Budget setting which is dependent on generating revenue followed by government spending

Fragmented party system

Contrasting with concentration, the extent to which political power and representation in a party system is characterized by relatively large numbers of relatively small parties

Functionalism

An often-criticized approach to social scientific explanation that involves explaining something by its consequences

Fused powers

a feature of parliamentary democracies, especially those following the Westminster system, where the executive and legislative branches of government are intermingled

Generalizability

The quality that a given theory, hypothesis, or finding has of being applicable to a wide number of cases

Gini coefficient

The most common measure of income inequality in any given population, usually expressed as a number between 0 and 1, with 0 being total equality and 1 being maximal inequality.

Grand corruption

corruption that pervades the highest levels of a national Government, leading to a broad erosion of confidence in good governance, the rule of law and economic stability

Gross domestic product (GDP)

The total value of goods and services produced in a given country or territory; per capita GDP is divided by the population

Gross national income (GNI)

A measure of the total income of all of a country's citizens, whether living in their home country or abroad

Head of state

A person with executive functions that is a country's symbolic representative, including elected presidents and unelected monarchs

Historical institutionalism

An approach to theorizing that places emphasis on the power of institutions to shape the behavior of individuals, and how this operates over time

Human capital

The education, skills, health, and other qualities individuals and groups possess that affect their economic prospects

Human Development Index (HDI)

A composite measure developed by the United Nations to provide a broad view of annual development and well-being around the world, based on income, life expectancy, and literacy and school enrollments

Hybrid regime

A class of regime that appears to be neither fully democratic nor fully authoritarian, such as electoral authoritarianism, delegative democracy, and illiberal democracy

Hyperinflation

Exceedingly high inflation, which dramatically erodes the value of money over time

Ideal types

A typological term most closely associated with sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920). For Weber, the conduct of social science depends upon the construction of abstract, hypothetical concepts.

Ideology

A systematically coordinated and cognitively salient set of beliefs focused on politics

Illiberal autocracy

a system of government by one person with absolute power

Illiberal democracy

A polity with some democratic features but in which political and civil rights are not all guaranteed or protected

Impersonality

A quality attributed by some scholars to modern states, which are presumed to be less likely to be identified with the personalities of their leaders

Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI)

A development strategy in which the state aims to help the society's industries produce goods and services for the domestic market, substituting these for items that were formerly imported