comparative politics
the study and comparison of domestic politics across countries; focuses on politics inside countries
international relations
relations between countries
institutions
organizations or activities that are self-perpetuating and valued for their own sake; lays out rules, norms, structures; influence how politics is conducted; exemplified by army, taxation, elections
politics
the struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group
power
the ability to influence others or impose one's will on them
comparative reseach
comparing countries or subsets to seek out conclusions and generalizations that could be valid in other cases
Probs: controlling ^variables, controlling interaction of variables, limited number of cases, uneven research across cases and regions
inductive reasoning
the means by which we go from studying a case to generating a hypothesis
deductive reasoning
starts with the hypothesis and then seeks out evidence
correlation
apparent association between certain factors or variables
causal relationship
a cause and effect relationship
multicausality
many variable are tied together to produce particular outcomes
endogeneity
inability to distinguish whether a variable is a cause or effect
modernization theory
believed that societies would eventually become capitalist democracies
behavioral revolution
a way to generate theories and generalizations to predict political activity
qualitative methods
few, detailed cases with a focus on history, language, and culture; depth over breadth
quantitative methods
gathering of statistical data across many countries to look for correlations; breadth over depth
rational choice / game theory
to study the rules and games by which politics is played and how humans act on their preferences
formal institutions
based on officially sanctioned rules
informal institutions
unwritten and unofficial rules
freedom
an individual's ability to act independently, without fear of restriction or punishment
equality
a material standard of living shared by individuals within a community, society, or country
state
an organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory
sovereignty
the ability to carry out actions and policies within a territory independent of external factors and internal rivals
regime
the fundamental rules and norms of politics; embodies long-term goals that guide the state with regard to individual freedom and collective equality
government
the leadership that runs the state
legitimacy
a value whereby people recognize and accept something or someone as right and proper
traditional legitimacy
built by habit and custom over time, stresses history
ex. queen elizabeth
charismatic legitimacy
built on the force of ideas and presence of the leader
ex. lenin
rational-legal legitimacy
built on rules and procedures and the offices that create and enforce those rules
ex. obama
federalism
powers are devolved to regional bodies and to local legislatures that control specific territories within the country
asymmetric federalism
power is divided unevenly between regional bodies
unitary states
power is concentrated at the national level and local authority is limited
devolution
decentralization; become ^popular b/c thought to bring ^power to people
strong states
able to fulfill basic tasks like defending territory, enforcing rules, collecting taxes
weak states
unable to fulfill basic tasks
failed state
when a state becomes so weak that it breaks down
capacity
the ability of the state to wield power in order to provide basic needs like security, freedom, and equality
autonomy
the ability of the state to wield power independently of public or international actors
society
a collection of people bound by shared institutions the define how human relations should be conducted
ethnic identity
a set of institutions that bind people together through a common culture; not inherently political
national identity
a sense of belonging to a group that desires self-government through an independent state; inherently political
nationalism
pride in one's people and the belief in their own sovereign political destiny that is separate from those of others
citizenship
an individual's relation to the state; purely political, so more easily changed than ethnic or national identity
patriotism
pride in one's state; can be a result of citizenship
nation-state
a sovereign state encompassing one dominant nation that it claims to embody and represent
ethnic conflict
conflict between ethic groups that struggle to achieve certain political or economic goals
national conflict
groups that clash over the quest to form an independent state
political attitudes
describe the views regarding the necessary pace and scope of change in the balance between freedom and equality; radical, liberal, conservative, or reactionary
radicals
believe in dramatic change of the existing political, social, or economic order
liberals
prefer progressive change over an overthrow of the system
conservatives
question whether significant change in existing institutions is necessary; prefers no change
reactionaries
seek to restore political, social, and economic institutions
political ideologies
sets of political values held by individuals regarding the fundamental goals of politics; liberalism, communism, social democracy, fascism, anarchism
liberalism
high priority on individual political/economic freedom
communism
rejects personal freedom to ensure prosperity for the majority
social democracy (socialism)
accepts a strong role for private ownership and market while maintaining emphasis on economic equality
fascism
hostile to individual freedom and rejects notion of equality
anarchism
rejects the notion of the state
fundamentalism
an ideology that seeks to unite religion with the state, to make faith the sovereign authority
political culture
a society's norms for political activity; a determining factor in what ideologies will dominate a country's political regime
political economy
the study of how politics and economies are related and how their relationship shapes the balance between freedom and equality
markets
the interactions between forces of supply and demand and how resources are allocated
property
the ownership of the goods and services exchanged through markets
public goods
goods provided or secured by the state that are available for society and indivisible (no private ownership)
social expenditures
the state's provision of public benefits (education, health care, transportation)
gross domestic product (GDP)
the total market value of goods and services produced by one country in a year
central bank
an institution that controls how much money is flowing through the economy, as well as how much it costs to borrow money
inflation
an increase in the overall prices in the economy when demand outstrips supply
hyperinflation
inflation that is higher than 50% a month for more than two months in a row
deflation
when too many goods are chasing too little money (businesses cannot make a profit)
regulations
rules or orders that set the boundaries of a given procedure
monopoly
a market controlled by a single producer
tariffs
taxes on imported goods
quotas
limit the quantity of a good coming into the country
non-tariff regulatory barriers
protects citizens by imposing regulations on health, packaging, etc.
comparative advantage
the ability to produce a particular good or service more efficiently than other countries
political-economic system
the actual relationship between political and economic institutions in a particular country
laissez-faire
economy should be allowed to do what it wishes
capitalism
a system of private property and free markets
neocorporatism
a system of policy making involving the state, labor, and businesses
mercantilism
directs economy toward certain industries and away from others through subsidies and taxation
purchasing power parity (PPP)
attempts to estimate the buying power of income in each country by comparing similar costs using prices in the US as a benchmark
Gini index
measures the amount of economic inequality in a society
human development index (HDI)
assesses health, education, and wealth of population
economic liberalization
cutting taxes, reducing regulation, privatizing state-owned businesses and public goods, and expanding property rights
democracy
power exercised directly or indirectly through participation, competition, and liberty
republicanism
emphasized the separation of powers within a state and the representation of the public through elected officials
direct democracy
public participates directly in policy making
indirect democracy
public participates through elected representatives (aka republic)
civil society
organized life outside of the state
executive
branch the carries out the laws and policies of the state
head of state
part of the executive that symbolizes and represents the people
head of government
deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, such as formulating and executing domestic policy
legislature
making/passing legislation
bicameral systems
legislatures with two houses
unicameral systems
legislatures with one house
rule of law
the sovereignty of law over the people and elected officials
constitutional court
ensures legislation is compatible with the constitution
concrete review
constitutionality of legislation is considered when a specific court case triggers the question
abstract review
a constitutional court may rule on legislation without a specific court case
parliamentary systems
consist of prime ministers & their cabinets who come out of the legislature, and the legislature is the instrument that elects and removes the prime minister from office (UK)
vote of no confidence
an easy way that prime ministers can be removed
presidential systems
president and legislature serve for fixed terms (US)
semi-presidential systems
presidents set forth policy while the prime minister translates the policies into legislation and ensures that it is passed (Russia)
electoral systems
set of rules for a vote to be considered valid
constituencies
a geographic area that an elected official represents
single-member district (SMD)
votes cast for individuals; candidate with largest share wins seat or majority; fewer and larger parties (US)
proportional representation (PR)
votes cast for parties; seat divided among parties on basis of share of vote; more smaller parties
mixed system
votes cast for parties and individuals; some seats filled by individual races, some by party outcome (Mexico)
referendum
ballots that offer the public the option of voting directly on certain policies
initiative
citizens collect signature to put a question to a national vote
civil rights
promotion of equality
civil liberties
promotion of freedom
developed democracies
participation (voter eligibility, referenda, inititatives), competition (funding for political campaigning, separation of powers), liberties (prohibition of certain activities, individual privacy)
intergovernmental system
UN; member countries cooperate on issues but may not be bound by the organization's resolutions
supranational system
EU; sovereignty is shared between member states and EU