comp gov unit 1: political systems, regimes, and governments

Authoritarian Regimes

concentrate power in an authority that is not responsible or accountable to the public

Causation

is difficult to determine with certainty in comparative politics as often there are numerous variables that potentially influence political policies and/or regime stability

Charismatic Legitimacy

a situation wherein people believe the state has the right to rule because of the trust in or popularity of a particular popular leader

Civil Rights

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

Civil Liberties

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

Corporatist System

is a government that creates and supports interest groups (typically labor groups) to represent various sectors of society in decision-making processes.

Correlation

exists when there is an association between two or more variables

Coercion

is the use of government force to guide citizen behavior and actions. It can be as small as a citation and/or small fine to as large as brute force and violence.

Democracy

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

Democracy Index

is an index compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit , a UK-based private company, centrally concerned with political institutions and freedoms, attempting to measure the state of democracy in over 160 countries and territories

Democratic Consolidation

is the 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

Democratic Electoral Systems

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

Democratization

is a transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime; the transition process can start or temporarily change direction but typically moves toward more competition, fairness, and transparency in elections; increased citizen participation in policy-making processes; universal suffrage for adult citizens; greater governmental transparency; protected civil rights and liberties; equal treatment of citizens; and establishment of the rule of law

Devolution

is the delegation of power to regional governments that can enhance or weaken legitimacy. It can create both opportunities for as well as obstacles to resolving social

Empirical Statements

are factual claims that are based on demonstrable evidence alone

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

Fragile States Index (formerly Failed States Index)

is an annual report published by the United States think tank the Fund for Peace that aims to assess states’ vulnerability to conflict or collapse

Free and Fair Elections

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

Freedom House

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

Gender Quotas

are governmental or party rules intended to increase female representation in legislatures

GDP per capita

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

GDP growth rate

shows the rate of national economic expansion

Gini Index

shows income inequality within a country. A Gini of 100% indicates perfect inequality whereas a Gini of 0% indicates perfect equality.

Government

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

Governmental Transparency

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

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

is the market value of goods and services produced over a certain time in a country. GDP can depict the overall size of a national economy.

Human Development Index (HDI)

which comes from the United Nations Development Programme as “a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development” including statistics about life expectancy, amount of schooling, and income

Illiberal democracies and hybrid regimes

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

Legitimacy

refers to whether a government’s constituents believe their government has the right to use power in the way they do. Legitimacy confers authority on and can increase the power of a regime and government.

Military regimes

occur when military leaders hold top positions of governing authority

Nation

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

Normative Statements

are claims that assert a particular value judgment either instead of or in addition to factual , evidence-based assertions

One-Party States

exist when rival parties are prohibited from controlling governmental power

Pluralist System

exists when citizens can affiliate with more independent interest groups to attempt to shape public policies

Political Stability

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

Political Systems

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

Qualitative Data

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

Quantitative Data

is information that can be counted or measured, and given a numerical value

Regimes

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

Rule of law

is the principle that a state should be governed by known laws

Sources of Legitimacy

can include popular electionscan include popular elections, constitutional provisions, nationalism, tradition, governmental effectiveness, economic growth, ideology, religious heritage and organizations, and the dominant political party’s endorsement

Sovereignty

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

States

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

Theocracies

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

Totalitarian governments

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

Transparency International

is a German-based nonprofit association whose non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption

Unitary States

concentrate power at the national level with more uniform policies and potentially more efficient policy making