Intro to Comparative Politics Final Key Terms

ABSTRACT REVIEW

Judicial review that allows the constitutional court to rule on questions that do not arise from actual legal disputes.

ANARCHISM

A political ideology that stresses the elimination of the state and private property as a way to achieve both freedom and equality for all.

AREA STUDIES

A regional focus when studying political science, rather than studying parts of the world where similar variables are clustered.

ASYMMETRIC FEDERALISM

A system in which power is divided unevenly among regional bodies, allowing some regions greater power over taxation or language rights.

AUTHORITARIANISM

A political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public.

AUTONOMY

The ability of the state to wield its power independently of the public or international actors.

BASE

The economic system of a society, made up of technology (the means of production) and class relations between people (the relations of production).

BEHAVIORAL REVOLUTION

A movement within political science during the 1950s and 1960s to develop general theories about individual political behavior.

BICAMERAL SYSTEM

A political system in which the legislature comprises two houses.

BOURGEOISIE

The property-owning class.

BRETTON WOODS SYSTEM

An economic regime managing international economic relations, including the IMF, World Bank, and WTO.

BUREAUCRATIC AUTHORITARIANISM

A system where state bureaucracy and military believe technocratic leadership can solve problems without public participation.

CAPACITY

The ability of the state to wield power to carry out basic tasks such as defending territory and enforcing rules.

CAPITALISM

A system of production based on private property and free markets.

CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP

Cause and effect; when a change in one variable causes a change in another variable.

CENTRAL BANK

The state institution that controls how much money is flowing through the economy and borrowing costs.

CENTRAL COMMITTEE

The legislature-like body of a communist party.

CENTRAL PLANNING

A communist economic system where the state allocates resources by planning production, pricing, and sales.

CHARISMATIC LEGITIMACY

Legitimacy built on the force of ideas embodied by an individual leader.

CITIZENSHIP

An individual’s relationship to the state, involving allegiance and provision of rights.

CIVIL LIBERTIES

Individual rights regarding freedom created by the constitution and political regime.

CIVIL RIGHTS

Individual rights regarding equality created by the constitution and political regime.

CIVIL SOCIETY

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

CLIENTELISM

A process where the state co-opts public members by providing specific benefits in return for support.

COLONIALISM

An imperialist system in which a foreign territory is physically occupied using military force, businesses, or settlers.

COMMUNISM

A political-economic system where all wealth and property are shared to eliminate exploitation.

COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE

The ability of one country to produce a good or service more efficiently than others.

COMPARATIVE METHOD

The means by which social scientists make comparisons across cases.

COMPARATIVE POLITICS

The study and comparison of domestic politics across countries.

CONCRETE REVIEW

Judicial review allowing courts to rule based on actual legal disputes.

CONSERVATIVES

Those with a political attitude that is skeptical of change and supports the current order.

CONSTITUENCY

A geographical area that an elected official represents.

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

The highest judicial body that decides if laws violate the constitution.

CORPORATISM

A method of co-optation where authoritarian systems create organizations to represent public interests.

CORRELATION

An apparent relationship between two or more variables.

COUNTRY

A state, government, and regime, including the people living within that political system.

CULTURE

Basic institutions that define a society.

DEDUCTIVE REASONING

Research that works from a hypothesis that is then tested against data.

DEFLATION

A decline in the prices of goods and services.

DEMOCRACY

A political system where political power is exercised directly or indirectly by the people.

DEPENDENT VARIABLE

A variable whose value changes based on that of another.

DEVELOPED DEMOCRACY

A country with institutionalized democracy and a high level of economic development.

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Lower and middle-income countries.

DEVOLUTION

A process in which political power is ‘sent down’ to lower levels of state and government.

DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM

Process of historical change not evolutionary but revolutionary through conflicting bases and superstructures.

ECONOMIC LIBERALIZATION

Changes aiming to limit state power and increase market and private property power.

ELECTORAL SYSTEM

A set of rules governing how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats.

EMPIRE

A single political authority that controls a large number of regions and different peoples.

ENDOGENEITY

The issue where cause and effect are unclear, as variables may influence each other.

EQUALITY

A material standard of living shared by individuals within a community.

ETHNIC CONFLICT

A conflict where different ethnic groups struggle for political or economic goals.

ETHNIC IDENTITY/ETHNICITY

Attributes and institutions making one group culturally different from others.

EXECUTIVE

The branch of government that executes laws and policies.

EXPORT-ORIENTED INDUSTRIALIZATION

A strategy for economic growth focused on export markets.

FAILED STATE

A state so weak that its political structures collapse, leading to anarchy.

FASCISM

A political ideology asserting superiority and inferiority of groups while stressing a low degree of freedom and equality.

FEDERALISM

A system where significant state powers are devolved to regional bodies.

FIRST PAST THE POST

An electoral system where candidates compete in single-member districts, with the largest vote share winning.

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (FDI)

The purchase of assets in a country by a foreign firm.

FORMAL INSTITUTIONS

Institutions based on officially sanctioned rules that are clear.

FREEDOM

The ability to act independently without fear of punishment by the state or society.

FUNDAMENTALISM

A view of religion as absolute, legally enforced as the sovereign authority.

GAME THEORY

An approach emphasizing how actors behave in influence-seeking scenarios, based on rational choice assumptions.

GINI INDEX

A statistical formula measuring inequality in a society, ranging from zero to 100.

GLASNOST

Literally, openness; a policy of political liberalization in the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

GLOBALIZATION

The process of expanding linkages between states, societies, and economies.

GOVERNMENT

The leadership in charge of running the state.

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP)

The total market value of all goods and services produced by a country in a year.

GUERRILLA WAR

A conflict where nonstate combatants target the state while following war rules.

HEAD OF GOVERNMENT

The executive role dealing with everyday tasks of running the state.

HEAD OF STATE

The executive role symbolizing and representing the people nationally and internationally.

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX (HDI)

A statistical tool evaluating overall wealth, health, and knowledge of a country’s people.

HYPERINFLATION

Inflation of more than 50 percent a month for over two months.

IDEATIONAL

Having to do with ideas.

ILLIBERAL REGIME

A regime where democratic institutions are weakly institutionalized and poorly respected.

IMPERIALISM

A system where a state extends its power to control territory and resources beyond its borders.

IMPORT SUBSTITUTION

A mercantilist strategy for growth by restricting imports to spur local demand.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE

A variable whose value does not depend on another.

INDUCTIVE REASONING

Research working from case studies to generate hypotheses.

INFLATION

An increase in the general price level of goods and services.

INFORMAL ECONOMY

A segment of the economy not regulated or taxed by the state.

INFORMAL INSTITUTIONS

Institutions with unwritten and unofficial rules.

INITIATIVE

A national vote called by the public to address a specific proposal.

INSTITUTION

An organization valued for its self-perpetuating activities.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION (IGO)

A group created by states for specific policy ends.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL SYSTEM

A system where countries cooperate on issues.

INTERNATIONAL REGIME

Rules and norms linking states on specific issues.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

A field focusing on relations between countries regarding foreign policy and trade.

JUDICIAL REVIEW

The mechanism by which courts review government actions and uphold the constitution.

KLEPTOCRACY

“Rule by theft,” where those in power seek to drain state resources.

LAISSEZ-FAIRE

The principle that the economy should operate with minimal state interference.

LEGISLATURE

The government branch responsible for making laws.

LEGITIMACY

A value accepted by the public that gives authority and power to an institution.

LIBERAL DEMOCRACY

A political system emphasizing participation, competition, and individual freedom.

LIBERALISM

A political attitude favoring evolutionary transformation and a limited state role.

LIBERALS

Those favoring evolutionary change and viewing institutions as positive change agents.

LOWER INCOME COUNTRIES

Countries lacking in substantial economic development or political institutionalization.

MARKET

The interaction between supply and demand to allocate resources.

MERCANTILISM

A political-economic system prioritizing national economic power and viewing the economy as serving the state.

MICROFINANCE

A system providing small loans to the poor through accountable borrowing groups.