AP COGOPO Vocab Words

Theocracy

State led by religious leader/ruler

Democratization

Transition from authorization to a illiberal democracy to a liberal democracy

Political ideology

Sets of political values held by individuals regarding the fundamental goals of politics

Unitary System

Political power is divided unevenly between regional bodies

Common law

Court decisions are written down and serve as precedent for future cases

Political socialization

Process where an individual acquires his political beliefs

Transparency

Ability of citizens to see what the government is doing

Legitimacy

People’s belief that the government has the right to rule

Dependency Theory

Developed countries become wealthy by exploiting developing countries leading to constant underdevelopment in developing countries.

Charismatic legitimacy

Based on a ruler’s personality

Sovereignty

Ability to rule without other influence

Rational-legal legitimacy

Based on a fair and understandable system of laws that are followed and apply to everyone

Cooptation

Incorporation of dissenting groups in order to maintain control and neutralize opinion

Corporatism

Various interest groups organized into a single body, representing interests and playing a role in decision making.

Liberal democracy

System of political, social, economic liberties, supported by competition, participation, contestation

Rentier state

Government rents access to natural resources to foreign for funds

Authoritarian State

Government where elections aren’t free/fair and lacking civil rights and liberties

Illiberal democracy

A government lacking some civil rights and liberties protections with unfair/unfree elections

Marxism/Communism

Theology advocating class war leading to society where property is publicly owned and each person works and paid based on abilities and need

Developed countries

States that have highly developed economy and advanced technological infrastructure

Nationalism

Pride in one’s people and the belief in their own sovereign political destiny that is separate from those of others

Political economy

Relationship between political and economic institutions in a particular country and the policy and outcomes they create

First-past-the-post, SMD

Awards one seat to candidate with most votes in a district

Reactionaries

Seeks to restore political, social, and economic institutions

Post materialist

Value orientation that emphasizes self-expression and quality of life over economic and physical security.

Socialist/Welfare State

A welfare state is a concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens.

Code law

type of legislation that purports to exhaustively cover a complete system of laws

Federal System

Type of government. Combining a general or central government with regional or state government in a single system

Political recruitment

process by which citizens are selected for involvement in politics

Nation

A group that desires sovereignty, often through an independent state

State

Organization that maintains a monopoly of force over a territory

Cross-cutting cleavage

structure of two (or more) cleavages, such as race, political, religious divisions etc., in society.

Coinciding cleavage

weakens society by piling differences on top of each other

Bicameral

2 house legislature

Devolution

Transfer of power to lower level, central -> local/regional

Command economy

Production, investment, prices, and incomes are determined centrally by a government.

Proportional representation

Electoral system that decides the make-up of a parliament by allocating seats on the basis of the number of votes each party received.

Globalization

Increasing interconnectedness of world

Developing countries

Nation with an underdeveloped industrial base, and a low HDI relative to other countries.

HDI

Measures life expectancy, birth and death rates, quality of life

Correlation

Apparent association

Under-developed countries

Low HDI relative to other countries.

Gini Index

Measures inequality among the values of a frequency distribution such as income levels

Per capita GDP

GDP(value of goods and services produced in a country) divided by population

Economic Liberalism - Liberalization - Neoliberalism

the economy on individualist and voluntarist lines, meaning that the greatest possible number of economic decisions are made by individuals and not by collective institutions or organizations.

Political Liberalization

Reform of authoritarian regimes

GDP/GNP

Value of goods and services produced in a country

Traditional legitimacy

Because it has always been that way

Revolution

Overthrow of the government based on broad popular support

Political culture

Society’s norm for a political activity

Institutions

Formal policymakers within the government including executive, legislature, judiciary, and bureaucracy

Regime

A government in which the system has not changed even though the leaders have

Causation

Refers to a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables where changes in one variable directly result in changes in another variable.

Market economy

Most economic decisions are made by individuals and businesses based on supply and demand without significant government intervention.

Referendum

A measure sent by legislature to the citizens for approval

Judicial review

Ability to overturn a law/executive action if not constitutional

Structural Adjustment Program (SAP)/austerity measures

policies implemented by governments to reduce government spending, increase taxes, and cut public services in order to address budget deficits or economic crises.

Civil society/pluralism

where individuals come together voluntarily to pursue common interests, advocate for their rights, and engage in social activities.

Grassroots movement

Utilize collective action from the local level to effect change at the local, regional, national, or international level

Civil liberties

Protect individuals from government infringement, like free speech

Civil rights

Protections granted by government to prevent discrimination against groups

Normative Statement

expresses a value judgment about whether a situation is subjectively desirable or undesirable. It looks at the world as it "should" be.

Empirical Statement

based on testing or experience

Hybrid Regime

Government with both authoritarian and democratic elements

Populism/Populist

political approach that seeks to appeal to ordinary people by presenting themselves as champions against an elite or establishment, often using simplistic rhetoric and promising quick solutions to complex issues.