Comparative Politics Exam 1

Front 1

Liberalism

Back 1

(Not to be confused with American liberal ideology) places a high priority on individual political and economic freedom, favoring freedom over equality

Front 2

Fascism

Back 2

Hostile to the idea of individual freedom but rejects the notion of equality

Front 3

Anarchism

Back 3

Like communism, believes that private property/capitalism created inequality, but also places a high value on individual political freedom

Front 4

Market

Back 4

Interaction between the forces of supply and demand that allocate good and resources (called welfare)

Front 5

Social Expenditures

Back 5

State provision of public benefits: Education, health care, transportation (Who benefits: The unemployed, the poor, the disabled, the elderly)

Front 6

Gini Index

Back 6

Most commonly used measure for income inequality

Front 7

Politics

Back 7

Struggle for authority to make decisions that will affect the public as a whole

Front 8

True Constitution

Back 8

Aim for the common good

Front 9

State

Back 9

Organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory (centralized authority)

Front 10

Sovereignty

Back 10

Ability to carry out actions and policies within a territory independent of external actors and internal rivals

Front 11

Autonomy

Back 11

Ability of the state to wield its power independently of public/international actors

Front 12

Regime

Back 12

Fundamental rules/norms of politics, providing long-term goals regarding individual freedom and collective equality and the location and use of power toward said goals

Front 13

Advantages of Unitary Government

Back 13

-Clear, hierarchical authority

-Can give or revoke power more easily

-Center-periphery stalemates are uncommon

-Citizen loyalty centralized

Front 14

Rationales for Federalism

Back 14

-Large geographic size of your state

-Prior existence of strong states (colonial states)

-Attempt to create more unity or accommodate diversity

-Desire to concentrate power and resources

-Desire to disperse political power

Front 15

How many states in the international system?

Back 15

Approximately 193 (200)

Front 16

Hegemony

Back 16

One state commands all the power in the international system (e.g. the US after the Gulf War in 1991, people worried that US had unchecked power/influence)

Front 17

How many ethnic groups are there internationally?

Back 17

Approximately 5,000

Front 18

Fundamentalism

Back 18

An ideology that seeks to unite religion with the state (make faith the sovereign authority)

Front 19

Nation-state

Back 19

Relatively low diversity (e.g. Japan/Portugal). A sovereign state encompassing one dominant nation that it claims to embody and represent

Front 20

3 Important Identities

Back 20

1. Ethnic

2. National

3. Citizenship/Patriotism

Front 21

Ethnic Identity

Back 21

-A set of specific attributes/societal institutions that makes a group of people culturally different

-Based on customs, language, religion

-Ascriptive, generally assigned at birth

-Not inherently political

Front 22

National Identity

Back 22

-A group that desires self-goat through an independent state and believes in its political aspirations

-Often, not always derived from ethnic identity

-Inherently political, basis for nationalism

Front 23

Citizenship/Patriotism

Back 23

-Individuals relation to a state, a person swears allegiance, gets benefits/rights

-Purely political, basis for patriotism

Front 24

Marxism

Back 24

Political, economic, social theory that the struggle between economic classes is a major force in history and that eventually society should contain no social/economic classes

Front 25

2 most fundamental components of political economy?

Back 25

Markets and Property

Front 26

Markets

Back 26

Interactions between the forces of supply and demand, and the allocation of resources through the process of these interactions (creating values for goods and services)

Front 27

Property

Back 27

Ownership of goods and services exchanged through markets (rights to property)

Front 28

Key Economic Policies of States?

Back 28

1. economic growth

2. inflation (need price/service stability)

3. Unemployment

4. Inequality

Front 29

Public Goods

Back 29

Some goods can't function properly in market or private hands (roads, national defense, infrastructure)

Front 30

The Great Developmental Debate

Back 30

Institutions vs. Geography

Front 31

The Great Divergence

Back 31

-A period since 1820 when certain countries diverged with economic growth (developed vs. developing)

-Distance between the rich and the poor

Front 32

Neo-corporatism

Back 32

Policy making involving the state, labor, and businesses

Front 33

4 ways to measure wealth?

Back 33

1. GDP (Gross Domestic Product)

2. Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)

3. Gini Index

4. Human Development Index (HDI)

Front 34

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

Back 34

Total market value of goods and services produced by one country in a year

Front 35

How geography affect economic growth?

Back 35

Transportation costs, mortality rates, subsistence (food), agricultural productivity, availability of resources, distance to major bodies of water

Front 36

2 ways of holding elections?

Back 36

1. Single-Member District Plurality (SMDP)

2. Proportional Representation (PR)