AP Comp Gov - General Vocabulary

AP Comparative Government General Vocab

State	§ self-governing political entity, country. § Example: US
Government	§ The organization that is the governing authority of a political unit. § Example: Obama administration
Nation	§ a tightly-knit group of people which share a common culture. § Example: Mexico
Nationalism	§ Patriotism – love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it. § Favoring national goals over international goals; the belief that a nation will benefit from acting independently rather than collectively.
Regime	§ The policies and such of those controlling the government for a period of time. § Example: Mao in China
Sovereignty	§ Government free from external control § Example: Zapatistas were granted autonomy by the Mexican government
Democracy: direct v. indirect	§ Direct democracy: citizens make decisions directly by voting on bills, etc. · Example: Referendums § Indirect democracy: citizens vote to elect representatives who will represent them in office by voting on bills, etc. · Example: USA
Democracy: liberal v. illiberal	§ Liberal: implies that power is not concentrated; constitutional, contains civil liberties. · Example: USA § Illiberal: Although elections take place, citizens are cut off from knowledge about the government because of lack of civil liberties. · Example: China
Authoritarian	§ Characteristic of having an absolute ruler or absolute rule. § Example: Mao’s China
Totalitarian	§ The political authority exercises absolute and centralized control.
Corporatism	§ Control of a state or organization by large interest groups.
Neo-corporatism	§ Favors strong and centralized labor unions and governments that cooperate as “social partners” to negotiate and manage a national economy.
Power v. authority	§ Power: what you are able to do § Authority: what you are allowed to do
constitutionalism	§ Government in which power is distributed and limited by a system of laws that must be obeyed by the rulers.
Rule of law	§ a state of order in which events conform to the law
democratization	§ A state’s transition towards democracy § Example: Russia has experienced democratization by moving away from communism
indicators of democratization	§ Political freedom, free and fair elections, guaranteeing basic rights to citizens, freedom of the media, etc.
Globalization	§ Regional economies and cultures integrate onto a global level.
fragmentation	§ Dividing political powers; have a lot of people to report to.
civil society	§ voluntary civilian participation in government through interest groups, rallies, etc.
political recruitment	§ the process by which citizens are selected for involvement in politics.
political socialization	§ the process by which people come to acquire political attitudes and values.
political culture	§ The attitudes, beliefs, and values which underpin the operation of a particular political system.
political ideologies	§ conservatism v. liberalism
politics	§ social relations including intrigue to gain authority or power
supranational organization	§ An organization that involves the governments of multiple countries § Example: The EU
Non-governmental organizations	§ An organization with no participation or representation of any government
Legitimacy	§ The trust of the people in the government § Example: Ahmadinejad lost his legitimacy with the people after the controversial elections of 2009.
Stability	§ The ability of a government or nation to be self-sufficient and sustainable.
gross national product (GNP)	§ total market value of goods and services produced
gross domestic product (GDP)	§ total market value of goods and services within a nation’s border
purchasing power parity (PPP)	§ Equalize two currencies to the same to see their purchasing power
theocracy	§ A government ruled by a deity, or those considered divinely guided. § Example: Iran
Liberalism	§ Favors social progress by reform and changing laws rather than by revolution § Example: Obama administration
neo-liberalism	§ Liberalism with emphasis on economic growth
Communism	§ A form of socialism that abolishes private ownership § Example: The Communist Party of China
Socialism	§ A political theory advocating state ownership of industry.
command economy	§ The main decision maker in this economic system is the government. They decide who can open a business, what is produced, and how the talents of the workers are to be used.
market economy	§ an economy that relies mainly on market forces to allocate goods and resources and to determine prices
conservatism	§ advocates the preservation of the best in society and opposes radical changes.
Fascism	§ Radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology.
accountability	§ acknowledgment and assumption of responsibility for actions
transparency	§ Political transparency includes openness, communication, and accountability. Transparency is the opposite of privacy, and is used as a means of holding public officials accountable.
unitary system	§ the national government alone has sovereign authority.
federal system	§ A system where a country is composed of internally self-governing political divisions, subject to the authority of a central government in matters that affect the country as a whole.
separation of powers	§ Power is divided into branches which can check the power of the others so that no single branch overpowers the others.
para-statal organization	§ An organization owned or controlled wholly or partly by the government.
dependency theory	§ A theory that argues that, due to the exploitative nature of the relationship between advanced societies and the Third World, the development of the former resulted in the underdevelopment of the latter.
resource curse	§ States that countries with an abundance of resources are less developed than those with fewer resources.
presidential system	§ Executive branch presides separately from the legislature
parliamentary system	§ Parliament works as the legislative branch and includes proportional representation of each major party. § Example: Great Britain’s Parliament
semi-presidential system	§ Both the president and prime minister are active in the day-to-day administration of the state. § Example: Russia
referendum	§ a legislative act is referred for final approval to a popular vote by the electorate.
free and fair elections	§ Elections in which votes are counted fairly; free of corruption. The people feel that they have a legitimate say in the government.
proportional representation	§ Each running party gets a proportion of power in office equal to the amount of votes they get. § Example: Great Britain’s Parliament
plurality representation	§ Winner takes all
single member district v. multi-member districts	§ Single member: district with only one representative § Multi-member: district with multiple representatives
first past the post	§ winner takes all; person with most votes wins.
majoritarian election system	§ electoral system which usually gives the majority of seats to the party with a plurality of votes § ex: British parliament
electoral systems	§ System of electing officials by popular vote § Example: FPTP and plurality
competitive elections	§ Elections involving multiple parties with similar levels of support backing them.
party systems	§ Different platforms are included in different political parties, who each run for office.
linkage institutions	§ provide a link between branches of the government, as well as between the government and the people.
political parties	§ A group of those with similar political opinions, headed by a candidate running for office. § Example: America’s Democratic Party
interest groups	§ Those with similar political opinions who seek change through influencing those in office rather than electing a candidate to office.
bureaucracy	§ Administration of a government through bureaus or departments staffed with nonelected officials.
democratization	§ A state’s transition towards democracy § Example: Russia has experienced democratization by moving away from communism.
judiciary (independent v. non-ind)
judicial review	§ Reviewing of a bill or law before it is passed to ensure that it is compatible with the Constitution or laws of the country § Example: Judges in Iran report to the Supreme Leader; make sure all the laws follow Islamic law.
bicameral	§ 2 houses § Example: British Parliament
Unicameral	§ One house § Example: Iran
advantages/disadvantages	§ Advantages: Bicameral – balanced power and positions § Disadvantages: Unicameral – corruption easily spreads
head of state	§ Individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, or other kind of state. Role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of state in the country’s constitution and laws. § Ex: Queen in GB
head of government	§ Chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. § Ex: Prime Minister of GB
types of law civil, criminal	§ Laws are documented for a state’s own regulation. If these laws are violated, there are other laws for that criminal.
sharia, secular	§ Code of law derived from the Koran, secular not being based on religion but rather the specific state
constitutional	§ A set of laws that are written into a specific document and serves as the framework for all other laws
cross-cutting v. coinciding	§ Cross-cutting: that a person may have several different interests that may not be a typical characteristic of his identity § Coinciding: a person will most likely have the same opinions as his societal group.
military junta	§ government headed by the military.
patron-client system	§ Giving power to political supporters and friends; connections get you in office. § Example: PRC in Mexico widely used this
clientalism	§ Exchange of votes for favors
political participation	§ Participation of citizens in their country’s politics. § Example: interest groups, rallies.
Reform	§ Change brought on through bills, laws, and amendments by the government. § Example: health care reform in the US
revolution	§ The people’s rebellion against the government with the common goal of reform, change, or completely overthrowing the government.
coup d'etat	§ A forceful take over the government (usually military force) § Example: hard-line members of the Russian communist party staged a coup d-etat in an attempt to take gown Gorbachev.
privatization	§ Privatization of industry; all power goes to the individual countries.
Nationalization	§ Nationalization of industry; the government controls the industrial policies, etc.
social welfare state	§ State takes into its own hands the economic and social well-being of its citizens. § Example: Sweden, UK
technocrat	§ Expert in an elite and skilled group § Ex: technocrats in Russia
civil liberties, rights	§ Basic rights guaranteed to all citizens. § Example: In America, the different amendments/the Bill of Rights outline our civil liberties.
Legitimacy charismatic	§ Legitimacy based on personality and charisma; winning the trust of the people. § Example: Obama
rational-legal	§ Legitimacy granted by a document or law. § Example: legitimacy of the President based on the US Constitution.
Traditional	§ Legitimacy based on tradition; they are trusted because they always have been trusted. § Example: The Queen of England
cult of personality	§ The culture surrounding a specific leader. § Example: Mao’s cult of personality included rumors that he was immortal.
Pluralism	§ A formal acknowledgement of diversity in a social organization § Ex: in any country there are smaller, separate groups. The indigenous population in Mexico.
Devolution	§ Shift of powers away from a centralized government § Ex: state power in the US
structural adjustment	§ Policy requiring governments (which receive financial aid, like the IMF) to make certain economic and political changes § Ex: Mexico’s IMF loan
subnational government
failed state	§ A government having failed at some basic responsibilities of a sovereign government § Ex: Taiwan
strong v. weak state	§ Weak states lack the power to tax and regulate the economy and withstand political and social challenges from non-state power § Strong states usually impose high tax rates and stifle the economy § Ex: communist vs. capitalist countries.
Import substitution	§ Decrease foreign dependency through local production § Ex: US embargoes
ethnicity	§ Affiliation based on racial and cultural ties § Ex: South Ossetia is ethnically similar to North Ossetia in Russia
gradualism	§ Calculate transition from communism to capitalism § Ex: Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union
vote of confidence	§ When an expression of approval and encouragement is given § Ex: Duma in Russia may issue a vote of no confidence against the president
two-ballot system	§ A two round voting system that eliminates the majority in the first round and leaves the next for a runoff to determine the winning candidate § Ex: Iran’s presidential elections run off a two-ballot system.