POL221 Exam 1

Direct Democracy – A system where citizens vote directly on laws and policies.

Representative Democracy – A system where citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.

Free and Fair Elections – Elections that are open, competitive, and conducted without fraud or coercion.

Civil Liberties – Basic rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech and religion, protected by law.

Universal Participation – The principle that all adults should have the right to vote and engage in politics.

Responsible Government – A government that is accountable to the public and must justify its actions.

Majoritarian Democracies – Democracies where the majority rules, often with a strong executive and fewer checks on power.

Consensus Democracies – Democracies that seek broad agreement and power-sharing among multiple groups.

Government – The system or group of people in charge of running a country or state.

Cabinet – A group of senior officials, often ministers, who advise the head of government and oversee government departments.

Head of State – The official representative of a country, often a symbolic or ceremonial role.

Head of Government – The person in charge of running the government, such as a prime minister or president.

Hereditary Monarchs – Kings or queens who inherit their position through family lineage.

Presidents – Elected leaders who may serve as head of state, head of government, or both.

Ceremonial Presidents – Presidents with symbolic roles but little actual power.

Direct Election – A system where voters choose leaders directly rather than through representatives.

Separation of Powers – The division of government into branches (executive, legislative, judicial) to prevent concentration of power.

Fixed Terms of Office – A set length of time for an official to serve before re-election or replacement.

Runoff Election – A second-round election held when no candidate wins a majority in the first round.

Checks and Balances – A system that ensures no branch of government becomes too powerful by allowing them to limit each other.

Divided Government – When different political parties control different branches of government.

Gridlock – A situation where government is unable to pass laws due to political conflict or divided government.

Veto Points – Places in the political process where decisions can be blocked or delayed.

Plurality – Winning an election by having the most votes, but not necessarily a majority.

Majority – Winning an election by receiving more than half of the votes.

Cohabitation – When a president and the legislative majority belong to different political parties, requiring power-sharing.

Zero-Sum – A situation where one person’s gain is another’s loss, often in political competition.

Vote of No Confidence – A parliamentary vote that can remove a government from power.

Parliamentary Sovereignty – The principle that parliament has the supreme legal authority to make and change laws.

Constructive Vote of No Confidence – A system where a government can only be removed if a new one is ready to take its place.

Coalition Government – A government formed by multiple political parties working together.

Minority Government – A government where the ruling party does not have a majority in the legislature.

Electoral System – The method used to elect leaders and representatives.

Single-Member Plurality (SMP) – An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes in a district wins.

Proportional Representation – An electoral system where parties gain seats in proportion to their share of the vote.

Ranked Choice – A voting system where voters rank candidates by preference.

Instant Run-off Voting – A voting system where the least popular candidates are eliminated in rounds until one has a majority.

District Magnitude – The number of representatives elected from a district.

Party List Voting – A system where voters choose a party, which then fills seats from a ranked list of candidates.

Open List – A party-list voting system where voters can choose individual candidates within a party.

Closed List – A party-list voting system where voters can only vote for a party, not specific candidates.

Cabinet Portfolios – The specific responsibilities assigned to cabinet ministers.

Electoral Threshold – The minimum percentage of votes a party needs to gain seats in a legislature.

Pink Tide – A wave of left-wing governments elected in Latin America in the early 21st century.

Post-Communist Parties – Political parties that emerged from former communist regimes.

Social Democratic Parties – Parties that support a mix of free markets and government intervention for social welfare.

Green Parties – Parties focused on environmental issues and sustainability.

Liberal Parties – Parties that emphasize individual freedoms, democracy, and market economies.

Christian Democratic Parties – Parties influenced by Christian values, often centrist or center-right.

Conservative Parties – Parties that favor traditional values, stability, and limited government intervention.

Radical Right Parties – Parties that are nationalist, anti-immigration, and often populist.

Separatist Parties – Parties that advocate for a region to become independent from its country.

Nativist – A political ideology that prioritizes the interests of native-born citizens over immigrants.

Conflict Cleavages – Divisions in society, such as class, religion, or ethnicity, that influence political conflicts.

Duverger’s Law – The idea that single-member plurality systems lead to two-party systems.

Revolution – A major and often violent change in political power and social structures.

Coup d’état – A sudden, illegal overthrow of a government by a small group, often the military.

Social Revolution – A radical and large-scale transformation of society and government.

Political Revolution – A change in government without significant social transformation.

Relative Deprivation – The feeling of being deprived of something compared to others, often leading to unrest.

Revolutions from Above – Changes led by elites within the government.

Revolutions from Below – Changes driven by mass movements and popular uprisings.

Labor Repressive Agriculture – A system where landowners restrict workers’ freedoms to maintain control over labor.

Democratic Consolidation – The process of making democracy stable and long-lasting.

Democratic Transition – The shift from a non-democratic regime to a democratic system.

Unitary States – Countries where power is centralized in the national government.

Federal States – Countries where power is divided between national and regional governments.

Subsidiary Principle – The idea that decisions should be made at the lowest effective level of government.

Coordinate Governments – Governments where different levels of authority work together rather than hierarchically.

Devolution – The transfer of power from central government to regional or local governments.

Centralize/Decentralize – The degree to which power is concentrated or spread out in a government.

Infrastructural Capacity – A government’s ability to enforce laws and implement policies effectively.

Nationalism – Strong identification with one’s nation, often emphasizing national sovereignty and identity.

Primordialism – The belief that national identities are ancient and deeply rooted in history.

Modernization – The theory that economic and technological progress leads to social and political development.

Rational Choice – The idea that individuals act based on self-interest and strategic calculations.

Ethnonationalism – A form of nationalism based on ethnic identity.