AP Comparative Politics_ Intro.txt

Reference to the leadership and institutions that make policy decisions for a country.

Where the power is involving leaders and policy decisions.

Factual statements and statistics

Requires value judgements that also takes into account facts

A speculative statement about the relationship between two or more factors known as variables

One variable leading to another

Connection but not necessarily causation

• 1. US and allies
• 2. Soviet Union and allies
• 3. Third world

The way that citizens organize and define themselves and their interests

Takes into consideration what politicians do outside their formal powers, but also impact that beliefs, values, and actions of ordinary citizens have on policymaking

Country having a well established democratic government and a high level of economic development

Government that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory

Stable, long lasting organizations that help to turn political ideas into policy

The ability to carry out actions or policies within their borders

A group of people that are bound together by a common political identity

The sense of belonging and identity that distinguishes one nation from another

Rules that a state sets and follows in exerting its power

Elected officials representing the people or individuals have immediate say over decisions government makes

Where citizens vote for legislative representatives, which in turn select leaders of the executive branch

Where citizens vote for legislative representatives as well as for executive brach leaders, and two branches function with seperation of powers.

Ability for parliament to carry out rules

Symbolizes the power and nature of the regime: Queen of England

Does the daily government tasks: Prime Minister of Britain

Legislative and executive branch (sometimes Judicial Branch) can balance power

Ensures that power is shared and that one branch does not come to dominate the others

Prime Minister coexists with president who is directly elected by the people and holds significant amount of power.

Communist party controls everything from the government to the economy to social life. Less freedom for more equality.

An arrangement in which government officials interact with people/groups outside the government before they set policy. Generally business and labor leaders. Or patron-client systems.

Provide favors for supporters

Used to describe repressive regimes

When military takes over the state

Forced takeover of government. Often violent.

The means a regime uses to get support from citizens

A situation in which power is split among many groups that compete for the chance to influence the government's decision making.

The state controls the corporations that become semi public agencies acting on behalf of the state.

The right to rule

Based on tradition, past practices, and legal precedents

Based on written rules divided into commercial, civil, and criminal codes

Refers to the collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on.

Accepts legitimacy of regime and solutions to major problems

Sharply divided often on both legitimacy and solutions to major problems

The amount of reciprocity and trust that exists among the citizens and between citizens and state

Sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics

Emphasis on individual political and economic freedoms

Value of equality but influenced by liberal value of freedom. Promotes private ownership and free market principles

Rejects equality and individual freedom. The government does whatever to ensure power to the country.

Type of change that does not advocate overthrowing of basic institutions. Wants to change some methods.

Major revision in basic institutions

Rapid dramatic changes need to be made

Reform and gradual change rather than revolution

Less support of change in general

We need to reverse to old times for policies. Willing to use violence similar to radicals.

Regular, free, fair elections

Having civil liberties, rule of law, neutrality of the judiciary, open civil society, and civilian control of the military and competitive elections

Citizens have access to multiple sources of information

Countries that have democratic procedures in place but significant restrictions on them

Defeat of totalitarian or dictatorial rulers in south america, eastern europe, and so e parts of Africa

Political discontent after Improvement in living conditions

Creates a stable political system that is supported by all parts of the society

Procedural democracy to substantive democracy though democratic consolidation

Middle class professionals or businessmen

Government owned almost all industrial enterprises and retail outlets

The process of limiting the power of the state over private property and market forces

Economy that varies depending on control of the government

economy that allows for some control of the market

describes 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

transfer of state-owned property to private ownership

divisions based on ethnic or cultural identity

Religion that gets mixed with politics

divisions in religion, class, ethnicity. etc.

Where people have a line drawn across from social cleavages

a citizen's capacity to understand and influence political events

relating the politics with society

most citizens contact government through this in authoritarian governments which involves obeying laws, paying taxes, etc.

organized collective activities that aim to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society

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

a universal political order that draws its identity and values from everywhere

national or international groups that pursue policy objectives and foster public participation that is not involved with the state

structures of a political system that carry out the work of the governing

concentrated all policymaking powers in one central geographic place and the central government is responsible for most policy areas

spreads power among many sub-units and has weak government control

divides power between central government and sub-units

a process that encourages states to pool their sovereignty in order to gain political, economic, and social clout.

purchase of assets in a country by a foreign firm

bind together the people of a state giving it strength

destabilize the government and encourage the country to fall apart

nationalities within a country may demand independence.

the tendency to decentralize decision-making to regional governments

belonging to the same culture

ethnic groups to see themselves as a distinct nation with a right to autonomy or independence

several parties join forces and are represented in different cabinet posts

the power to make small decisions in implementing legislative and executive decisions

civilian bureaucrats

two houses in legislation

legislature has one house

identifying future leaders of the government

serves to defend democratic principles of a country against infringement by both private citizens and the government

allows courts to review laws and executive actions for their constitutionality

groups that connect citizens and government

Only two parties running for office

multiple parties running for office

rules that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature

divide their constituencies into single-member districts in which candidates compete for a single representative's seat

winner does not need majority to win, but simply get more votes than anyone else

creates multi-member districts in which more than one legislative seat is contested in each district

where there is a combined system for parties such as proportional representation plust first-past-the post

a national ballot, called by the government on a policy issue

a vote on a policy that is initiated by the people

groups that extends the party's influence. for example China

autonomous groups compete with each other and with government for influence over state policies in a patten

the state determines which groups are brought in

interest groups take the lead and dominate the state

leaders who have a disproportionate share of policy making power

process that determines the procedure of replacing leaders when the resign, die or are no longer effective

all the goods and services produced by a country's economy in a given year. excluding income citizens and groups earn outside the country

GDP that includes income earned outside the country

divides GNP by population of the country

a figure like GNP except it takes into consideration what people can buy using their income in the local economy

a mathematical formula that calculates the amount of economic inequality in a society

measures the well being of a country's people by factoring in adult literacy, life expectancy, educational enrollment, as well as GDP

an organization that studies democracy around the world, ranks countries 1 to 7 on the freedom scale with 1 being most free and 7 being least free