apcg terms
Unitary System: Only the federal government has constitutional power
Devolution: The process by which the federal government spreads power out to regional governments
Federal Power: Power possessed by the federal government
Democratization: The process by which a state becomes more democratic, usually by establishing more democratic institutions
Beurocracy: Unelected officials who implement and carry out laws and policies → make the government function
Parliament: A system of government where representatives from different districts are elected to serve on a legislative assembly. The majority party representative is the executive and is chosen by legislators from their party.
Presidential: A system of government where the executive is directly elected by the people.
Semi-Preseidential: Often have a division of power between a president and prime minister.
Head of State: Public persona or representative of a state. Often deals with foreign affairs, and is the commander-in-chief.
Head of Government: Deals with domestic affairs and internal policy
“The Perils of Presidentialism”: Newly created presidential governments are less stable. There’s a split in legitimacy between the executive and the legislative branches (gridlock) and they are often inflexible.
Common Law: Used in the UK, judges make decision by applying precedent.
Code Law: Judges follow and apply the law as written by the legislature.
Rule of Law: The law is applied equally and fairly to all persons within a state. No one is above the law.
Rule by Law: Laws are passed as instruments of political power.
Legitimacy: Righ and acceptance of a state by the people of that state
Authority: Legitimate wielding of power by a government
Power: A government's ability to enact change and influence/control its citizens.
Pluralism: When a country has multiple different interest groups
Sovereignty:
Political Parties:
Interest groups: Like-minded individuals with a particular goal, typically regulated by the government and attempt to influence public policy. (DIFFERENT FROM POLITICAL PARTIES)
Civil society: Non-governmental organizations.
Godwin's Law: The longer an online discussion goes on, the chances of fascism being mentioned increase. (relates to the decline of civil society in the modern age - internet)
Political culture: Widely held beliefs attitude and values about government and politics. Changes slowly but does change over time. Influenced by geography and regime tupe.
Political socialization: Process of learning abotu shared political believes and values through surroudings. (school, internet parents) (is affectd by regime type(
Political Ideology: Political and ecnomic mix
Post-materialism: Argues that after WWII there is a push away from materialism and more towards overall quality of life
Individualism: Units of political issues are present on an individual basis (rather than across races, genders, etc.) Core American values and most common in democratic states.
Fascism: Nationalist authoritarianism, complete oppression of any minority groups, totalitarian
Populism: The needs of the people and more important than the needs of the elite. Varies widely by location depending on what the common people want.
Communism: State ownership of means of production (no private ownership). This can translate to totalitarian/authoritarian government structures. Has never really existed (North Korea closest)
Neo-liberalism: Individualist economic policy that cuts government interference and regulation (laissez-faire)
Socialism: Free market with some state ownership. Typically has a robust system of social benefits and programs.
Civil Liberties: Fundamental RIGHTS and freedoms protected by the government.
Civil Rights: ACTIONS taken by the government to protect people from discrimination.
Social Movements: Groups organized specifically to advocate for political change, are typically grassroots and loosely organized.
Political/Social Cleavege: Disagreements within society. Can come from ethnic, racial groups, and social classes.
Political Efficacy: Citizens belief in their ability to influence government policy through voting or protesting.
Single-member districts: Electoral district that elects one representative (Nigeria, UK, Iran)
Multi-Mebmeber Districts: Electorial districts that elect more than one representative per district ( Iran)
Proportional representation: Legislative seats are awarded based on a percentage of the popular vote in a national election (can result in gridlock). Seats may also be reserved for ethnic/religious minorities or women.
Mixed systems: May use both SMD or MMD and proportional. (Mexico and Russia)
Corporatism:
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): Investment of one country into the economy of another. Can be in direct aid or through corporations.
International Captial Flow: Movement of money across national borders → has become easier since WWII
Multinational Corporations (MNCs): Corporations that take advantage of lower labor costs, specialized knowledge, resources, etc. across multiple countries.
Internation Organizations: Body established by international agreements. Countries give up some sovereignty to join. (World Bank)
Supranational Organisations: Member countries have a say in governing. Give up some sovereignty to join. (UN, WTO, EU, ECOWAS)
NGOS: Nonprofit groups that exist outside of government control. Focus on social and political issues.
Privatization: Key to economic liberaliation, privatizes various industries (owned by private companies rather than the government)
Nationalization: Government take control and manages certain industries.
Globalization: Process by which states become more interconnected, facilitated by economic liberalization, can weaken states sovereignty but also create global consumer culture.
Protectionism: Economic policy designed to promote internal growth and limit outside influence. Typically involves high tariffs on imported goods.
Bretton Woods: Set worldwide monetary policies and exchange rates, established the World Bank and IMF (Established by allied countries after WWII)
Economic Liberalizations: Decrease in government investment into the economy, free market policies with reduction of trade barriers.
Import substitution Subsidization (ISS): Restrictive policies and high tariffs to promote domestic manufacturing
Structural adjustment policy: Often mandated by the IMF or World Bank in exchange for FDI. Removal of subsidies and privatization of different industries.
Human capital: Education training and skill brought by people to an economy. Can decrease with neoliberalism as governments fund education less.
Social welfare: A government program that helps people access resources they can’t/aren’t able to provide for themselves (ie. food, housing, medical assistance, clothing)
Means-tested assistance: Government assistance is available to people who fall below an established poverty line (dependent on the government)
Conditional cash transfer: The government gives cash to families in exchange for them taking their kids to the doctor or sending them to school (Mexico)
Social security: Government system that provides monetary assistance to those in need.
The Resource Curse: A trend where countries with highly profitable natural resources are unable to benefit from that resource as it is instead managed by foreign investors. Also describes how these countries tend to develop more slowly.
Rentier State: A state that is overly dependent on a single natural resource that is exploited by foreign countries/organizations.
Marker Based Private Insurance: Least Common (US + Mexico)
National Health Services (NHS): The government finances and manages hospitals. Provides care and employs doctors, nurses, etc. (UK, Russia, Iran, China, Nigeria)
National Health Insurance (NHI): Government requires and regulated insurance program
Race to the bottom: Decreased government regulation to attract FDI to the point where companies are doing whatever they want to the environment → ecologically damaging and destructive.