Unit 2: Intro to comparative politics

Direct Democracy

Citizens vote directly on laws and policies.

Representative Democracy

Citizens elect officials to make laws on their behalf.

Deliberative Democracy

System where citizens make decisions through deep discussion and reasoned debate, rather than just voting.

Separation of Powers

Dividing government into legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Checks and Balances

Rules preventing any one government branch from becoming too powerful.

Plurality Voting (FPTP)

The candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority.

Majoritarian Voting

A candidate must win over 50% of the vote to win.

Proportional Representation

Parties receive legislative seats in proportion to their vote share.

Ranked-Choice Voting

Voters rank candidates in order of preference.

Primary Meaning of Federalism

Guaranteed division of power between central and regional governments.

Secondary Meaning of Federalism

Supporting institutions: strong bicameralism, rigid constitution, and judicial review.

Interest Group Pluralism

Uncoordinated, open competition among competing interest groups.

Interest Group Corporatism

Cooperation among government, labor unions, and business associations.

Rigid Constitution

A constitution that requires extraordinary majorities to change.

Judicial Review

Courts' power to test whether laws violate the constitution.

Authoritarianism

Government that limits citizen choice and lacks free, fair elections.

Totalitarianism

Total state control over every aspect of public and private life.

Political Legitimacy

The public belief that governing institutions are right and proper.

Nation (Anderson)

An imagined political community that is inherently limited and sovereign.

Nationalism (Hearn)

Claims made by a population to identity, jurisdiction, and territory.

Modernism (Nationalism)

Theory that nations are modern inventions tied to the modern state.

Descriptive Representation

Elected officials share demographic traits with the people they represent. WHO THEY ARE- DEMOGRAPHICALLY

Substantive Representation

Elected officials pass policies and advocate for a group's interests. WHAT THEY DO

Equality of Opportunity

Removing unfair barriers to give everyone a fair chance to compete.

Equality of Result

Ensuring fair outcomes and equal distribution of power.

Legally Mandated Quotas

Guaranteed representation quotas written into law or the constitution.

Voluntary Party Quotas

Internal diversity targets chosen by individual political parties.

Primordialists

Identity is born. It views ethnic and national identity as an ancient, natural, and permanent fixture of human life rooted in blood, culture, and history.

Instrumentalists

Identity is used. It views ethnicity as a flexible tool manipulated by political elites to win power, wealth, or resources.

Modernists

Identity is built. It views nations as artificial, recent creations manufactured by modern forces like industrialization, capitalism, and state-run schooling.