Unit 1: Political Systems, Regimes, and Governments

Empirical data

fact-based information from observation or experimentation

Normative Statement

value or opinion statement that can't be proven or disproven

Qualitative data

difficult to measure; eg. speeches, docs, maps, cartoons

Correlation association between two or more variables

Causation

difficult to determine with certainty when there are many variables

Human development index (HDI)

summary of achievements in key dimensions: life expectancy, amount of schooling, income. higher score = more developed

Gross domestic product (GDP)

Economic health: market value of goods and services developed over a certain time

GDP per capita

reflects size of national economy in comparison to population

GDP growth rate

shows rate of national economic expansion

GINI Index

Income inequality: higher % = more inequality

Freedom House

Political rights and civil liberties; higher score = more free

Government transparency

ability of citizens to access information about government policy making and implementation

Governmental corruption

when public officials abuse power for personal benefit

Fragile States Index

potential of a state to weaken from conflict/domestic turmoil; higher score = more fragile corruption

Corruption Perception Index

perception of corruption; higher score = less corruption

Purchasing power parity

the value of a country's $$; how effective $ is buying the same product in different places

Political systems

laws, ideas, and procedures that address who has authority and what influence the government should have

States

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

Regimes

fundamental rules that control access to and exercise of political power; usually endure between governments

Government

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

Sovereignty

independent legal authority over a population in a territory

Nation

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

Rule of law

a state should be governed by known laws and not arbitrary decisions

Free and fair elections

allow competition so an opposition candidate could potentially beat the ruling party

Independence of government branches

presents any one branch from controlling all power

Independent election commissions

reduce voter fraud and manipulation; enhance electoral competition

Suffrage

voting rights

Civil rights

protection from discrimination

Civil liberties

protection from tyranny and abuse (of gov't powers)

Corporatist system

government created and supported interest groups that become the government's preferred linkage institutions

Pluralist system

citizens can affiliate more with independent interest groups to shape policy

Democratic electoral systems

accommodate ethnic diversity and increase multi-party competition

Gender quotas

governmental or party rules to increase female representation

Democracy/Authoritarianism

extent of state adherence to rule of law; degree of influence on media; free and fair elections; transparency of decision making; political participation; independence of government branches

Illiberal Democracies OR hybrid regimes

hold elections with little competition and have diminished civil liberties

One-party states

rival parties are prohibited from controlling governmental power

Theocracies

require leader to be of a certain religion

Totalitarian government

authoritarian government that severely limits citizen's rights to movement and free choice of employment

Military regime

military leaders hold top positions and authority

Democratization

transition from authoritarian to democratic regime

Democratic consolidation

process when a democratic regime matures; unlikely to revert to authoritarianism

Power

ability of state to influence conduct of individuals/organizations within state

Authority

state's legitimate right to enforce a power

Source of power/authority

constitutions, religion, military, political parties, legislatures, popular support

Federal states

divide power among different levels of government to give local autonomy

Unitary states

concentrate power at the national level with more uniform policies

Devolution

delegation of power to regional governments; can enhance or weaken legitimacy

Legitimacy

whether a government's constituents believe their government has the right to use power in the way they do; can confer legitimacy and thus increase power

Sources of legitimacy

popular elections, nationalism, tradition, government effectiveness, economic growth, ideology, religion, endorsements

Political stability

ability of government to consistently provide services that meet basic needs of population

Coercion

use of government force to guide citizen behavior and actions