Cogo Unit 1

Unit 1: Political Systems, Regimes, and Government Glossary of Terms

The Practice of Political Scientists

Empirical statements fact-based information from observation or experimentation

Normative statements is a value or opinion statement that cannot be proven or disproven. For example, a normative statement about Russian politics is that “Vladimir Putin should not have returned to become Russia’s president in 2012.”

Qualitative data is information that is difficult to measure including sources such as speeches, foundational documents, political cartoons, maps and political commentaries

Quantitative data is information based on numerical values

Correlation exists when there is an association between two or more variables

Causation is difficult to determine with certainty in comparative politics, as often there are numerous variables that potentially influence political policies and/or regime stability, with no way to isolate and demonstrate which is producing the change

Human Development Index (HDI) which comes from the United Nations Development Programme as “a summary measure of average achievement in key dimensions of human development” including statistics about life expectancy, amount of schooling, and income

Gross domestic product (GDP) which is the market value of goods and services produced over a certain time in a country. GDP can depict the overall all size of a national economy

GDP per capita can reflect the size of the national economy in comparison with the population size.

GDP growth rate shows the rate of national economic expansion.

Gini index shows income inequality within a country. A Gini of 100% indicates perfect inequality whereas a Gini of 0% indicates perfect equality.

Freedom House scores are reported by a nongovernmental organization (Freedom House) that ranks countries based on scores of 1-7 for political rights and civil liberties. Freedom House ranks countries as Free, Partially Free or Not Free based on these scores in political rights and civil liberties. 0 (Least Free) to 100 (Most Free.)

Governmental transparency is the ability of citizens to access information about a government’s policy making and policy implementation to help hold officials accountable.

Governmental corruption —when public officials abuse power for personal benefit

Corruption Perception Index scores are reported by Transparency International which is a non-governmental organization that assesses and ranks the perception of corruption in different countries. Higher scores on this index indicate lower perceptions of corruption.

The Fragile States Index (formerly called the Failed States Index) is reported by The Fund for Peace which is a nongovernmental organization that assesses and ranks countries based on their potential to weaken due to conflicts and domestic turmoil. The index is comprised of 12 indicators grouped as cohesion indicators, economic indicators, political indicators and social / cross cutting indicators. Countries scoring higher on the 120-point scale are recognized as more fragile states susceptible to instability than countries that score lower in the index.

Purchasing power parity the idea that goods in one country will cost the same in another country, once their exchange rate is applied

Defining Political Organizations

Political systems comprise the laws, ideas, and procedures that address who should have authority to rule and what the government’s influence on its people and economy should be

States are political organizations that combine a permanent population with governing institutions to exercise control over a defined territory with international recognition

Regimes refer to the fundamental rules that control access to and the exercise of political power. Regimes typically endure from government to government. A regime can be characterized as democratic or authoritarian based on how it sets rules or makes decisions about how to exercise power

Government is the set of institutions or individuals legally empowered to make binding decisions for a state.

Sovereignty the power to govern itself without outside interference; independent legal authority over a population in a particular territory

Nation is a group of people with commonalities including race, language, religion, ethnicity, political identity and aspirations

Democracy vs. Authoritarianism

democratic regimes are based on the will of the people

authoritarian regimes are based on decisions made by political elites without much input from citizens and may include illiberal democracies or hybrid regimes, one-party states, theocracies, totalitarian governments and military regimes

Civil Rights is the protection of groups of citizens from discrimination by the government or other individuals

Civil Liberties is an individual’s protection against abuse of powers by the government

transparency is the ability of citizens to access information about a government’s policy making and policy implementation to help hold officials accountable

free and fair elections allow competition so that an opposition candidate and party can defeat the ruling candidate and party

rule of law the principle that a state should be governed by law and not arbitrary decisions made by individual government officials

Independence of governmental branches prevents any one branch from controlling all governmental power

separation of powers the independence of the legislative, executive and judicial branches

checks and balances the system that prevents any one branch of government from becoming too powerful

Illiberal democracies and hybrid regimes that hold elections with little competition toward the ruling party and that tend to have diminished civil liberties.

One-party states like China in which rival parties are prohibited from controlling governmental power.

Theocracies require the state be controlled by leaders of a particular religion

Totalitarian governments severely limit citizens’ rights to movement and free choice of employment.

Military regimes when military leaders hold top positions of governing authority

Democratization

Democratization is a transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime; while this process can start or temporarily change direction, the process aims to result in the following over time. Democratization results in free and fair elections; increased citizen participation in policy-making processes; universal suffrage for adult citizens; greater governmental transparency; protected civil rights and liberties; equal treatment of citizens; and establishment of the rule of independent election commissions that attempt to reduce voter fraud and manipulation and enhance electoral competition

suffrage the right to vote

Corporatist system government created and supported interest groups (typically for labor groups, business owners, and agricultural workers) that become the government’s preferred linkage institutions for citizen participation

Pluralist system citizens can affiliate with more independent interest group to attempt to shape public policies

Patron-clientelism a system in which the state provides benefits or favors in return for support

Democratic electoral systems can accommodate ethnic diversity and increase multiparty competition with rule adjustments, including gender or cultural quotas, proportional representation, and changes in vote thresholds and district boundaries

gender quotas or party rules intended to increase female representation in legislatures

Democratic consolidation refers to the process by which a democratic regime matures in terms of election rules, separation of powers, and protection of civil liberties, making it unlikely to revert to authoritarianism without an external shock.

Consensual political culture- general agreement among competing cultural and political groups about governmental policies associated with democratization and economic development

Conflictual political culture-competing cultural and political groups

Sources of Power & Authority & 1. 6 Changes in Power & Authority

Sources of power and authority include constitutions, religions, military forces, political parties, legislatures, and popular support

Power is the ability of another to make one do something

Authority is the right to make one do something

Coup a forcible takeover over governing power typically led by elites

Revolution the removal and replacement of a long-term form of government typically involving both the masses and elites

1.7 Federal and Unitary Systems

Federal states divide power among different levels of government to confer a degree of local autonomy in supplying social and educational services, while also reserving powers for the national government

Unitary states concentrate power at the national level with more uniform policies and potentially more efficient policy making.

Devolution is the delegation of power to regional governments that can enhance or weaken legitimacy; can create both opportunities for as well as obstacles to resolving social, political, and economic issues

1.8 Political Legitimacy

Legitimacy refers to whether a government’s constituents believe their government has the right to use power in the way they do. Legitimacy confers authority on and can increase the power of a regime and government

Sources of legitimacy for both democratic and authoritarian regimes can include popular elections, as well as constitutional provisions. Other sources of legitimacy include nationalism, tradition, governmental effectiveness, economic growth, ideology, religious heritage and organizations, and the dominant political party’s endorsement.

1.9 Sustaining Legitimacy

Political efficacy-the belief that citizens have the ability to effect government policy making

Charismatic legitimacy rests upon the dynamic personality of an individual or a small group

Traditional legitimacy rests upon the belief that past practices rooted in myths, ceremony, ritual, religion and lineage should determine who should rule and how

Rational legal-legitimacy rests upon a system of well-established laws and procedures rooted in institutions and the rule of law

1.10 Political Stability

Political stability – the ability of a government to consistently provide services that meet the basic needs of most of the population to foster the public’s confidence in the institutions of the state

Coercion – the use of government force to guide citizen behavior and actions. Can be as small as a citation and small fine to as large as brute force and violence. Coercion can range from the use of military or secret police, to regular police and a penal system.