AP Comparative Government Exam Review Vocab

Flashcards for vocabulary review.

Brexit

The exit of Britain from the EU following a referendum done by Cameron.

Cabinet Government

The central decision making body in the UK in which the executive branch is led by legislatures and the Prime Minister.

Coalition Government

A government formed by multiple political parties due to a single party not winning a majority.

Collective Responsibility

Members of the cabinet are responsible for all government decisions and must publicly support it.

Constitutional Reform Act of 2005

Established the Supreme Court in the UK with no judicial review over parliament because of parliamentary sovereignty.

Fixed Term Parliaments Act of 2011

General elections must happen every 5 years unless there is a vote of no confidence. It was later repealed.

House of Commons

The lower house of parliament that makes laws, controls government spending, and scrutinizes the government. They are voted through FPTP in single-member constituencies.

House of Lords

The upper house of parliament that reviews and revises legislations. They are apportioned through heredity.

National Health Service (NHS)

Publicly funded healthcare system that provides low-cost services funded mainly through taxes, a legacy of the welfare state.

Parliamentary System

A system of government where the executive branch is drawn from the legislative branch. The parliament’s majority party leader is the prime minister, and the PM can be removed by a vote of no confidence.

Quangos

Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organizations that deliver public services and regulate industries.

Thatcherism

Free market capitalism, limited government intervention, individualism, and against trade unions, lasting from 1979 to 1990; includes privatization, tax cuts, and fewer regulations.

Trade Union Congress

National federation of trade unions representing the interests of the organized labor movement and advocates for worker rights.

Two Party System in the UK

The Conservative Party (Tories) and the Labor Party dominate the political sphere due to FPTP electoral systems.

Unitary State

Constitutionally, all political power is at the national level, allowing powers to be devolved to regional/subnational governments; the UK is a unitary state with devolution.

Asymmetric Federalism

Power is devolved unevenly between subnational governments, meaning some regions have more power than other regions over certain things.

Constitution of 1993 (Russia)

After major conflict in the parliament, a constitution was ratified in 1993 that created a system that emphasizes presidential power.

Powers of Constitutional Court (Russia)

It has the power to rule on international treaties, relations between branches of government, impeachment, and violations of civil rights including abstract and concrete review.

Powers of the Duma (Russia)

The Duma has the power to initiate, accept, or reject legislation, override a presidential veto with a ⅔ vote, approve the appointment of the PM, and hold a vote of no confidence to remove a PM.

Current Election System for the Duma (Russia)

From 2016 onwards, the Duma was elected through half FPTP and half PR.

Powers of the Federation Council (Russia)

The Federation Council has the power to approve bills regarding specific issues (budget and taxation for example), presidential appointments to court, declaration of war, martial law, international treaties, and appointment of PM.

Glasnost

Political openness.

Perestroika

Economic restructuring with limited rollback from public life and economic reforms to increase incentives and reduce government control.

Illiberal Democracy/Hybrid Regimes

A government that is democratic on paper but are not actually democratic in practice because Civil Liberties are removed meaning, there are no active civil societies, no free and active media, and democratic norms are not enforced, resulting in this to be classified as an authoritarian regime.

Nashi

A pro-Putin youth civil group society funded and supported by United Russia/Putin to show political legitimacy, promoting ideologies supported by United Russia/Putin.

Oligarchs

Powerful economic leaders who gained major wealth and controlled major portions of the Russian economy during the 1990s period but much of their wealth is gone and they have been exiled or imprisoned.

Power Vertical

Power given to subnational governments funnel back to the central government for example with creation of federal districts with appointed super governors and appointment of members within the Federation Council.

Presidential Election System in Russia

Candidates have to be nominated by a party in the Duma, or require 2 million signatures; a majority vote wins, or a runoff between the top 2 candidates occurs.

Features of Presidential Systems

The president and the legislature serve for fixed terms between 4 to 7 years and The election dates can’t be changed easily and the president or the legislatures cannot be removed through a vote of no confidence.

Rule of Law

The laws apply to everyone equally, no one can be above the law.

Shock Therapy (Russia)

Yeltsin’s failed economic plan to rapidly dismantle central planning and free up prices, resulting in hyperinflation, insider privatization, oligarchs, and economic inequality.

Siloviki

People who hold major political power in Russia and used to work for security agencies like Putin.

United Russia

The political party that Putin aligns with, supporting stability, conservatism, economic development, national pride, and becoming a global superpower.

Role of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

Controls the governing power to maintain order and values of centralism.

Great Firewall of China

Censorship of speech, social media, print media, news, internet, and etc., used to control people and protect the government's legitimacy.

Hukou System

A household registration system that divides urban and rural people by restricting access to benefits based on location.

Impact of the One Child Policy

An unequal increase in men in population and less women due to parents wanting male children who can provide support in the future.

Impact of the Floating Population

Citizens with Rural Hukou who stay in urban areas illegally take lower paying jobs and their children can only get welfare in rural areas some which do not have a hukou.

National Party Congress vs. National People’s Congress (China)

The NPC makes decisions on legislation and approves the state budget & government appointments while the National Party Congress has the power to elect party leaders + checks on the NPC.

One Country, Two Systems

An agreement when Hong Kong became a part of China where people living in Hong Kong are able to express nearly the same freedom that they had when Hong Kong was under British rule.

Parallel Hierarchies/Organizational Parallelism

For every level of government in China, there is also a level of the CCP that checks on that government level.

Role of the PLA (China)

The CCP has control of the PLA which gives power and authority to maintain regime stability with the President as the Commander in Chief.

Politburo

Shapes the country’s foreign, political, and economic policies and is one of the most powerful decision making bodies in China and is part of the CCP’s top leadership.

Elitist Faction (China)

The most predominant faction in the CCP supporting a more capitalistic approach in the economy, favoring corporations in order to benefit the economy.

Rule of Law in China

Rule of Law does not exist and the CCP is always above the law and people cannot go to court expecting justice on freedom of speech.

SEZ (Special Economic Zones)

Areas where capitalist ideas were tested in China that led to a sharp increase in GDP, millions of jobs created, innovation, and urbanization.

State Capitalism (China)

The CCP plays a major role in industries while also allowing private sectors to grow and benefit the economy - including State Owned Enterprises and Centralized Economic Planning.

Role of the State Council (China)

Responsible for implementing laws and policies, economic planning and development, and overseeing local government.

Basij (Iran)

A militia made up of volunteers that is tasked with maintaining islamic laws and maintaining internal security.

Dual Executive

Where two primary sources of executive power exist with unique authority, for example, the Supreme Leader and the President.

Election System for Majiles (Iran)

290 seats with 4 year terms, directly elected SMDs and MMDs with qualified plurality of 25%, and all candidates are pre-screened by the Guardian Council.

Election System for the President(Iran)

The Guardian Council selects the candidates to run for president and they are elected through direct popular vote. If a majority is not received, the top 2 performing candidates go through another election using popular vote.

Role of the Expediency Council

They have the ability to select the Supreme Leader when the Supreme Leader dies. The Expediancy Council wrote the constitution and it was passed by referendum.

Guardian Council (Iran)

Controls the elections by approving candidates for all offices and can approve or veto Majiles legislation to check if it follows Shari’a laws.

Significance of the Islamic Revolution

Led by Ayatollah Khomeini, this popular revolution against the Shah established a theocratic regime based on Sharia law and the Constitution through referendum in 1979.

Jurist Guardianship

A senior Islamic jurist should hold ultimate authority in an Islamic state, including centralized power, religious and political leadership, the Supreme Leader, and the Assembly of Experts.

Role of the Majiles (Iran)

A unicameral legislature that enacts Shari’a laws, approves legislation and presidential nominees, appoints half the Guardian Council, and may issue formal questions the government must answer.

Rentier State

Government revenue is dependent on the import and export of natural resources or by leasing the resource to foreign countries leading to lack of economic diversification, revenue fluctuations based on world market pricing.

Resource Trap

Even though there is an abundance of natural resources, the country experiences economic stagnation, poor governance, and underdevelopment.

Supreme Leader (Iran)

Head of State who determines the “interests of Islam” and has extensive powers including dismissing the president, vetoing legislation, and appointing key officials.

Theocracy

A type of authoritarian regime where there is no division between state and religion.

Boko Haram

A militant Islamic terrorist group in Nigeria that poses a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

Electoral System for the President (Nigeria)

Voted through a fair election system with FPTP. He needs to win 25% of the votes in 2/3s of hte states. He may serve 2, 4 year terms.

Electoral System for the House of Representatives (Nigeria)

Based on the population of the states. They are based on a SMD and voted through FPTP. They serve a 4 year term with unlimited terms.

Electoral System for the Senate (Nigeria)

Senators are elected through a plurality FPTP based on MMD. Every state receives 3 senators and they serve 4 years for unlimited terms.

Federal Character (Nigeria)

The Nigerian constitution allows for an equal distribution of resources among ethnic groups.

Federal System/Federalism

Federalism is where the federal level of government and subnational levels of government is divided.

MEND (Nigeria)

Movement for the Emancipation of the Nigerian Delta is a militant group that advocates the development of the people and protests against the pollution and exploitation of the Nigerian delta.

Ken Saro-Wiwa and MOSOP

Ken Saro-Wiwa adovcated for the rights of the Ogoni people resulting for him to get publicly executed by the militant regime.

The Zoning Principle

The zoning principle allows for representation of different ethnic groups within the executive by alternating teh presidency and vice presidency with a Southern Christian and Northern Muslim.

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

A supranational organization which fosters trade by reducing tariffs and otherwise liberalizing trade.

Failed State

State in which law and order persistently breaks down such as Somalia.

Gini Index/Coefficient

A statistic that measures economic inequality. The bigger the number, the higher the economic inequality.

Import Substitution Industrialization (ISI)

Countries might implement ISI policies in order to bolster their own developing industries by raising tariffs and encouraging local production of industrialized products. ISI is the opposite of economic liberalization.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)-Nigeria

Reduced voter fraud and manipulation and enhance electoral competition.

Role of Political Parties in Nigeria

Support is for the person, not the party itself. Parties must meet ethnic quotas in order to run at a federal level and has broad policy plataforms.

Role of the Judiciary in Nigeria

Effort has been made to reestablish its legitimacy and independence by reducing corruption and has judical review.

Structural Adjustment Programs Nigeria (SAPS)

An example of economic liberalization policies which might require privatization of state-owned companies, reduced tariffs, and reduced governmental subsidies of domestic industries.

Significance of 2000 Presidential Election (Mexico)

PRI was ruling party from 1929 to 2000. In 2000, a different party (PAN) won which helped Mexico to establish itself as a functioning democracy.

Election System of Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)

The lower house consists of 500 members where 300 are elected through SMDs FPTP plurality and the 200 are elected through PR.

Election System of President (Mexico)

The president is directly elected by SMDs using FPTP plurality. They serve 6 years and only one term.

Election System for Senate (Mexico)

The upper house contains 128 members and are elected with MMDs with FPTP (96) and PR (32).

Institute of Federal Elections (IFE/INE)

This institute is integral to ensure free and fair elections in Mexico.

Impact of NAFTA

NAFTA benefited richer people rather than poorer southerners, removed agricultural subsidies, created jobs integrate medxico into north american glocal supply chains.

PAN (Mexico)

This party has conservative beliefs on economy and social.Pro-business party, advocate for regional autonomy and a hands off government.

PRI (Mexico)

Ruled as a one party system from 1929-2000. They gained the majority of their support from the south, which includes rural, less educated, older, poorer mexicans.

Sexenio

A 6 year term with only one term limit. This is seen in Mexico´s president.

Zapatistas/EZLN

Attacked government buildings to demand land rights and economic benefits in opposition to the government’s implementation of NAFTA.

Internal migration patterns in Mexico

South to north and rural to urban becasue due to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other economic liberalization policies (such as removing agricultural subsidies)

Neoliberalism

Belief in limited governmental intervention in the economy and society; supports privatization, free trade, deregulation, and the elimination of state subsidies.

PEMEX

Mexico’s state owned oil company that is allows private investment in it.

Post-materialism

The social valuing of self-expression and quality of life that leads to applying pressure on governments to address environmental issues and social and economic equality.

Supreme Court Justices/magistrates

Supreme Court magistrates are nominated by the president and approved by the Senate for a term of 15 years.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

Leftist populist president from 2018-2024 who created a new party called MORENA.