AP Comparative Government Notes

Political Systems, Regimes, and Governments

  • AP Comp Gov 1-5 focuses on governments.
  • Graphs are used to understand what different indices measure.
  • It's important to know the general position of each country on the charts.

Indices and Measures

Human Development Index (HDI)
  • Comes from the UN.
  • Measures average achievement in key dimensions of human development, including life expectancy, education, and income (a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and having a decent standard of living).
  • Order (approximation based on transcript): UK, Russia, Mexico, Iran, China, Nigeria.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
  • Depicts the overall size of a national economy.
  • Order (approximation based on transcript): China, UK, Russia, Mexico, Iran, Nigeria.
GDP Growth
  • Shows the rate of national economic expansion.
  • Order (approximation based on transcript): China, Iran, Mexico, Russia, UK, Nigeria.
GDP Per Capita
  • Reflects the size of a national economy in comparison with its population size.
  • Order (approximation based on transcript): UK, Russia, Mexico, China, Iran, Nigeria.
Gini Index
  • Shows income inequality within a country.
  • 100%100\% means perfect inequality; 0%0\% means perfect equality.
  • Order (approximation based on transcript): Mexico, Nigeria, China, Iran, Russia, UK.
Freedom House
  • Non-governmental organization that ranks countries based on political rights and civil liberties on a scale from 1 to 7.
  • 11 indicates the most freedom, while 77 indicates the least freedom.
Corruption Perception Index
  • Scores reported by Transparency International, a non-governmental organization.
  • Assesses and ranks the perception of corruption in different countries.
  • Higher scores indicate lower perceptions of corruption.
Fragile States Index
  • Ranks countries based on their potential to weaken due to conflicts and domestic turmoil.
  • Comprised of 12 indicators including social and cross-cutting indicators.
  • Order (approximation based on transcript): UK, Mexico, China, Russia, Iran, Nigeria.

Political Institutions

  • Political institutions can be removed by the legislative branch through different procedures that control the abuse of power.
  • It's important to understand the type of regime in each nation.

Leadership Selection

  • UK: General elections.
  • China: Leaders are elected by the National People's Congress (NPC).
  • Russia: National elections.
  • Iran: Elections and appointments (Supreme Leader appointed).
  • Mexico: Elections; terms last 6 years.
  • Nigeria: Elections; terms last 4 years and can be re-elected.

Regime Types

  • Democratic: UK, Mexico, Nigeria.
  • Authoritarian: Russia, China, Iran.

Democratization

  • Mexico: Transitioned from a one-party rule.
  • Nigeria: Transitioned after being under military rule.

Federal vs. Unitary Systems

  • Federal: Russia, Mexico, Nigeria.
  • Unitary: China, Iran, UK.

Government Structures

  • Parliamentary: UK, China.
  • Presidential: Iran, Mexico, Nigeria.
  • Semi-Presidential: Russia.

Term Limits

  • China: Unicameral (Currently no term limits in place).
  • Russia: 6 years (Before 2020, only two terms).
  • UK: PM serves as long as they have the confidence of Parliament, elections every 5 years. Head of state serves for life.
  • Iran: 4 years (Two consecutive terms max, can run again after sitting out a term).
  • Nigeria: 4 years (Two terms max).
  • Mexico: 6 years (No re-election after).

Executive Removal

  • UK:
    • Head of State serves until death or steps down.
    • Prime Minister serves until ousted by party leader, voted out by commons, or rival party wins the next election.
  • Russia: President can be removed by impeachment by the legislature.
  • China: NPC has the power to remove the president.
  • Nigeria: President can be removed by impeachment by the legislature.
  • Mexico: Chamber of Deputies has the power to impeach a president.
  • Iran:
    • Supreme Leader can be removed by the Assembly of Experts.
    • President can be removed by the legislature and the Supreme Leader.

Legislative Structures

  • Unicameral: Having only one house or chamber responsible for decision-making, like passing laws.
  • Bicameral: Having two separate chambers, with each chamber having a role to play.
  • China: National People’s Congress (NPC).
  • Russia: Federal Assembly of Russia (Lower house Duma).
  • Iran: Majiles.
  • Mexico: Chamber of Deputies.
  • Nigeria: Senate and House of Representatives.
  • UK: House of Commons and House of Lords.
  • Lower house and upper house; Appointed or voted in.

Power Dynamics

  • China: CCP led by General Secretary Xi Jinping (serves for life or until he chooses to step down).
  • Russia: President Vladimir Putin (through elections).
  • UK: PM Rishi Sunak and the Monarchy of King Charles (PM through election, Monarchy/Head of State for life).
  • Iran: The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (selected through the Assembly of Experts - Head of State), President is selected through most votes in elections (Head of Government).
  • Nigeria: President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (through elections).
  • Mexico: President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (through election).

Judicial Independence

  • China: No judicial independence.
  • UK: Judicial branch is viewed as independent.
  • Russia: Judiciary is not viewed as independent.
  • Iran: Constitution states the judiciary is an independent power.
  • Nigeria: Judiciary has improved its independence with reducing corruption.
  • Mexico: Judiciary has improved its independence with constitutional amendments.

Selection Processes

  • China: Xi Jinping is the ruler for life.
  • UK: Elected through an election with First Past The Post.
  • Russia: Elections with heavy favoritism towards Putin.
  • Iran: Elections with the most votes win that has a clear majority; candidates are vetted through the Guardian Council.
  • Nigeria: Elections held for the public's vote.
  • Mexico: Most votes win.

Political Culture and Participation

Freedom of Assembly

  • Authoritarian: Groups are more likely to be supervised with restrictions.
  • Democratic: Groups are more free and can speak out for their beliefs with fewer restrictions.

Ideologies

  • Individualism: Belief in individual civil liberty and freedom over governmental restrictions (Not used very much).
  • Neoliberalism: Belief in limited governmental control interventions in the economy and society.
  • Communism: Belief in the abolition of private property with near total government control of the economy (Full control by the government).
  • Socialism: Belief in the reduction of income disparities and the nationalization of major private industries (You get help if you need like welfare).
  • Fascism: Extreme nationalism ideology that favors authoritarian rule and the rights of the ethnic majority over the ethnic minorities and the political opposition (Makes laws against ethnic groups).
  • Populism: Political philosophy that supports the interests and rights of the common people over the elites (Try to appeal to the common man to get more votes).

Rule of Law vs. Rule by Law

  • Authoritarian countries (Iran, China, Russia) use Rule BY law.
  • Democratic countries (Mexico, Nigeria, UK) use Rule OF law.

Views on Protest

  • Authoritarian: Restrictions against protesting; viewed as trying to overthrow the government.
  • Democratic: Fewer restrictions due to freedom of speech.

Formal Participation

  • Authoritarian: Used to create a false legitimacy; elections are often corrupted.
  • Democratic: Gives people the power to make decisions; elections are free and fair.

Civil Liberties

  • Authoritarian: Very limited; often overruled by the government.
  • Democratic: Followed; attempts to overrule often result in protest.

Media

  • Democratic: Steps in when it concerns misinformation and war ideas.
  • Authoritarian: Censors media that goes against the government; media is often government-run.

Social and Political Cleavages

  • China: Regions between the majority Han ethnic group and at least 55 recognized ethnic minorities.
  • Iran: Shi’a Muslim majority with Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism.
  • Mexico: Amerindian (Indigenous) population with whites and mestizo.
  • Nigeria: More than 250 ethnic groups (Hausa-Fulani, Yoruba, and Igbo), with the North being majority Muslim and the South being Christian.
  • Russia: 80% tend to be Orthodox, and have a non-Russian population.
  • UK: Scottish, English, Welsh, and Irish, with many different religious groups.

Elections

Election Systems

  • China: NPC selects members indirectly through local and regional elections.
    • Lower elections allow citizens to shape the CCP, but the CCP plays a big role in the selection of candidates.
    • 8 other political parties run in China, but only the CCP can have governing power.
  • Russia:
    • Changes in the Duma: Half chosen through elections that use proportional representation with a threshold.
    • Mix of single-member districts and proportional representation.
      • Creates diverse representation.
      • Gives the appearance of a democracy.
  • Iran:
    • Majles members are directly elected in single-member and multi-member districts.
    • Sometimes they go to a second round of voting.
    • Candidates are vetted through the Guardian Council.
    • A small number of 290 seats are reserved for non-Muslim minorities.
  • Nigeria:
    • House of Representatives are directly elected in single-member districts.
    • Representatives from each Nigeria state.
    • The number from each state is based on population size.
      • The Senate has three members directly elected from each of Nigeria's 36 states.
  • Mexico:
    • Two chambers:
      • Chamber of Deputies: 300 members elected from single-member districts by plurality, and 200 members elected by proportional representation.
    • Chamber of Senators: 96 members elected in three-seat constituencies, with 32 by proportional representation.
    • Gender quotas: Requires a certain percentage of candidates to be women.
  • UK:
    • House of Commons are directly elected under a single-member district with First Past the Post.

Party Systems

  • China: One-party system.
    • Minor parties have limited power to fill minor political offices.
  • Russia: One party has dominated recent elections.
    • United Russia.
  • Iran: Lacks a formal political structure.
    • Parties operate as loosely formed political alliances with questionable linkage to constituents.
  • Nigeria: Multiple parties with ethnic quotas affecting representation in the country's federal legislature.
  • Mexico: Multi-party system.
    • National Action Party (PAN).
    • Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
    • MORENA (National Regeneration Movement).
  • UK: Mostly a two-party system.
    • Labour and Conservative Party.
    • Single-member district plurality elections.

Political and Economic Changes and Development

Private Ownership Policies

  • In response to market forces, countries experiment with policies regarding private ownership, industry, and capital.
    • Examples:
      • Special economic zones along the coast of China.
      • Privatization of Mexico's oil industry.
  • Who allows the most + least
    • UK allows the most private control of natural resources.
    • China allowing the least.

Economic Indicators

  • GDP: Depicts the overall size of a national economy (China, UK, Russia, Mexico, Iran, Nigeria).
  • GDP per capita: Reflects the size of the national economy in comparison to population size (UK, Russia, Mexico, China, Iran, Nigeria).
  • GDP growth rate: The rate of national economic expansion (China, Iran, Mexico, Russia, UK, Nigeria).
  • HDI: Measures life expectancy, education, and income (UK, Russia, Mexico, Iran, China, Nigeria).
  • Gini: Income inequality within a country - 100%100\% means perfect inequality vs 0%0\% means perfect equality.

Economic Policies and Examples

  • Joining the WTO often provides a positive boost to countries.
  • Neoliberal policies: Mexico joining NAFTA to trade with neighboring nations.
  • ISI policies: Aimed at reducing foreign dependency by raising tariffs and encouraging local production of industrial products (Mexico, Nigeria, UK).
  • Rentier State: Countries that obtain a sizable percentage of total government revenue from the export of oil and gas or from leasing the resource to foreign countries.
    • Examples: Iran, Nigeria, Russia.
  • Nationalized resources: Natural resource industries owned by privatization individuals or foreign companies.
    • Examples and affects: Mexico PEMEX, Nigeria oil production.