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163 Cards in this Set

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Arab Spring
series of protests that rocked much of the Middle East in 2010 and 2011
Authoritarian regime
favoring or enforcing strict obedience to someone of higher power
BRICS
large countries undergoing rapid economic growth; Brazil, Russia, India, China (and sometimes South Africa)
Coalition
an alliance of parties that are close enough to one another ideologically to stay together for the duration of a parliamentary term
Cold War
rivalry between the superpowers from the end of World War II to the collapse of the Soviet Union
Colored Revolutions
term used to describe uprisings referred to by a color, such as the Green Movement in Iran
Constitution
a basic political document that lays out the institutions and procedures a country follows
Crisis
a critical turning point
Demand
inputs through which people and interest groups put pressure on the state for change
Democracy
a system of government in which sovereignty resides in the people
Consolidation/Democratization
the process of developing democratic states
Environment
in systems theory, everything lying outside the political system
Equilibrium
A kind of stability that almost never occurs in the rough and tumble "real world" of political life. a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced.
Falsify
contradicting a theory by finding at least one example in which it does not hold true
Feedback
how events today are communicated to people later on and shape what people do later on
Feedback Loop
The section of a control system that allows for feedback and self-correction and that adjusts its operation according to differences between the actual output and the desired output. determine how and if a system "learns" from what has happened in the past.
Globalization (economic and political)
popular term used to describe how international economic, social, cultural, and technological forces are affecting events inside individual countries
Government
either a generic term to describe the formal part of the state or the administration of the day
Human Security
the belief that security includes all areas, not just the military
Hybrid Regimes
term used to describe regimes that combine elements of liberal democracy and authoritarianism in post-communist and other countries
Identity Politics
political activity and ideas based on the shared experiences of an ethnic, religious, or social group emphasizing gaining power and benefits for the group rather than pursuing ideological or universal or even statewide goals. a tendency for people of a particular religion, race, social background, etc., to form exclusive political alliances, moving away from traditional broad-based party politics
Imperialism
the policy of colonizing other countries - literally, establishing empires
Industrialized Democracy
the richest countries with advanced economies and liberal states
Input
support or demand from people to the state
Interest Group pluralism
an organization formed to work for the views of a relatively narrow group of people, such as a trade union or business association
9/11
terrorist attacks on September 11, when two planes crashed into the twin towers in New York, a negative effect of globalization.
Nation
as used by political scientists, primarily psychological term to describe attachment or identity rather than a geopolitical unit such as the state
Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)
nonprofit, private groups that exert political influence around the world and are playing an increasingly important role in determining developmental and environmental policies
Output
public policy in systems theory
Paradigm
a theory that covers an entire discipline
Political Culture
basic values and assumptions that people have toward authority, the political system, and other overarching themes in political life
Political Participation
opportunities for citizens to take part in their country's government, such as voting in competitive elections, joining interest groups, and engaging in protest
Political Party
organization that contests elections or otherwise contends for power
Politics
the process through which a community, state, or organizations organizes and governs itself
Positive-Sum Outcome
conflict resolution in which all parties benefit; also known as win-win
Power
as conventionally defined, the ability to get someone to do something he or she otherwise would not do
Public Policy
the decisions made by a state that define what it will do
Regime
the institutions and practices that endure from government to government, such as the constitutional order in democracy
Resilient
an organization's ability to return to health and strength after setback
State
all individuals and institutions that make public policy, whether they are in the government or not
Support
in systems analysis, popular input that tends to endorse the current leadership and its policies
Sustainability
the endurance of systems and processes, A principle of environmental science that demands us to maintain Earth's systems and its natural resources for the future.
Systems Theory
a model for understanding political life, examining how a state's components interact over time and how nonpolitical and international forces shape what it can and cannot accomplish
Theory
explanatory statements, accepted principles, and methods of analysis
Vicious Cycle
system that deteriorates over time
Virtuous Cycle
system that improves over time
Win-Win Outcome
conflict resolution in which all parties benefit; also known as positive-sum game
Zero-Sum Game
political outcome in which one side wins and the other loses. in game theory and economic theory, a zero-sum game is a mathematical representation of a situation in which a participant's gain (or loss) of utility is exactly balanced by the losses (or gains) of the utility of the other participant(s).
Global South
The underdeveloped and largely poor countries in the world. Often called the third world.
advanced democracies
..., countries that have institutionalized democracy and a high level of economic development and prosperity
bicameral,unicameral legislatures
...
bureaucratic authoritarian regimes
..., a system in which the state bureaucracy and the military share a belief that a technocratic leadership, focused on rational, objective, and technical expertise, can solve the problems of the country without public participation
bureaucracy
..., A bureaucracy is a system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials. It is a large complex structure that handles the business of the organization and organizes people to do work efficiently. The Federal Government is an example of a bureaucracy. Some features of a bureaucracy are a hierarchical authority, job specialization, and formalized rules.
cabinet coalition
..., if the country has a multi-party system with no clear majority party, a cabinet coalition will form, where several parties join forces and are represented in different cabinet posts. A common problem is that they tend to be unstable, especially if they result from a fragmented legislature.
causation
..., A relationship between two phenomena in which one is believed to cause the other.
civil society
..., A complex network of voluntary associations, economic groups, religious organizations, and many other kinds of groups that exist independently from the government
cleavages-coinciding or/ cross cutting
...When every dispute aligns the same groups against each other, coinciding cleavages are likely to be explosive. Cross-cutting cleavages divide society into many potential groups that may conflict on one issue but cooperate on another. These tend to keep social conflict to more moderate levels.
command economies
..., economic systems in which the government largely decides what goods and services will be produced, who will get them, and how the economy will grow
common law/code law
..., common law is based on tradition, past practices, and legal precedents set by the courts through interpretations of statues, legal legislation, and past rulings; code law is based on a comprehensive system of written rules of law divided into commercial, civil, and criminal codes. Common Laws are laws that have come about of been enacted based on court rulings. These laws are developed based on rulings that have been given in older court cases. Common laws are also known as case law or precedent. Code law is a systematic and comprehensive written statement of laws of a particular area of law when the code was enacted and codified. In simple terms, code law is basically a systematic list of laws that have been codified and are enforceable by law.
communism
..., A political system characterized by a centrally planned economy with all economic and political power resting in the hands of the central government
competitive elections
..., elections that are regular, free, and fair and that offer a real possibility of the incumbent government being defeated
confederal system
..., A system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states.
conflictual political culture
..., the citizens are sharply divided, often on both the legitimacy of the regime and solutions to major problems
consensual political culture
..., citizens tend to agree on the appropriate means of making political decisions and to agree on the major problems facing the society and how to solve them
conservatism
..., A set of beliefs that includes a limited role for the national government in helping individuals, support for traditional values and lifestyles, and a cautious response to change.
constitutional courts
..., Federal courts created by Congress under Article III of the Constitution, including the district courts, courts of appeals, & specialized courts such as the U.S. Court of International Trade.
co-optation
..., the means a regime uses to get support from citizens
corporatism
..., A method of co-optation whereby authoritarian systems create or sanction a limited number of organizations to represent the interests of the public and restrict those not set up or approved by the state.
correlation
..., A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.
cosmopolitanism
..., a universal political order that draws its identity and values from everywhere
coup d'etat
..., (French) a sudden, powerful political stroke, esp. the forcible overthrow of government.
democratic corporatism
..., New groups can form to compete for power only if the government allows them to do so, and they create bonds with state agencies making them semi-public and as a result freedoms are lost
democracy index
..., based on 60 different indicators into 5 categories; electoral process, protection for civil liberties, the efficient function of government, patterns of political participation, and the strength and depth of political culture. score 1-10.
economic liberalization
..., Philosophy that aims to limit the power of the state and increase the power of the market and private property in an economy.
electoral systems
..., the rules that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature
empirical data
..., Information gathered from sensory observation and experimentation
fascism
..., A political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and racism and no tolerance of opposition
first-past-the-post (plurality, winner takes all)
..., an electoral system in which the candidate who has more votes than any other candidate wins
foreign direct investment
..., Investment made by a foreign company in the economy of another country.
fragmentation
..., Divisions based on ethnic or cultural identity.
Freedom House ratings
..., an organization that studies democracy around the world, ranks countries on a 1 to 7 freedom scale, with counties given a 1 being the most free and those given a 7 being the least free
Gini index
..., A statistical formula that measures the amount of economic inequality within a country. "0" corresponds with perfect equality and "100" represents perfect inequality.
GDP,GNP, GNP per capita
Gross domestic product is an economic indicator that compiles data on all forms of wealth produced within a country. Gross national product (GNP) is the market value of all the products and services produced in one year by labor and property supplied by the citizens of a country.
head of government
..., The executive role that deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, such as formulating and executing policy.
head of state
..., ..., The executive role that symbolizes and represents the people both nationally and internationally.
hypothesis
..., A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
independent variable/dependent variable
..., condition that is manipulated by the experimenter to examine its impact on the dependent variable/ the measure that is affected by the independent variable
indications of democratization
..., civil liberties, rule of law, neutrality of the judiciary, open civil society, civilian control of the military
informal politics
..., takes into consideration not only the ways that politicians operate outside their formal powers, but also the impact that beliefs, values, and actions of ordinary citizens have on policy-making.
initiative
..., ..., Allows voters to petition to propose legislation &then submit it for a vote by qualified voters
institutions, institutionalized
..., ________ refers to clusters of rules and cultural meanings associated with specific social activities. Common ________ are the family, education, religion, work, and health care.
integration
...a process that encourage states to pool their sovereignty in order to gain political, economic, and social clout.
legitimacy(traditional, charismatic, rational-legal)
..., the right to rule. 1.)the belief that tradition should determine who should rule and how. 2.)based on the dynamic personality of an individual or a small group.(Often not passed down to a successor) 3.)people obey the leaders because they believe in the rules that brought them to office.
liberal democracies
..., democracies that display civil liberties, rule of law, neutrality of the judiciary, open civil society, and civilian control of the military
liberalism as a political ideology
..., places emphasis on individual political and economic freedom; seek to maximize freedom for all people including free speech, free religion, and free association; believe that citizens have the right to disagree with state decisions and act to change the decisions of their leaders
liberalism as an approach to economic and political change
..., Political and economic doctrine that emphasizes the rights and freedoms of the individual and the need to limit the powers of government.
linkage institutions
..., The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
market economies
..., Individuals make their own decisions about what to produce, how to produce it, and for whom to produce it.
marketization
..., The state's recreation of a market in which property, labor, goods, and services can all function in a competitive environment to determine their value.
military rule
..., A nondemocratic rule in which the military intervenes directly in politics as the organization that can solve the problems.
mixed economies
..., Economic systems in which some allocation of resources is made by the market and some by the government.
mixed electoral system
..., An electoral system that uses a combination of single-member districts and proportional representation
multi-party system
..., political party system that recognizes 3 or more major political parties
normative questions
..., questions used to study and compare countries that require value judgments; for example may focus on whether or not certain statistics bode well or ill for the countries
parliamentary system
..., A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president, a system of government in which both executive and legislative functions reside in an elected assembly. The head of the government must be a current member of the legislature.
party system
..., A period in which the names of the major political parties, their supporters, and the issues dividing them remain relatively stable.
patronage
..., (politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support
patron-client system
..., Relations in which "Patron" gains support of "Client" through mutual exchange of benefits and obligations.
plebiscite
..., A direct vote of all the people of a country or district on an important matter; a referendum. a ballot to consult public opinion in a nonbinding way
pluralism
..., A theory of government that holds that open, multiple, and competing groups can check the asserted power by any one group.
political efficacy
..., A citizen's capacity to understand and influence political events. When citizens enjoy a high level of Political Efficacy they believe that the government takes their input seriously and cares about what they have to say. If citizens lack this quality, they may not believe that it is important to vote, or they may try to ignore the government's efforts to enforce laws.
political elites
..., Persons with a disproportionate share of political power
political frameworks
..., structures of a political system that carry out the work of governing
political ideologies
..., Sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics.
political liberalization
..., a state that progresses from procedural democracy to substantive democracy through democratic consolidation is said to experience this phenomenon.
political rights
..., All rights of a citizen in a free society that are clearly expressed and guaranteed by the Constitution and implied by natural laws.
political socialization
..., Complex process by which people get their sense of political identity, beliefs, and values (family, school, media, religion, national events-all help to socialize)
politicization of religion
..., the use of religious principles to promote political ends and vice versa
presidential system
..., A system of government in which the legislative and executive branches operate independently of each other
privatization
..., To change from government or public ownership or control to private ownership or control.
purchase power parity (PPP)
..., A figure like GNP, except that it takes into consideration what people can buy using their income in the local economy.
radicalism
..., The political orientation of those who favor revolutionary change in government and society
reactionary beliefs
..., an attitude toward change. Go further to protect against change than do conservative beliefs. The oppose both revolution and reform, and are more willing to use violence to reach their goals than two of the more moderate groups.
recruitment of elites
..., In any political system, political roles must be defined, filled and vacated. The political recruitment recruits members of the particular subcultures -religious communities, statuses, classes, ethnic communities and the like, and inducts them into the specialized roles of the political system.
referendum
..., A state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment.
reform
...make changes in (something, typically a social, political, or economic institution or practice) in order to improve it.
revolution
..., An overthrow of a government or social system with another taking it's place.
revolution of rising expectations
..., a theory (1) which states that revolutions typically occur when a period of improvement (1) is interrupted by some economic crisis (1) or sudden downturn (1)
Samuel Huntington's "clash of civilizations"
..., describes the democratization that has occurred during the post-Cold War era; according to Huntington, it has occurred due to the loss of legitimacy by both right and left wing authoritarian regimes; the expansion of an urban middle class in developing countries; and a new emphasis on human rights.
semi-presidential system
..., System in which a prime minister coexists with a president who is directly elected by the people and who holds a significant degree of power.
social boundaries
..., These are established within a culture and define how individuals are expected to behave in social situations
social capital
..., Democratic and civic habits of discussion, compromise, and respect for differences, which grow out of participation in voluntary organizations
social cleavages
..., divisions theoretically outside the realm of politics (religion, ethnic groups, race, social and economic classes) that interact with the political system and have a tremendous impact on policy-making
social movements
..., Active and sustained efforts to achieve social and political change by groups of people who feel that government has not been properly responsive to their concerns.
socialism
..., A theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
societal corporatism (neo-corporatism)
..., corporatism when interest groups take the lead and dominate the state
state corporatism
..., a political system in which the state requires all members of a particular economic sector to join an officially designated interest group, with the result that the state gains substantial control over interest groups and interest groups channel or control their members' political and economic advocacy
subject activities
..., processes that involve obedience such as obeying laws, following military orders, and paying taxes
succession
..., Inheritance of the right to rule.
technocrats
..., highly-educated bureaucrats who make decisions based on their perceptions of technical issues rather than political ones
third wave of democracy
..., refers to the surge in democratic transitions that have occurred around the world since 1974
three-world approach
..., based largely on cold war politics. 1) The United States and its allies 2) the Soviet Union and its allies 3) third world nations that don't fit in the first categories and were all economically underdeveloped and deprived.
totalitarianism
..., A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
transmission belt
..., In an authoritarian state, when interest groups are used to convey messages from the political elite to their base, instead of the other way around because of their lack of autonomy.
transparency
..., For government to be accountable the people must be aware of what is happening in the country. A transparent government holds public meetings, allows citizens to attend, the press and the people can get information about decisions being made, by whom and why.
unitary systems
..., political systems in which power is concentrated in a central government
checks and balances
..., A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power
civil liberties
..., Constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all citizens
democratic
..., Citizens participate freely in their government through voting and usually have many personal freedoms.
direct democracy
..., A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives
federal system
..., A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments
illiberal democracies
..., Countries that have regular, free, fair elections, but are missing other qualities(Civil liberties,rule of law, etc.)
indirect democracy
..., Form of democracy in which individuals are represented by appointed representatives.
judicial review
..., Authority given the courts to review constitutionality of acts by the executive/state/legislature; est. in Marbury v. Madison
nationalism
..., A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country
procedural democracy
..., a country that has regular, free, and fair competitive elections, but is missing vital qualities (like civil liberties, rule of law, neutrality of the judiciary, open civil society, and civilian control of the military) is called an illiberal democracy or a _____ _______.
proportional representation
..., An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.
rule of law
..., principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern. Rule of law that provides for equal treatment of citizens and due process
separation of powers
..., Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law
sovereignty
..., Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.
substantive democracies
..., liberal democracies where citizens have access to multiple sources of information
two-party system
..., A political system dominated by two major parties
tyranny of the majority

..., The tendency in democracies to allow majority rule to neglect the rights and liberties of minorities.