AP Comp Gov unit 1 test

state

political institutions with a monopoly of force over territory

nation

a psychological sense of identity based on shared ethnicity, language, history or culture.

government

leadership/elite that administers or controls the State

Legitimacy

is the people's belief that the government has the right to rule.

Rational/legal

Rational/legal based on a fair and understandable system of laws that are followed and apply to everyone.

Traditional

because it has always been that way.

Charismatic

based on a ruler's engaging personality.

Strong States

perform tasks of defending their borders from outside attacks & defending their authority from from internal non-state rivals.

Weak States

have trouble protecting their borders, suffer internal violence, poor infrastructure, unable to collect taxes & enforce the RULE OF LAW.

Failed States

complete loss of legitimacy & power with increased anarchy/violence.

Unitary System

all power is held by the central government and state power is not protected. (Great Britain)

Federal System

power is shared between the national and state government and some state power is protected. (Mexico & USA Constitution Amend?)

Devolution

occurs when the national government grants more power to states.

Political Regime

- Norms & rules of governmental power and the use of that power = CONSTITUTION. Also a government in which the system has not changed even though there have been different leaders.

- not equal to a government, it is the type of process government use

Types of Regimes

Democratic

Authoritarian

Hybrid

Democratic

large role for public in governance, protects basic rights/freedoms, ensure transparency, follows rule of law, accountable for actions. (Great Britain, Mexico)

Authoritarian

limit role of public in government, deny basic rights, restricts freedom, does not follow Rule of Law, not accountable for actions. (China, Iran)

Hybrid

a government with both authoritarian and democratic elements. (Mexico?, Russia?, Nigeria)

Regime Change

A total change in the type of government that a state has previously followed often but not always caused by violence.

- ex: Soviet Union vs. Russia (1991) and Iran (1952 & 1978-1979).

Institutions of Government

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

bureaucracy

a fancy word for all the people who worl in the govrement

ex: the people who work at the DMV, people who do taxes

Executive Branch

- Carries out laws and policies of a state.

- 2 Duties: Head of State (HOS) & Head of Government (HOG).

Head of State

symbol, representative of people nationally/internationally, gives voice to goals of regime. (President USA, Queen Great Britain).

Head of Government

deals with day to day running of government (President USA, Prime Minister Great Britain)

Legislature Branch

- Focus = making laws

- A bicameral legislature has two houses, and a unicameral legislature has one.

-

Judiciary Branch

- judicial Review

- Common Law

- Code law

Common Law

ystems, court decisions are written down and serve as precedent for future cases. (Gay Marriage = USA)

Code law

systems are based on rules written by the legislature. (Overtime Pay = USA) Note USA: Affordable Care Act = BOTH!

Judicial Review

is the ability of a Judiciary to overturn a law or executive action if is is unconstitutional.

Parliamentary Systems

- has a Prime Minister = Head of Government, elected from within Legislature, Usually a Member of Parliament (MP) within largest party.

- has a Cabinet = Execute Policy i.e. defense, agriculture, etc.

- has a Head of State = Monarch or indirect elected official

Presidential Systems

- has a President = Head of Government & Head of State. Directly elected by people.

- has a Cabinet = Execute Policy i.e. defense, agriculture, state etc.

Semi-Presidential Systems

- has a President = Head of Government & Head of State. Directly elected by people - shares power with PM

- has a Prime Minister HOG & HOS elected by legislature - shares power with President.

- has a Cabinet = Execute Policy i.e. defense, agriculture, state etc.

Electoral Systems

- Proportional Representation (PR) / Multi-Member Districts (MMDs)

- Single Member District (SMD) or First Person To Post (FPTP)

- Mixed Electoral System

Proportional Representation (PR) / Multi-Member Districts (MMDs)

awards seats to political parties based on the percentage of votes received; there may be a threshold for getting seats. (Russia)

Single Member District (SMD) or First Person To Post (FPTP)

awards one seat to the candidate with the most votes in a district. Only winner's votes count. (Great Britain, Nigeria)

Mixed Electoral System

Combines PR & SMD, voters given 2 votes (1 Candidate) + (1 Party). (Mexico)

Authoritarian State

- A government where elections are not free and fair and civil rights and liberties are lacking.

- Often include: dictatorships, monarchies, military regimes, one-party regimes, theocracies, & illiberal regimes.

Theocracy

A state led by religious rulers, like Iran

Illiberal/Procedural Democracy

A government with elections that are not completely free and fair or lacking some civil rights and liberties.

Communism

is a system of government based on the writings of Karl Marx in which the stated goal is economic equality. = One Party Regime (China)

- low freedom

Totalitarian Regimes

using force create a strong ideology that shapes the state (Nazi Germany, Mussolini)

Personality Cult

State exaltation of a leader. (North Korea = Kim Jong-Un)

Corporatism (Business)

is when large businesses and labor unions are brought into the policymaking process. This limits pluralism because small actors are left out.

Clientelism

Gov. leaders compromise public - provide benefits/favors to individual/groups in return for public support

Rent Seeking /Rentier States

Gov. rents land/resources to other countries.

Co-Optation

- to absorb, take over or compromise

- 2 Types:

Corporatism

Clientelism

Corporatism

authoritarian or at times democratic institutions give preference to or favor some groups and restrict or ignore other groups. (Corporations, Unions)

Clientelism (co-optation)

leaders give favors to individuals or small groups in exchange for votes and support.

Political Parties (PP)

specific beliefs, policies, vision for state.

Suffrage

RIGHT to VOTE

Civil Society

- organizations outside of state that advance specific interests...Example: NRA, ACLU...

Civil Society (citizen involvement)

consists of voluntary associations outside of government control which "strengthen" society or specific agendas.

Grassroots movements

occur when ordinary citizens push for reform.

revolution

an overthrow of the government based on broad popular support.

coup

a change in the leader brought about by a small group, often a military leader.

Ethnicity

specific attributes that makes one group of people culturally different from others: Customs, language, religion, geographical region, history.

Political Culture

Pattern and norms of relating to politics:

Citizen Trust & Respect for Gov., Civic-Knowledge, Citizen political efficacy(influence Gov.)

Nationalism

- The belief that a group of people has its own unique destiny, often including a desire for a separate state

- Pride in One's County & common political identity.

Nationalist

Seek creation of a new state for those who share a common political Identity

Democratization

The transition from an authoritarian state to an illiberal democracy to a liberal democracy

Liberal/Substantive Democracy

A government with free and fair elections and civil rights and liberties

Transparency

The ability of citizens to see what the government is doing

Civil Rights

are protections granted by the government to prevent discrimination against groups, like ethnic or religious minorities and women.

Civil Liberties

protect individuals from government infringement, like free speech.

Political ideology

is an individual's belief system about the role of government.

Political socialization

is the process through which an individual acquires his or her political beliefs and behaviors.

- what are YOUR ideas about politics

Political culture

the shared beliefs of a group of people.

Pluralism

is when many groups compete in policy making

- in a democracy you want this

Conservative

(Right) favors the status quo/conservatives) and does not like change.

Liberal

(Left) favors evolutionary change. Usually support Citizen focused programs.

Reactionaries

want rapid change, are extreme and want to go back to the past.

Radical

support rapid, revolutionary change.

Liberalism

favors high individual freedom but VERY low on equality. No government intervention (Laissez-Faire)

Social Democracy

egulates capitalism with laws, high taxes for social good.

Regulated Democracy

regulates capitalism with laws and government oversight, high equality, high individual.

Fascism

merges corporation with politics, rejects equality, hostile to individual freedom.

Anarchism

Low value on government, high value personal freedom often violent.

Fundamentalism

(Christian, Muslim) unites religion and state).

political cleavage

a division over a policy issue.

Cross cutting cleavages

bring different kinds of groups together, strengthening society.

Coinciding cleavages

exacerbate feeling of difference, weakening society.

Political Recruitment

The process for selecting current and potential leaders, including formal and informal power structures

Referendum

A measure sent by the legislature to the citizens for approval

Political Economy

is the relationship between government policies and the economy.

Economic liberalization

is the move to a free market by reducing tariffs, trade barriers, and government control over the economy.

Market

nteraction between forces of supply and demand.... NOTE: economics makes the world go AROUND!!!!

Market Economies

set wages, production, and prices based on supply and demand with less government interference.

Command Economies

the government makes decisions regarding wages, prices, and production, and private property is limited.

Public Goods

the government often provides oversight of clean air, electricity (rural), water, roads, passenger trains etc.

Social Expenditures

the government provides support to citizens, such as unemployment benefits, education, transportation and health care.

Dependency Theory

The idea that colonial rule left a legacy of political and economic dependence making it difficult for former colonies to improve their economies and democratize.

Rentier States

States that derive a significant portion of their revenues from rent (such as renting land to oil companies).

Structural Adjustment

programs require countries to DECREASE taxes and cut spending (austerity measures) to improve budgets. (IMF, World Bank etc.)

Post-Materialism

Societies in which basic needs are met and citizens can concentrate on higher goals, like the environment = Sweden

Globalization

is the increasing interconnectedness of the world through economic, political and social relationships.

Sovereignty

is the ability of a government to rule without internal or external influence. Other wise known as "Self-Rule."

Developed

countries have high GDP per capita and HDI rankings; service-based economies; basic rights, freedom.

Developing

countries are emerging economies; based on production, improving rights and freedom.

Underdeveloped

countries have low GDP per capita and HDI rankings; agricultural, limited rights and freedoms.

Least Developed

the poorest of the poor with weak states and higher levels of social violence.