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82 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Governments vary in what two ways? |
1. the number of people in the decision-making process 2. the extent over the government's authority (i.e. formal limitations) |
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authoritarian governments tend to.... (2) |
have FEW people in the decision making process and the authority over decisions is GREAT |
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Few to many people |
1. Personalistic regimes (very few) 2. Bureaucratic regimes (few) 3. Democracy (many) |
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few limitations to many limitations |
1. Totalitarian (few to no limitations) - bureaucratic authoritarianism - personalistic dictatorships - theocracies 2. Constitutional democracy (many limitations) |
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Varieties of authoritarianism |
1. totalitarian regimes 2. theorcracies 3. personalistic dictatorships 4. bureaucratic-authoritarian |
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totalitarian regimes |
- leadership cult, usually only one person in power but could theoretically be several - regimes aims to control everything about the lives of the citizens - go to great lengths to limit the freedom of population and establish overall ideology - control over economy EX: hitler, stalin, kim jon yun, the besties |
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totalitarian regimes are historically... |
a relatively new phenomenon (strong state apparatus required) |
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theocracies |
- clergy are in charge (body of religious dutiests) - clergy granted divine right of rule and/or rules with religious doctrine |
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personalistic dictatorships |
- one person is the leader (cult) - authority varies depending on... 1. strength of state apparatus 2. strength of opposition groups (military support) 3. threats to leadership power EX: Idi Admin of Uganda |
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bureaucratic authoritarianism |
- there is a medium amount of people with power, could be military junta or political party - states control much of the everyday lives of the citizenry (but not all) |
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to be feared or loved? |
Imagine your are a dictator of a strong,wealthy state (e.g. oil rich).-What factors would determine how whether you would use very heavy-handedstrategies tocontrol your population or more subtle strategies (like electoral fraud).lu
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hybrid systems |
- combined features from both democracy and authoritarian government EXs: - free elections -> vote for political leaders - lack of civil liberties like freedom of speech, press and right to assemble - illiberial democracies (hungary and venezuela) |
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in Hybrid systems... |
1. the number of people in power vary - there are regular elections 2. the extent of authority is wide ranging - regimes deny many constitutional liberties to their people |
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regime change is not.. |
A one-way street - they don't always go from authoritarianism to democracy - some authoritarian regimes last a long time - some countries experience democratic breakdown - some countries transition from democracy/autocracy into hybrid systems |
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what do theories of emergence and persistence ask? |
Theydon’t ask “when are countries transitioning from autocracy to democracy?” but“why are democracies sometimes backsliding?” and “why are some autocracies sostable?”Q> |
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poverty and democratic breakdown theory |
"Reverse Modernization Theory" - people in poor country areas have more immediate needs than political reasons |
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culture and authoritarianism theory |
some cultures are simply more prone to having non-democratic political systems |
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collective action problems theory |
- protesting against a government is risky, you need to engage in collective action - a lot of people need to individually make the decision to protest/revolt, which is unlikely - the chance of success seem low and the costs of participation seems high as long as the number of protesters is small |
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internet and collective action |
- governments now have to decide whether to allow or shut down internet services - internet leads to better information provision to the citizenry about.. 1. external events 2. government actions (corrupt officials) 3. it allows for coordination between citizens (makes collective action easier) |
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constitutions |
the fundamental supreme laws of most modern states - establish the basis of a political system - form the basis of other laws |
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history of constitutions closely tie with... |
the principle of constitutionalism (the limitation of government through a constitution) |
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do all democracy have constitutions? |
- NOPE, and not all states with constitutions are democracies - some authoritarian constitutions are very progressive on paper - EX: the Soviet Union's included right to education, health care and housing |
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constitutional design |
- shape basic features of political system - EX: separation of powers/responsibilities between branches of government |
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constitutions vary on what dimensions? |
1. flexible vs. rigid constitutions 2. separation of powers (judicial review) 2. federalism vs. unitarism |
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flexible and rigid constititions |
defined as "how hard is it to change the constitution?" EX rigid: United States EX flexible: United Kingdom - if parliament passes a law in Britain, this law is by definition constitutional |
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How is statutory U.S. law passed? |
- majority in both houses - signed by president - constitution can be change with amendments 1. congress 2/3 majority vote in both houses 2. constitutional convention 3/4 of state legislatures |
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examples of unsucessful proposals to US constitution |
- Topermit prayer at school meetings & ceremonies
- Toallow someone to become President of they have been a citizen for 20 years - Toallow Congress to pass laws for emergency replenishment of its membershipshould more than a quarter of either house be killed |
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Difference between countries with JudicialReview andcountries with Parliamentary Sovereignty.
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- JudicialReview: judges rule on the constitutionality of laws.
- ParliamentarySovereignty: Constitutionality of laws NOT subject to constitutionalinterpretation by judiciary (United Kingdom). |
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Pros and Cons of Judicial Review |
Pros: - it can protect minorities (Brown vs. Board) - judicial review as an additional check on other two branches Con: judicial review could lead to judicial activism |
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different justice courts in US, Germany and Guatamala |
1. US - 9 president appoints and senate confirms 2. Germany - 16, 8 elected by House and 8 elected by Senate 2/3 majority 3. Guatamala - 5, 1 elected by congress, court, president, bar association and university |
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federalism |
separation of powers between central government and subnational governments (aka US 50 states) |
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unitarism |
- central government is predominant - powers of subnational governments are limited and delegated by the center |
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pros and cons of federalism |
pros: - autonomy for certain regions/groups might increase social stability - most of today's multinational democracies are federal (Switzerland, Canada, Spain, Belgium) cons: might exacerbate differences and undermine stability |
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federalism and democratic rights |
federalism allows different parts of the country to have their preferred laws and policies - the flipside: it allows people to have different fundamental rights in a country |
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Three dimensial coordinate system of federalism |
Symmetrical/ Asymmetrical
- Refers to rights and responsibilitiesgranted to subnational units. Competitive/ Cooperative. - Refers to the extent to which statesstand in competition with each other. Bigminority influence / Small Minority Influence - Refers to the extent to which minoritiescan influence national policy. |
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legislatures |
assemblies with authority to make laws Explicit powers: - pass legislation - power of the purse Implied powers: - focus public debates - requeset/demand information - socialize politicians |
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bicameral legislatures |
Upper Chamber: - usually smaller number of legislators - individuals represent larger geographic constituencies Lower Chamber: - usually larger number of legislators - individuals represent smaller geographic constituencies - represents population at large |
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in bicameral legislatures, the balance of power... |
varies - roughly equal in the US and Itly - unequal in france and britain |
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unicameral |
- common in smaller countries - common in ethnically homogenous countries like Sweden, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand |
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Legislatures and parts |
legislatures: - congress - parliament parts of legislatures: - houses - chambers |
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district electoral systems |
Votersvote on individualsfrom…○Geographicallydefined districts
Districtsize varies ○Multi-MemberDistricts ○Single-MemberDistricts ■First-Past-the-Post ■RunoffBetween top 2 candidates |
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House of representatives |
435 parties present a list of potential representatives - voters vote on a party - seats allocated to each party based on the percentage of votes that party receives aka 30% votes, 30% seats |
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gerrymandering |
a district that is irregular in shape and drawn for the purpose of giving an advantage to your party |
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example of mixed member proportional representation |
New zealand each voter gets 2 votes - person - party LowerHouse ○71seats go topeople who will represent a district ○50seats determinedby party vote |
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Who can be president? |
- at least 35 years of age - natively born in US - resident of the US for 14 years |
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what does the executive branch do? |
- execute or administers laws - runs government bureaucracy - maintains control over military - responsible for spending the budget - responsible for foreign policy |
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what are the two main jobs of a executives? (presidents) |
1. head of state - symbolic state representative - face of the nation 2. head of government - forms governments - formulates policy - implements policy |
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what are the two basic ways to formulate the executive branch? |
1. parliamentary systems 2. presidential systems |
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presidentialism system |
system of government where president: - serves as chief executive - is determined by popular vote - is independent of legislature (with checks and balances) - often combines head of state and head of government |
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how is a president elected? |
- through direct elections - through plurality requirements or majority requirements (through run-offs) |
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parliamentarism |
- head of government is elected by legislature - head of government is accountable to legislature (prime minister, chancellor) - head of state without head of government (no real political influence) |
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how is head of government elected in parliamentarism? |
Step 1: voters elect members of parliament Step 2: members of parliament elect the head of government aka prime minister, chancellor, first minister |
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parliamentarism and parties |
often, no single party obtains a majority in legislature - no majority for passing laws - no majority for election of head of government - in these cases, parties form coalitions, formalized cooperation agreements between two or more parties |
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In parliamentarism, the head of government is accountable to the.... |
legislature. they were elected by the legislature and the legislature can vote them out of office. - the legislature is responsible for the head of government |
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When a head of government loses support from the majority in parliament, what can happen? |
- the opposition has enough votes to call a "vote of no confidence" - if the vote passes, there can either be: 1. new elections 2. new prime minister (if its a "constructive vote of no confidence") |
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hybrid systems for executive branch |
President - directly elected by the population - considerable degree of power - can nominate or appoint PM - dissolve parliament Prime minister - responsible to parliament EX: France |
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monarchs |
classification: ruler chosen base on royal heritage who inherits position for life - either may be: 1. head of state - with purely ceremonial role (UK) - with considerable powers (Thailand-ish) 2. Absolute - both head of state and of government (Saudi Arabia) |
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what are the perils of presidentialism? |
1. which branch is for the people? - both legislative and executive have democratic legitimacy - might lead to political instability in times of conflict 2. Fixed vs. Flexible Terms - term limits shorten the time when a president can make a real impact - unpopular presidents not removed as easily (because we tend to just wait until time is up) 3. Winner-take-all vs. powersharing - losers are not represented in the most important office for the entire term - can polarize nation 4. Greater instability - if a president dies, the VP doesn't have the same legitimacy 5. Populism - president tend to be elcted by appealing to the masses |
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what is contention? |
when conflict between parties or between parties and state cannot be solved through formal channels (ie elections) contention, or the pursuit of collective goods largely outsie of the formal political institutions, occurs |
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what are the five different types of contention? |
- social movements - revolutions - insurgencies or civil wars - terrorism - everyday resistance |
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what are thte key factors of contentions? |
1. objectives - revolutionay vs. non revolutionary 2. tactics - non-violent like social movements and everday resistance - violent like insurgencies/civil wars and terrorism |
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with revolutions, what is the degree of transformation desired? |
- aim to achieve dramatic change of political and social structures - varieties: political or social |
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with non-revolutions, what is the degree of transformation desired? |
the pursuit of collective goods that do not aim to dramtically change political/social structures, but seek political/social change - ie more humble goods |
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social revolutions |
- change class structure aims - EX: french, russian and chinese revolutions |
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political revolutions |
- change political institutions - EX: Arab Spring |
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ani-colonial revolutions |
- aim for independence from colonizers |
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third world revolutions |
- aim is resistance to powerful states in international system |
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social movements |
- high civil society strenth - strong social network - ample material resources - good mechanisms of communication |
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which contentions are violent? non violent? |
Violent: - insurgencies and civil war - terrorism Non-violent: - social movements - everyday resistance |
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Everyday resistance (slow downs and boycotts) |
- low civil society strength - no social networks - few material resources - no mechanisms of communication |
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insurgencies and civil war |
- more-formalized violence - target is state or other group |
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terrorism |
- less formalized violence - target is citizenry so as to influence state |
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what is the role of satire in politics? |
- can satire help to counter unpopular/repressive regimes? |
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why do revolutions occur? (4) |
1. relative deprivation and social disequilibrium 2. resource mobilization and political opportunities 3. culture or "framing" explanations 4. rational choice |
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Relative deprivation and social disequilibrium theory |
- social equilibrium is the norm - but when one group perceives itself as having less than another reference group, they begin to mobilize - the greater the feeling of relative deprivation, the more likely revolution is to occur (does not need deprivation, just feeling of it) |
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resource mobilization and political opportunities theory |
- people mobilize because they have "political opportunities" to do so 1. "state breakdown" - state cant stifle dissent - power vaccum 2. organizational/material resources - leadership, social networks in place - money and tech |
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cultural explanations theory |
frames are the way a given problem or situtation is described and understood, with implications for how it might be addressed - revolution is possible when the idea of revolution already exists |
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rational choice approaches |
- cost-benefit analysis occurs - benefits of being a "revolutionary" and costs of personal reprisal for participation |
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If revolution does not occur: |
- if revolution succeeds, both participants and non-participants share benefits - if revolution fails, only participants have personal costs and non-participants have no costs |
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if revolution does occur: encouragement for participation |
- if revolution succeeds: participants receive personal favors for being "revolutionary" and non-participants share benefits but no personal favors - if revolution fails: participants will have low likelihood of personal costs because state is weak and there are too many people to punish - non-participants in specific group is targeted for reprisal, so persoanl costs in any case |
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Collective action and the internet |
GOOD: - internet leads to better information provision to citizenry - allows citizens to assess the cost of unsuccessful participation in Revolutions - Arab Spring (Egypt) huge role of twitter and facebook BAD: - internet can also provide help to authoritarian regimes - censorship - method of control of a country's population |
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why do revolutions succeed/fail? |
1. role of international support 2. presence/absence of clear agenda for future (missing in most countries in the Arab Spring) 3. United/divided opposition -> compromise among opposition parties 4. military under civilian control yes/no |
