AP Vocabulary

Comparative Government & Politics – Course Vocabulary

Unit 1 – Intro, Political Systems, Regimes, and Governments

Chapter 1

1. Comparative Politics – The study of similarities and differences between states,

how different government systems operate, and why political changes occur

2. Causation – When a change in one variable precipitates a change in another

variable

3. Correlation – An apparent connection between variables

4. Empirical statement – An assertion of fact that can be proven (look at qualitative

vs. quantitative data)

5. Normative statement – A value judgment, usually in the form of a should or

ought statement

6. Human Development Index (HDI) – An aggregate measure of life expectancy,

education, and per capita income

7. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – The total value of goods and services

produced in a country in a year (also know: GDP per capita, GDP growth rate)

8. Gini Index (coefficient) – A measure of income inequality within a country

9. Freedom House – A nongovernmental organization that advocates for

democracy and human rights and measures freedom around the world

10. Democratic consolidation – The process by which a regime has developed stable

democratic institutions and significant protections of civil liberties and is

unlikely to revert to authoritarianism

11. Corruption – The abuse of official power for personal gain

12. Corruption Perceptions Index – A measure of how corrupt a system is believed

to be

13. Strong state – A state that is capable of providing necessary government services

to its citizens

14. Failed state – A state that has lost control over all or part of its territory

15. Fragile state Index – A measure of state strength, highlighting concerns about

fragile and failed states

Chapter 2

16. State – Political institutions with international recognition that govern a

population in a territory

17. Government – Institutions and individuals, such as the executive, legislature,

judiciary, and bureaucracy, that make legally binding decisions for the state and

that have the lawful right to use power to enforce those decisions

18. Sovereignty – A state’s ability to act without internal or external interference

19. International recognition – A formal step taken by a state to grant official status

to another state and begin treating it a member of the global community

20. Regime – A type of government, such as liberal democracy or authoritarian

21. Regime change – A change in the fundamental rules and system of government

22. Coup d’etat (coup) – An overthrow of government by a small number of people,

often military leaders

23. Revolution – An overthrow of a regime based on widespread popular support

24. Change in government – A change in leaders, without fundamental changes in

the system of government

25. Nation – A group of people who share a sense of belonging and who often have

a common language, culture, religion, race, ethnicity, political identity, or a set of

traditions or aspirations

26. Nationalism – When a group has a strong sense of identity and believes it has its

own destiny

27. Liberal democracy – a system with free and fair elections in which a wide array

of civil rights and liberties is protected

28. Authoritarian state – A system without free and fair elections in which civil

rights and liberties are restricted

29. Totalitarian state – A type of authoritarian government where the state controls

nearly all aspects of citizens’ lives

30. Illiberal, flawed, or hybrid democracy – A system in which elections may be

marred by fraud and the state protects some civil rights and liberties but restricts

others

31. Rule of law – A clear set of rules where government officials are subject to the

same laws and penalties as citizens

32. Rule by law – Where the law is applied arbitrarily, and government officials are

not subject to the same rules and penalties as citizens

33. Transparency – The ability of citizens to know what the government is doing

34. Democratization – The process of transitioning from an authoritarian to a

democratic regime

35. Democratic consolidation – The process by which a regime has developed stable

democratic institutions and significant protections of civil liberties and is

unlikely to revert to authoritarianism

36. Democratic backsliding – Decline in the quality of democracy, including a

decrease in citizen participation, rule of law, transparency, and accountability

37. Power – The ability to make someone do something they would not otherwise do

38. Authority – The legitimate power a state has over people within its territory

39. Theocracy – A system based on religious rule

40. Coercion – The use of force, or the threat of force, to get someone to do

something they would not otherwise do

41. Legitimacy – The citizens’ belief that the government has the right to rule

42. Political efficacy – A citizen’s belief that his or her actions can impact the

government

43. Traditional legitimacy – The right to rule based on a society’s long-standing

patterns and practices

44. Charismatic legitimacy – The right to rule based on personal virtue, heroism, or

other extraordinary characteristics

45. Rational-legal legitimacy – The right to rule based on an accepted set of laws

46. Unitary system – A political system in which the central government has sole

constitutional sovereignty and power

47. Federal system – A political system in which a state’s power is legally and

constitutionally divided among more than one level of government

48. Devolution – Granting of powers by the central government to regional

governments

Chapter 3

49. Patron-Clientelism – When those in power offer benefits to citizens in exchange

for political support

50. Head of state – The symbolic representative of a country

51. Head of government – The key executive in the policymaking process

52. Sexenio – The single six-year term for the Mexican president

53. Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) – A nonprofit group outside the

government’s control

54. Bicameral – A legislature with two chambers

55. Chamber of Deputies – The elected lower house of the Mexican Congress, which

has the power to pass legislation, levy taxes, approve the budget, and certify

elections

56. Lower house – The legislative body in a bicameral system that typically has more

members, shorter terms, and less prestige than the upper house, but it may be

the more powerful body in the legislatures

57. Senate – The elected upper house of the Mexican Congress, which has the power

to confirm appointments, ratify treaties, and approve federal intervention in the

states

58. Upper house – The legislative body in a bicameral system that typically has

fewer members and may have more prestige but less power than the lower house

59. Civil society – Groups that form outside the government’s control

60. Mandate – The broad support of the people to carry out proposed policies

61. Mixed electoral system – A system for electing members of the legislature that

includes both single-member districts and seat awarded through proportional

representation

62. Single-member plurality system (SMD) – a system in which the candidate who

earns the most votes in a district wins a seat in the legislature

63. Proportional representation (PR) system – A system in which seats in the

legislature are awarded according to the percentage of votes a party receives

64. Corporatism – A system in which the state controls interest groups and chooses

the ones it wishes to recognize

65. Peak association – An organization authorized by the government to represent a

group, such as labor, business, or agriculture

66. Pluralism – A system in which groups are allowed to form and advocate for

their interests outside of government control

67. Political culture – A set of collectively held attitudes, values, and beliefs about

government and politics, and the norms of behavior in the political system

68. Civil liberties – Fundamental rights and freedoms protected from infringement

by the government

69. Civil rights – Protections granted by the government to prevent people from

being discriminated against when engaged in fundamental political actions, such

as voting

70. Social cleavage – A division in society among social factors such as ethnicity,

class, religion, or language

71. Political cleavage – A division among citizens according to political beliefs

72. Economic liberalism – Economic policies that support the free market and

reduce trade barriers

73. Globalization – The increased interconnectedness of people, states, and

economies

74. Protectionist economic policies – Policies designed to protect domestic industry

and reduce foreign influence

75. Nationalized industry – A state-owned company controlled by the government

76. Import substitution industrialization (ISI) – Enacting high tariffs and providing

incentives to encourage the growth of domestic manufacturing

77. Privatization – When a government transfers ownership and control of a

nationalized industry to the private sector

Unit 2 – Political Institutions

Chapter 4

1. Institutions – The executive and bureaucracy, the legislature, and the judiciary

2. Executive – The chief political power in a state, usually a president or prime

minister

3. Bureaucracy – A large set of unelected officials who implement the laws

4. Legislature – A group of lawmakers that passes laws and represents citizens

5. Judiciary – The system of courts that interprets the law and applies it to

individual cases

6. Parliamentary system – A system in which the executive and legislature are fused

7. Prime Minister (PM) – The head of government in a parliamentary or semi-

presidential system. In a parliamentary system, the PM is a member of the

legislature and is selected by the majority party.

8. Coalition government – When two or more parties agree to work together to form

a majority and select a prime minister

9. Member of Parliament (MP) – A representative in the legislature elected by

citizens

10. Vote of no confidence – In parliamentary systems, a vote by parliament to

remove a government (the prime minister and cabinet) from power

11. Presidential system – A system in which the executive and legislature are

elected independently and have separate and independent powers

12. Separation of powers – A division of power among the major branches of

government

13. Divided government – When one or both houses of the legislature are controlled

by a political party other than the party of the president

14. Semi-presidential system – A system that divides executive power between a

directly elected president and a prime minister

15. Term limit – A restriction on the number of terms the executive may serve

16. Term of office – A specified number of years that an executive can serve

17. Impeachment – The process of removing a president from office before the end

of his or her term

18. Cabinet – The heads of major departments, or ministries, in the bureaucracy

19. Legislative oversight – The power of the legislature to hold cabinet officials and

members of bureaucracy accountable for their actions and policies

20. Unicameral legislature – A legislature with one chamber

21. Common law – a legal system in which previous written opinions serve as

precedent for future cases

22. Code law – A legal system in which judges follow the law written by the

legislature, and previous court decisions do not serve as precedent

23. Judicial independence – The ability of judges to decide cases according to the

law, free of interference from politically powerful officials or other institutions

Chapter 5

24. Civil-service system – A method of staffing the bureaucracy based on

competitive testing results, education, and other qualification, rather than

patronage

25. Welfare state – Government programs to benefit the health and well-being of

citizens

26. Parliamentary sovereignty – The principle that parliament’s power is supreme

and extends over all aspects of the state

27. Monarch – A hereditary ruler who serves for life

28. House of Commons – The directly elected lower house of Parliament, which

holds most of the policymaking power

29. House of Lords – The unelected upper house of Parliament, which has the

power to suggest amendments to bills and delay legislation

30. Supreme Court – A high court. In the United Kingdom it cannot overturn acts of

Parliament but has the authority to protect civil rights and liberties and rule on

cases involving devolution

31. First-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system – Another term for an SMD plurality

system, in which the candidate with the most votes wins the seat in a legislative

district. This is also called a winner-take-all system

32. Referendum – A vote on a policy issue sent by the government to the people

33. Regulated market economy – An economy in which wages, prices, and

production are mostly set by supply and demand, with some regulation, and

mostly private control of businesses and natural resources

34. National Health Service (NHS) – The government-financed and managed

health-care system in the United Kingdom

35. Austerity measures – Raising taxes and/or cutting spending in an effort to

reduce the deficit and the national debt

Unit 3 – Political Culture and Participation

Chapter 6

1. Civil Society – Groups that form outside the government’s control

2. Political culture – A set of collectively held attitudes, values, and

beliefs about government and politics

3. Political socialization – The process through which an individual

learns about politics and is taught about society’s common political

values and beliefs

4. Postmaterialism – A set of values in a society in which most citizens

are economically secure enough to move beyond immediate

economic(materialist) concerns to “quality of life” issues like human

rights, civil rights, women’s rights, environmentalism, and moral

values.

5. Individualism – The belief that people should be free to make their

own decisions and that the government should not unnecessarily

regulate individual behavior or restrict civil liberties

6. Political ideology – An individual’s set of beliefs and values about

government, politics, and policy

7. Neoliberalism – A philosophy favoring economic policies that support

the free market and reduce trade barriers.

8. Communism – An ideology that advocates state ownership of all

property, with the government exercising complete control over the

economy

9. Socialism – A political ideology in which economic equality is a core

value, with the belief that government ownership of the major means

of production is a way to reduce income inequality within the state

10. Fascism – A nationalist political ideology in which nationalism and the

primacy of the state are the core beliefs. It emphasizes the rights of

the majority, oppress the minority, and supports strong authoritarian

rule

11. Totalitarianism – A political ideology that emphasizes domination of

the state over citizens. In totalitarian systems, the government has

complete control over citizens’ lives.

12. Populism – A political ideology based on the idea that the

government should put the rights and interests of the common people

above the elites.

13. Coercion – A government’s use of force or threats to pressure

individual behavior.

14. Formal political participation – Voting in elections and on

referendums, contacting government officials, joining political groups,

working on a campaign, and donating money to a cause or candidate.

15. Informal political participation – Protest, civil disobedience, and

political violence, including terrorism.

16. Protest – A public demonstration against a policy or in response to an

event, often targeting the government.

17. Political violence – The use of physical force by non-state actors for

political ends.

18. Terrorism – Political violence or the threat of violence that

deliberately targets civilians to influence the behavior and actions of

the government.

19. Civil liberties – Fundamental rights and freedoms protected from

infringement by the government

20. Civil rights – Positive actions taken by the government to prevent

people from being discriminated against when engaged in fundamental

political actions, such as voting.

21. Social movement – A large group organized to advocate for political

change

22. Social cleavage – Division based on ethnicity, race, religion, class, or

territory

23. Political cleavage – Division based on different ideas about the role

of government and policymaking goals.

24. Ethnic group – A group of people who see themselves as united by

one or more cultural attributes or a common history.

25. Race – a group of people socially defined mainly on the basis of one

or more perceived common physical characteristics

26. Social class – A group of people who perceive themselves as sharing

a social status based on a common level of wealth, income, type of

work, or education

Chapter 7

27. Asymmetrical federalism – A system in which some regions have

more formal power and autonomy than others.

28. Duma – The directly elected lower house of the Russian parliament

that represents the people and has the power to pass laws, confirm the

prime minister, and begin impeachment proceeding against the

president.

29. Federation Council – The appointed upper house of the Russian

parliament that represents the regions and has the power to initiate,

review, and amend legislation, approve troop deployments, and

remove the president.

30. Rentier state – A state that relies on the export of oil or from the

leasing of resources to foreign entities as a significant source of

government revenue.

31. Resource curse – A problem faced by countries that have a valuable

and abundant natural resource, which limits diversification of the

economy, makes government revenue dependent on the world market,

increases opportunities for corruption, and lessens the government’s

responsiveness to citizens.

Unit 4 – Party and Electoral Systems

Chapter 8

1. Electoral system – The formal rules and procedures for selecting the executive or

members of the legislature

2. Mandate – The broad support of the people to carry out proposed policies

3. Runoff election – A second and final election held between the top two vote-

getters when no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first round of

voting

4. Multimember district (MMD) system – A method for electing members of a

legislature in which two or more representatives are elected from a district

5. Single-member district (SMD) system – A system for electing members of the

legislature in which the candidate who earns the most votes in a district wins a

seat in the legislature

6. Plurality – The most votes, but not necessarily a majority

7. “First-past-the-post” (FPTP) – An election rule in an SMD system in which the

candidate with a plurality of votes wins a seat in the legislature

8. Proportional representation (PR) system – A system for electing members of the

legislature in which seats are awarded according to the percentage of votes a

party receives

9. Mixed electoral system – A system for electing members of the legislature that

includes both single-member districts and seats awarded through proportional

representation

10. Party system – The number of an strength of political parties within a country

11. One-party state – A country where only one party in allowed to control the

government

12. Dominant party system – A party system in which multiple parties exist, but one

party dominates the executive branch and wins most of the seats in the

legislature

13. Two-party system – A party system in which only two parties are able to garner

enough votes to win an election, although more may complete

14. Multiparty system – A party system in which more than two parties can win a

national election and control the government

15. Catch-all party – A party that takes ideologically diverse, usually milled-of-the-

road, positions to capture as many voters as possible

16. Interest group – An association of individuals or businesses that attempts to

influence government

17. Pluralism – A system in which groups are allowed to form and advocate for their

interests outside government control

18. Corporatism – A system in which the state controls interest groups and chooses

the ones it wishes to recognize

19. Single-peak association – An organization that brings together all interest groups

in a particular sector to influence and negotiate agreements with the government

20. Social movement – A group that has a loosely defined organizational structure

and seeks major socioeconomic or political change through collective action

21. Grassroots movement – Citizens at the local level banding together to advocate

for a cause

Chapter 9

22. Sharia Law – A legal system based on principles derived from Islam

23. National Assembly – Nigeria’s bicameral legislature

24. Structural adjustment program – requirements for receiving assistance from

international lenders (such as the IMF), including the privatization of state-

owned companies, reducing tariffs, and reducing subsidies for domestic

industries