Comparative Politics all Units

Exam review

Politics

The struggle in any group for power that will give one or more

persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group

power

The ability to influence others or impose one’s will on them

comparative method

The means by which social scientists make comparisons across

cases

Inductive reasoning

research that works from case studies in order to generate hypothese

deductive reasoning

research that works from a hypothesis, then tested against data

Correlation

an apparent relationship between two or more variables

casual relationship

cause and effect; when a change in one variable causes a change in another variable

multi causality

when variables are interconnected and interact to produce particular outcomes

area studies

focusing on one region when studying political science, instead of studying places around the world with similar characteristics 

selection studies

a focus on effects rather than causes, which can lead to inaccurate conclusions about correlation or causation

dependent variable

a variable whose value changes based on another

independent variable

a variable whose value does not depend on another

endogeneity

Cause and effect are not often clear. As a result, a variable may be both cause and effect in a relationship to one another

theory

set of hypotheses, assumptions, and facts

modernization theory

A theory asserting that societies developed, they would take on a set of common characteristic, including democracy and capitalism

behavioral revolutions

A movement within political science during the 1950s and 1960s to

develop general theories about individual political behavior that

could be applied across all countries

qualitative method

Study through an in-depth investigation of a limited number of cases

quantitative method

Study through statistical data from many cases

rational choice

Approach that assumes that individuals weigh the costs and benefits

and make choices to maximize their benefits

game theory

how actors or organizations behave in

their goal to influence others; based on assumptions of rational

choice

freedom

The ability of an individual to act independently, without fear of punishment by the state or other individuals

in society

equality

A material standard of living shared by individuals within a community, society, or country

informal institutions

Institutions with unwritten and unofficial rules

institution

An organization or activity that is self-perpetuating and valued for its own sake

formal institutions

Institutions usually based on officially sanctioned rules that are

relatively clear

international relations

A field in political science that concentrates on relations between

countries, such as foreign policy, war, trade, and foreign aid

comparative politics

The study and comparison of domestic politics across countries

state

(1) The organization that maintains a monopoly of force over a

given territory; (2) a set of political institutions that generates and

executes policy regarding freedom and equality

sovereignty

The ability of a state to carry out actions and policies within a

territory independently of external actors and internal rivals

regime

The fundamental rules and norms of politics, embodying long-term

goals regarding individual freedom and collective equality, where

power should reside, and how it should be used

government

The leadership or elite in charge of running the state

Country

a state, government, and regime, and the people who live within that political system

legitimacy

A value whereby an institution is accepted by the public as right and

proper, thus giving it authority and power

traditional legitimacy

Legitimacy that accepts aspects of politics because they have been

institutionalized over a long period of time

charismatic legitimacy

Legitimacy built on the force of ideas embodied by an individual

leader

rational-legal legitimacy

Legitimacy based on a system of laws and procedures that are

highly institutionalized

federalism

A system in which significant state powers, such as taxation,

lawmaking, and security, are devolved to regional or local bodies

asymmetric federalism

A system in which power is divided unevenly among regional

bodies—for example, some regions are given greater power over

taxation or language rights than others, a more likely outcome in a

country with significant ethnic divisions

unitary state

A state in which most political power exists at the national level,

with limited local authority

devolution

A process in which political power is “sent down” to lower levels of state and government

strong state

A state that is able to fulfill basic tasks, such as defending territory,

making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the

economy

weak state

A state that has difficulty fulfilling basic tasks, such as defending

territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and

managing the economy

failed state

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

anarchy and violence

capacity

The ability of the state to wield power to carry out basic tasks, such

as defending territory, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes,

and managing the economy

autonomy

The ability of the state to wield its power independently of the

public or international actors

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

citizenship

An individual’s relationship to the state, where citizens swear allegiance to the state and the state is obligated to provide rights to those citizens.

communism

A political-economic system in which all wealth and property

are shared so as to eliminate exploitation, oppression, and,

ultimately, the need for political institutions such as the state; (2) a

political ideology that advocates such a system

conservatives

Those with a political attitude that is skeptical of change and

supports the current order

culture

basic institutions that define a society

ethnic conflict

A conflict in which different ethnic groups struggle to achieve

certain political or economic goals at each other’s expense

ethnic identity/ethnicity

Specific attributes and societal institutions that make one group of

people culturally different from others

fascism

A political ideology that asserts the superiority and inferiority of

different groups of people and stresses a low degree of both

freedom and equality in order to achieve a powerful state

fundamentalism

A view of religion as absolute and inerrant and that it should be

legally enforced by making faith the sovereign authority

liberal democracy

A political system that promotes participation, competition, and

liberty and emphasizes individual freedom and civil rights

liberalism

A political attitude that favors evolutionary transformation; (2)

an ideology and political system that favors a limited state role in

society and the economy and places a high priority on individual

political and economic freedom

liberals

Those with a political attitude that favors evolutionary change and who believe that existing institutions can be instruments of positive change

nation

A group that desires self-government through an independent state

nation-state

A state encompassing one dominant nation that it claims to embody

and represent

national conflict

A conflict in which one or more groups within a country develop

clear aspirations for political independence, clashing with others as

a result

national identity

A sense of belonging to a nation and a belief in its political

aspirations

nationalism

Pride in one’s people and the belief that they have a unique political

destiny

patriotism

Pride in one’s state

political attitude

Description of one’s views regarding the speed and methods with which political changes should take place in a given society

political culture

The basic norms for political activity in a society

political ideology

The basic values held by an individual about the fundamental goals

of politics or the ideal balance of freedom and equality

radicals

Those with a political attitude that are dramatic, often

revolutionary change

reactionaries

Those who seek to restore the institutions of a real or an imagined

earlier order

social democracy/socialism

(1) A political-economic system in which freedom and equality are

balanced through the state’s management of the economy and the

provision of social expenditures; (2) a political ideology that

advocates such a system

society

Complex human organization; a collection of people bound by

shared institutions that define how human relations should be

conducted

political economy

the study of the interaction between states and markets

market

a system where people and businesses buy and sell goods and services, usually based on supply, demand, and competition

property

anything a person owns, such as land, houses, businesses, money, or personal belongings.

public goods

Goods, provided or secured by the state, available to society, and

which no private person or organization can own

social expenditures

State provision of public benefits, such as education, health care,

and transportation

gross domestic product (GDP)

The total market value of all goods and services produced by a

country over a period of one year

central bank

The state institution that controls how much money is flowing

through the economy as well as how much it costs to borrow money

in that economy

inflation

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

economy

hyperinflation

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

in a row

hyperinflation

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

in a row

deflation

A decline in the prices of goods and services

regulation

A rule or an order that sets the boundaries of a given procedure

monopoly

A single producer that is able to dominate the market for a good or

service without effective competition

tariff

a tax on imported goods

quota

A nontariff barrier that limits the quantity of a good that may be

imported into a country

nontariff regulatory barriers

Policies and regulations used to limit imports through methods

other than taxation

comparative advantage

The ability of one country to produce a particular good or service more efficiently relative to other countries’ efficiency in producing the same good or service

political-economic system

The relationship between political and economic institutions in a specific country and the policies and outcomes they create

laissez-faire

The principle that the economy should be “allowed to do” what it

wishes; a liberal system of minimal state interference in the

economy

capitalism

A system of production based on private property and free markets

mercantilism

A political-economic system in which national economic power is

paramount and the domestic economy is viewed as an instrument

that exists primarily to serve the needs of the state

parastatal

Industry partially owned by the state

purchasing power parity (PPP)

A statistical tool that attempts to estimate the buying power of

income across different countries by using prices in the United

States as a benchmark

Gini index

A statistical formula that measures the amount of inequality in a

society; its scale ranges from zero to 100, where zero corresponds to

perfect equality and 100 to perfect inequality

Human Development Index (HDI)

A statistical tool that attempts to evaluate the overall wealth, health,

and knowledge of a country’s people

economic liberalization

Changes consistent with liberalism that aim to limit the power of

the state and increase the power of the market and private property

in an economy

democracy

A political system in which political power is exercised either

directly or indirectly by the people

liberal democracy

A political system that promotes participation, competition, and

liberty and emphasizes individual freedom and civil rights

civil rights

Individual rights regarding equality that are created by the

constitution and the political regime