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POSC 017: Politics of the Global South – Exam Prep Notes core Political Concepts Regime “The set of rules, norms, and institutions that determine how a government is constituted, how it is organized, and how decisions are made.” Regime is a neutral and value free concept that helps us classify different institutional indicators into regime types to study how they influence political and social economic outcomes Authoritarian Regime A system where power is concentrated, civil liberties are restricted, and elections (if held) lack fairness and competitiveness. Hybrid Regime A mix of democratic and authoritarian features. Often includes elections, but with limited political competition, media restrictions, and weak rule of law. Non Democratic Critic (NDC) (Jee&Zhang 2024) they criticize oppose ecisting authoritarian regime but does not support liberal democracy “NDC’s are better off than democracy supporters (jeezhang) Democracy (per Green & Luehrmann) Requires: Free and fair elections: majority of adult population can vote, fair meaning political candidates are represented in multiple parties (considered minimum criteria for a democracy but vague) Political competition Civil liberties Rule of law: all individuals and institutions are subject to the same accountability under the law Significance: Rule of law is a foundational element of democratic regimes, facilitating transparency & accountability. In authoritarian regimes absence or limits of ROL leads to unconstrained power and abuse of civil liberties Horizontal accountability (checks/balances) important because no branch should overstep it’s boundaries legislative and judicial work to ensure executive doesn’t overstep its boundaries Vertical accountability (citizen oversight) Types & Measures of Regimes Categorical Measures Place countries into boxes like "democracy" or "autocracy" (e.g., Freedom House). Continuous Measures Rate countries along a scale (e.g., Polity IV, V-Dem). V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Continuous Measurement A multidimensional dataset measuring: Electoral democracy Liberal democracy (rule of law, civil liberties) Deliberative and participatory components Authoritarian Regime Types: Single Party: Rule by one dominant party that controls state, institutionalized succession, loyalty rewarded opposition suppressed Military Regime: Rule by Junta, power shared among officers, tend to be short lived, Personalist: Rule by a single leader who concentrates power in themselves, EX: Alberto Fujimori used rule of law to eliminate horizontal accountability (dissolve parliament) Idi Amin: Uganda Personalist Dictator who led a personalist regime but wore military clothing but wasn’t a military regime as he lasted longer PRI party mexico (1929-2000) “party matters more than individual for long term control” “Crocodile Regime zimbabwe ZanuPF” Robert Mugabe tried to consolidate power turning the single party regime into personalistic regime, “Crocodile” and the party kicked out Mugabe Processes of Change Democratization A cluster of transitions from autocracy to democracy, often occurring in waves. Democratic Consolidation The process by which a new democracy becomes deeply institutionalized and unlikely to backslide to authoritarianism. Democratic Backsliding / Reverse Waves A return to autocracy, often through legal or incremental means (Frantz Ch. 6; V-Dem data). EX: Germany, Portugal, Italy, Japan autocratized eventually leading to WW2 Development & Inequality Colonial Legacy (Rodney Ch. 1–2) Colonialism extracted wealth and underdeveloped the Global South. Development today is deeply shaped by this history. Dependency Theory (Chiriyankandath) Global South countries are structurally dependent on the Global North, locking them into unequal economic relationships. Bellemare Argues that international aid and development strategies often reinforce inequality. Questions assumptions about market-led development. Sullivan & Hickel Critique the notion of progress by showing that global inequality and environmental degradation persist despite rising GDPs. Spatial Inequality (Holland) Unequal distribution of public goods and services across geographic areas (e.g., rich vs. poor neighborhoods in Santiago and parallels in the U.S.). Systematic pattern of inequality of distribution of resources that goes beyond economic indicators and resources underscoring detrimental and long lasting consuquences of colonial practices in global south Institutions & State Capacity Institutions Structures and rules (formal and informal) that guide political behavior. Includes constitutions, legislatures, parties, and norms. Military Professionalism (Frantz Ch. 3) Key in authoritarian survival—more professional militaries may support or resist coups depending on institutional ties. Coup: A quick usually violent seizure of power by deposing the current government, “Coup is quick,violent unlike authoritarianization where slow change causes the rise of authoritarianism” Coup Attempt: unsuccessful effort, signals internal instability, possible low level of economic development Delegative Democracy It is a type of regime type that falls inbetween perfect autocracy and perfect democracy, it is a hybrid regime Leaders claim authority from institutions elections but govern without strong accountability (Green & Luehrmann) Delegative democracy can help explain how elected leaders can weaken institution accountability while maintaining formal dem institutional legitimacy Presidential vs. Parliamentary Systems Presidential: Separation of powers, risk of deadlock, stronger individual mandate Parliamentary: Fusion of powers, easier legislation, party accountability Research Methods Mills’ Methods Used in comparative politics to find causality: Method of Agreement: Find common factor in similar outcomes Method of Difference: Isolate differing factors in different outcomes Key Readings to Review Frantz Ch. 1, 3, 5, 6 – Authoritarian regimes, survival strategies, backsliding Green & Luehrmann – Democratic criteria, messy middle, accountability Rodney Ch. 1–2 – Colonialism and underdevelopment Chiriyankandath – Dependency and postcolonial state Sullivan & Hickel / Bellemare – Development critique Holland – Spatial inequality V-Dem Report – Measuring democracy Ross (Week 9) – Resource wealth and political outcomes Riedl et al., Szakonyi, Jee & Zhang – Case studies on political reform, parties, and authoritarian institutions Authoritarian Regime - Institutions - Rules blahhhh Measures of autocracies Continuous Categorical For Exam: Franz readings week 5 Reverse Waves: Transition from democracy to dictatorship aka backsliding Interdependence: 2 countries that depend on eachother trade or otherwise Democratization: clustered transitions to democracy Hybrid Regime: Regimes in between democracy and authoritarianism