AP CoGo Unit 1 Exam

Freedom house ratings

Organization that studies democracy around the world and ranks countries on a 1-7 freedom scale (1= most free, 7= least free)

GNP per capita

Divides the GNP by the population of the country

Gini index

Math formula that measures the amount of economic inequality in a society

Globalization

Process that results in the growing interconnectedness of the world

HDI

Measures the well-being of a country's people by factoring in adult literacy, life expectancy, and educational enrollment (as well as GDP)

Liberalism (as an approach to econ/pol changes)

Generally don't think that econ/pol systems are permanently broken, but believe they need to be repaired/improved

Market economy

Right to own property is acceptable/guaranteed. Most industry is owned by private individuals. Less centralized

Mixed economy

Elements of command and market economies are present

Modernization theory

Explains the process of modernization that goes through as it transitions from a traditional society to a modern (western) one

Politicization of religion

Bringing a mass of religious beliefs/ideas into politics and vice versa

Privatization

Transfer of state-owned property to private ownership

Purchase power parity

A figure like GNP, except that it takes into consideration what people can buy using their income in the local economy

Radicalism

Belief that rapid, dramatic changes need to be made in the existing society, often including the political system

Reactionary beliefs

Go further to protect against change than do conservative beliefs, they find status quo unacceptable and oppose both revolution and reform

Reform

Type of change that does not advocate the overthrow of basic institutions

Revolution

Implies change to a more basic level and involves either a major revision or an overthrow of the existing institutions

Sustainable development

Economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources

"Third wave" of democratization

Characterized by the defeat of dictatorial or totalitarian rulers in South America, Eastern Europe and some parts of Africa

Transparency

Operating openly by keeping citizens informed about government operations and political issues and by responding to citizens' questions/advice

Three trends of development

1. Democratization

2. Move towards market economies

3. Revival of ethnic/ cultural politics

Democratization

Reasons: loss of legitimacy by authoritarian regimes, expansion of middle class, "snowball effect"

Starts with political liberalization

Market economies

Ideology of liberalism from 19th century Europe

-Bourgeoisie: middle class professionalism

What was a major problem for 20th century communist countries with command economies?

Black markets, economic growth of major industries without higher living standards

Is there a correlation between democratization and marketization?

Mexico has steadily moved towards a market economy since 1980s and democratization had appeared to follow

China has been moving toward capitalism since late 1970s without any clear sign of democratization

Revival of ethnic or cultural politics

Tends to emphasize difference among nations, fragmentation vs. nationalism

How do political systems set policy?

Legislative vote, executive decisions, judicial rulings, interest groups and/or political parties (in some countries)

Common public policy issues

-economic performance

-social welfare

-civil liberties

-environment

How does the US compare in terms of inequality to the countries in the AP6?

More inequality than: UK, Russia and Iran

About the same as: China and Nigeria

Less than: Mexico

Advanced democracies

the countries have well-established democratic governments and a high level of economic development (Great Britain and the USA)

Authoritarian regime

a government in which one leader or group of people holds absolute power

Causation

A cause and effect relationship in which one variable controls the changes in another variable.

Common law

A legal system based on custom and court rulings

Comparative politics

the study of the domestic politics, political institutions, and conflicts of countries. Often involves comparisons among countries and through time within single countries, emphasizing key patterns of similarity and difference.

Competitive elections

essential requirement for democracy; regular, free, fair

Correlation

A measure of the relationship between two variables

Coup d'etat

A sudden overthrow of the government by a small group

Empirical data

data collected through observations and experiments

Government

the system or form by which a community or other political unit is governed

Hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

Illiberal democracies

regimes that combine elements of democracy, such as voting and elections, with non-democratic elements, such as restrictions on political contestation and individual rights.

Independent variable

The variable that is varied or manipulated by the researcher.

Dependent variable

The variable we can measure.

Informal politics

takes into consideration not only the ways that politicians operate outside their formal powers, but also the impact that beliefs, values, and actions of ordinary citizens have on policy-making.

Institutions

Complex social organizations such as governments, economies, and education systems

LDCs

Less Developed Countries

NICs

Newly Industrialized Countries

Legitimacy

A characterization of elections by political scientists meaning that they are almost universally accepted as a fair and free method of selecting political leaders.

Liberal democracy

A political system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty and emphasizes individual freedom and civil rights.

Military rule

Rule by one or more military officials, often brought to power through a coup d'etat; often authoritarian

Nation

A sense of unity binding the people of a state together; devotion to the interests of a particular country or nation, an identification with the state and an acceptance of national goals.

Nationalism

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country

Nation-state

A state whose territory corresponds to that occupied by a particular ethnicity that has been transformed into a nationality

Normative questions

types of questions about what we should do for example, what policy should we enact?

Regime

a government in power; a form or system of rule or management; a period of rule

Rule of law

principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern

Sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.

State

An area organized into a political unit and ruled by an established government with control over its internal and foreign affairs.

Theocracy

A government controlled by religious leaders

Totalitarianism

A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

Bicameral vs. Unicameral legislature

bicameral is two houses of legislature; unicameral is one house of legislature

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

Cabinet

Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president.

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Civil Society

Organizations outside of the state that help people define and advance their own interests

Coinciding cleavages

When every dispute aligns the same groups against each other, this type of cleavage is likely to be explosive.

Crosscutting cleavages

Divisions in society that overlap already established voting blocs essentially setting up a situation in which the voter must decide between two competing political influences

Communism

A political and economic system where factors of production are collectively owned and directed by the state.

Socialism

A system in which society, usually in the form of the government, owns and controls the means of production.

Liberalism

A belief that government can and should achieve justice and equality of opportunity.

Fascism

A political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and racism and no tolerance of opposition

Corporatism

an arrangement in which government officials interact with people and groups outside the government before they set policy.

Devolution

A movement to transfer the responsibilities of governing from the federal government to state and local governments.

Electoral systems

A set of rules that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature.

Federal system

A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments

Unitary system

A government that gives all key powers to the national or central government

Confederation

A political system in which a weak central government has limited authority, and the states have ultimate power.

First-past-the-post

winner-take-all system, plurality system.

Head of government

The executive role that deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, such as formulating and executing policy

Head of state

The executive role that symbolizes and represents the people both nationally and internationally.

Initiative

A procedure by which voters can propose a law or a constitutional amendment.

Interest group pluralism

Phenomenon where interest groups have expertise in policy areas and help public policy be more rational. Relatively positive force because they have knowledge of their interest.

Judicial review

Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws

Linkage institutions

Institutions that connect citizens to government. The mass media, interest groups, and political parties are the three main linkage institutions.

Mixed electoral system

An electoral system that uses a combination of single-member districts and proportional representation

Multi-member districts

An electoral system where districts have more than one representative.

Single-member districts

An electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office. This type of electoral system typically leads to legislatures dominated by two political parties.

Multi-party-system

Several parties compete for control, this is the most popular party system.

Two-party system

An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.

Non-governmental organizations

A private sector organization that does not primarily aim to make a profit. Instead, they operate for the benefit of others in society.

Parliamentary system

A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president.

Presidential system

A system of government in which the legislative and executive branches operate independently of each other.

Semi-presidential system

An executive system that divides power between two strong executives, a president and a prime minister

Patron-client system

System in which the elected officials provide reciprocal favors and services to their supporters.

Plebiscite

Ballot in which voters have a direct say on an issue.

Pluralism

A theory of government that holds that open, multiple, and competing groups can check the asserted power by any one group.

Political culture

An overall set of values widely shared within a society.

Political efficacy

The belief that one's political participation makes a difference.

Political elites

Persons with a disproportionate share of political power.

Political ideologies

Sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics.

Political socialization

The process by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs.