unit 1: political systems, regimes, and governments

political science: the study of political using the scientific method

qualitative: descriptive

• ex. political cartoons, speeches, observations, etc.

quantitative: numerical

• ex. charts, graphs, statistics, etc.

correlation: an association between variables

• ex. less violence → better value of life

causation: one variable that causes another

• ex. eating too many gummy bears→ you getting a stomach ache

empirical: factually-supported

normative: belief- based

political system: the laws, idea, and procedure that address authority and the relationship between the population and the government

state: political organizations that govern a set amount of land, have a permanent population, and international recognition

sovereignty: the monopoly over a piece of land in which they can use force in a said territory

government: the set of institutions legally empowered to make state’s decisions

regime: the fundamental rules that control access to power

• typically endure from government to government

  • ex. a regime does not change each time a president or political party changes

nation: a group of people w/ commonalities

• these might include language, race, religion, etc.

democratic regimes: a government with independent branches (for checks and balances)

dahl’s definition of democracy:

• essential conditions:

  • sovercontrol of military and police by elected officials (sovereignty)

  • national agreement on democratic beliefs

  • no strong foreign control that is hostile to the country’s democracy

• favorable conditions:

  • a modern market economy and society

  • weak subculture pluralism (no strong cultural or belief divides in the nation)

liberal democracy: the ideal democracy (*has the traits listed above*)

illiberal democracy: a democracy that had authoritarian characteristics

authoritarian regimes: a government that is highly centralized and in which power is maintained by repression

factors that indicated the degree of democracy or authoritarianism of states:

• the degree of governance by law and not by arbitrary decisions

• the degree of state influence or control on the media

• the degree of free and fair elections

• the degree of government transparency

• the degree of citizen participation in government

totalitarianism: a government who seeks to acquire TOTAL control over all aspects of a political system and social systems

transitional democracy: an authoritarian government becoming and instituting democracy

democratization: authoritarian → democratic

• more fairness in elections

• increased citizen participation in government

• universal suffrage

• governmental transparency

• protection of civil rights

• equal treatment of citizen

• establishment of the rule of law

democratic consolidation: a democratic regime that is very unlikely to revert to authoritarianism w/o an external shock

how do autocrats come to power→ cold war vs. today

• cold war:

  • only 10% came to power through the decay of democracy

  • 60% came to power through coups

  • authoritarian government were controlled by parties

  • ends through mostly coups but also popular revolts

• today:

  • 40% came to power through the decay of democracy

  • authoritarian governments are more commonly ruled by a single person

  • ends through coups but majority popular revolts

power vs. authority

-the ability to do something -the right to do something

changes in authority:

• how a regime maintain sovereignty is representative of their democratic/authoritarian values

• regimes change either incrementally or suddenly

• governments change more frequently than regimes

  • revolutions and coups d’etat

federal system:

• where power is centralized but also subnational/regional

unitary system:

• where power is centralized and regional governments don’t have power

federal vs. unitary

-Russia -UK

-Nigeria -Iran

-Mexico -China

devolution: decentralization of government (power-based)

• devolution → unitary government

• unitary governments can that the power back after devolution while federal governments cannot

• the delegation of power to lower levels of gov.

legitimacy: whether or not a government’s constituents believe their government had the right to use power in the way they do

• whether or not a government has authority and/or power

• varies from country to country

sustaining legitimacy:

• policy effectiveness: how well a government responds to its people’s wants and need using policies

• tradition: the people’s identity might rely on tradition so supporting that sustains legitimacy

• peacefulness: transfer of powers and resolution of conflicts peacefully is necessary to sustain legitimacy

political stability (STABILITY IS ABOUT POWER): the ability of a government to maintains it’s current regime

internal actors that can bolster or undermine political stability:

1. contrasting methods to combat political corruption

   • ex. checks and balances, free media, enforcement of law, etc.

2. state responses to separatist groups (mostly Iran, Mexico, and Nigeria)

   • how does the state respond to threats?

   • if the state is effective, they can boost political stability.

3. state responses to mass protest movements that oppose government policies or their equal enforcement

   • in general, protests are good for political stability in order to release the public’s pressure

   • a government (whether democratic or authoritarian) does not want their people’s anger to build up too much

overall, governments want to limit the influence of divisive and violent actors in their countries (partially to improve global economic growth).

• 1governments that don’t have political stability, don’t have global strength economically

• foreign governments and companies do not want to invest in countries with uncertain futures

HOWEVER, protests can lead to political reform, leading to an increase in political stability

• better government-public relations