Complete List of Terms and Definitions for Comparative Politics

Terms Definitions
China Government Communist
Constitution highest, most authoritative law
Co-optation individuals outside an organization are brought into a beneficial relationship with it, making them dependent on the regime for certain rewards
Post-Industrialism an economic change following industrialism in which the majority of people are employed in the service sector
Market-Leninism Slang for replacing Marxist-Leninism as the new governing style of China, it combines the iron fist political rule of Leninism with the wide-open economic permissiveness of free-market capitalism, as in Singapore.
4. What will happen? 5. Intervention or Prevention
a. Intervention for prevention: get rid of Saddam Hussein to create a shining beacon in the Middle East.
Iran Run under theology; religious based government
Markets interactions between the forces of supply and demand, and they allocate resources through the process of that interaction
Authority the legal right to exercise power
multiculturalism the doctrine that several different cultures (rather than one national culture) can co-exist peacefully and equitably in a single country
Hu Jintao realized tradeoff was unraveling, growth is unsustainable
Constitutional Council originally safeguarded against any legislative erosion of the constraints that the constitution has placed on the prerogatives of Parliament; increasingly important role in the legislative process
presidentialism 1) US exemplar
2) separation of branches
3) Head of state = head of government (directly elected)
4) Fixed terms
Legislature China Central Planning Committee: The national peoples congress.
Majoritarian Democracy concentrates power by strong leadership and centralized and unitary government.
Multi-party System Most democratic countries around the world have this. These parties can mirror the multi-ethnic character of that country. Some theorists believe that they can be unstable or fragile. Must form coalitions to get things done. Common for frequent overturn of governments
Military Coups Most nations need multiple; citizens need to ensure military is loyal and that leaders are well trained
Communism ideology that seeks to create human equality by eliminating private property and market forces
Nation a group of people who identify themselves as belonging together
Policy definitions of goals and actions taken to reach those goals
Bourgeoisie term used to describe owners of factories and other means of prodcution in "The Communist Manifesto"
Third Way the liberal policies executed by Thatcher and her conservative successors, policies of the Labour party that embrace the free market
hyptohesis proposition dereved from a theory that can be tested with empirical data
Camarilla group of courtiers or favorites which surround a king or ruler.
First Backlash 1922, Mussolini marches on Roma. Interwar years.
Social Policy - euphemism for welfare
- primary goals are to reduce poverty and income inequality and to stabilize incomes
- moral aspect: no one should be left in abject poverty
- Sweden's welfare state is notably extensive and helps to bolster its economy and keep unemployment rates very low, although globalization did mitigate the effects of the welfare state
o Internal sovereignty: supreme decision making authority with regard to a particular territory and population
Proportional Representation (PR) This creates multi party systems
This is more popular in the world today
There are larger districts with more winners per district
Rather than vote for a candidate, voters vote for a party
The number of seats a party wins is proportional to the amount of votes it receives
Rational-Legal Legitimacy President Obama's reason to be in power; the right to hold office due to accepted laws, standards, or procedures e.g voting
Central bank an institution that controls how much money is flowing through the economy as well as how much it costs to borrow money in that economy; U.S.—Federal reserve bank; European Union—European Central Bank
Three-World Approach a system of comparing countries based on cold war politics-the three worlds were the United States and its allies, the Soviet Union and its allies, and "third world" nations
rule of law legal institutions exist that everyone is subject to, rulers and ruled, and that these rules contain and support liberty
Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) def: Mao's enforcing of communist regime: Red Guard, brainwashing of children
signif: corruption and complete authoritarian rule was so strong that it left people confused about their own ideals and morals as can be seen in China Road with the abortion specialist and the prostitute
Congress Party a major political party in India. Created in 1885 by Allan Octavian Hume, Dadabhai Naoroji and Sir Dinshaw Edulji Wacha, the Indian National Congress became the nation's leader in the Independence Movement, with over 15 million Indians involved in its organizations and over 70 million participants in its struggle against the British Empire. The party is currently the chief member of the ruling United Progressive Alliance coalition.
Define: Ideology Set of political values regarding the fundamental goals of politics. Concerned with the relationship between equality and freedom and the role of political institutions in maintaining this relationship
What is dependent development? Economic development which is curtailed to benefit another country (i.e. an empire in the case of imperialism) at the cost of free trade and sustainable economic growth in the LDC (less developed country).
Hybrid Regime - mixes elements of democracy with authoritarian rule
- sometime happens after a democratic transition if there is not enough democratic consolidation
o External Sovereignty the absence of a supreme international authority and thus the independence of sovereign states.
Keynesianism refers to the state's use of fiscal and monetary measures and public spending to promote growth in an economy dominated by private enterprise.
Head of government deals with everyday tasks of running the state
Westernization Model any country that wants its economy to grow should study the paths taken by the industrial nations, and logically they too can reap the benefits of modernization, or "westernization"
regime vs. state example: state is the hardware and regime is the software
Beslan school incident hundreds of school children trapped in gym
ended in disaster
Putin took away citizen's rights to elect governers
Define: Liberalism (ideology) An Ideology and political system that favors a limited state role in society and the economy and places a high priority on individual, political and economic freedom
Decreasing scope results in... 1) Decreased strength
2) Created new demand for state capabilities that were weak or non-existent
3) Led to neopatrimonial states
Canadian lawmakers demanded that 35% of music on the radio be Canadian. Identify this type of activity, and elaborate. Definition: restrictions which indirectly affect the sale of foreign goods (such as health and packaging policy changes)
Radicals and Moderates - crisis that causes transition to democracy would produce a surge in the activity of civil society, which would demand fundamental political reforms
- civil society would divide between radicals and moderates
- radicals wanted immediate and complete democratization
- moderates were willing to compromise with the authoritarian government to make some gains
1549 colonialization by Portuguese In the 1530’s Portuguese attempted to take more permanent control of brazil. Brazils first capital was established in 1549 in the north east coastal town of Salvador.
The Free Democratic Party 2005 in east germany, communist party
Political Culture v. Political Opinion Public opinion changes often, it reflects a short term outlook on politics
Political culture measures a society's deep seeded values that endure for a long period of time
King Leopold II of Belgium def: exploited third world, severed hands, rubber collection
Significance: bad relations with developing and developed countries hinder future development
Effective state/institutions (correlates of democracy) Snyder says no! and that you need values first. Carothers says otherwises. You'll be waiting FOREVER for values.
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) - investment from abroad in productive activity in another country
- an example is a transnational corporation
The fifth republic involves? a mixture of presidential authority, a prime minister responsible to Parliament and a weak but important legislature.
describe democracy of the Greeks (Athenian democracy) focused on direct democracy through assembly of electorate
Revolutions From Below - the mass uprising of the populace to overthrow the government is a central part of the process
- eg. the Russian revolution, the storming of the Bastille etc.
What forms are included in civil society? traditional interest groups, NGO's, social movements such as the feminist movement
Define: Industrial Policy Model State plays a very active role in the economy, in a strategic sense; systematically private actors become more competitive. There are incentives for firms to follow the states ideas for the future.
in other words political economy is..? the relationship bw the economy and the state and the various ways people try to use the state to improve their economic welfare or increase their benefits.
Find the GINI Index of Sweden and China, respectively. Explain why you have given each country your chosen rating. Definition: a math formula which measures the amount of economic inequality in a society. (0=absolute quality, 100=absolute inequality)
Duverger argued that there is a link between The electoral system and the party system
jihad holy war
Hamas islamic resistance movement
Plato ideal political system
CONSTRUCTIVE NO CONFIDENCE
   
Constitutional requirement that when parliament votes out a string government (no confidence), it must simultaneously vote in a new government

Eliminates possibly of ‘negative’ coalition
When did Khomeini die? 1989
Liberals Those favoring evolutionary transformation.
First Empire 1804-1814, Napoleon's empire
collective responsiblity whole cabinet takes responsibility


‘Jingoism’ 		extreme nationalism marked especially by a belligerent foreign policy
economic challenges and consequences unequal expertise
What is Jus sanguinis? Blood ties
Who started Glasnost and Perestroika? Gorbachev
al-nakba "the catastrophe," the 1948 war
institutions representative bodies, anything that limits human action, changeable but not quickly
Conservatives Those skeptical of profound change.
Referendum    Switzerland Italy new Zealand
Sun Yat-Sen Foreign-educated reformer who sought to establish a Western-style democratic republic in China (1911)
Margaret Thatcher Conservative party, less state involvment
Head of State

 individual who is the chief representative of the country to the outside world with mostly symbolic, no ‘real’ power
palestinian media outlets Al-Quds, Al-Ayyam, Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, WAFA news service
freezing hypothesis Libset and Rokkan,political parties become institutionalize and may not change or evolve
What country has increasing complexity of national identities & citizenship? Germany
Where is racial discrimination & inequality similar to that found in U.S.? Brazil
Qajars Westernizing minded monarchy that was ousted by Reza Shah Pahlavi.
private regarding policies given population, government institutions act in narrower interests, bad
ideology realm of ideas concerning legitimacy, can change very quickly, realm of political philosophy
Legislature Branch of government charged with making laws.
Private Goods: excludibility: owner decides who enjoys goodsolitary supply: rival uses of the good create loss.
Automony ability to wield its power independently of public
corporatism solidifying control over public by creating/sanctioning limited number of organizations to represent the interests of public and restricting those not set up or approved by state
What are the respective advantages of PR and SMDP electoral systems that Germany's Mixed Member system tries to incorporate?
Long Term Problems with Neo-corporatism Weakens representative institutions
 
Restricts participation
political systemic shocks disruptions of political system’s equilibrium, sometimes beyond the point of recovery
ramadan shalakh a founder of palestinian islamic jihad. also member of hamas. sheltered in syria. wanted by us for terrorism.
actors any sort of group or individuals involved with social movement- TEA party
What country had the 1st indigenous president? Bolivia
Who says Identity groups can be clearly defined based on such criteria as kinship, languages, culture, or physical features? Primordialists
ayatollah head of state in Iran, religious leader (the boss)
velayat-e faqih rule by islamic leaders, Khomeini's concept
abu abbas terrorist from acille lauro (italian cruise ship) terror ship 1985 hijacking. former leader of Palestine Liberation Front. captured in iraq 2003 by US troops, died there in 2004.
state objective set of institutions in a country that holds a monopoly of legitimate violence in a given territory
Mixed Electoral System System combining plurality with proportional representation.
Liberal Democracy System of political, social and economic liberties.
4 sources of power: Disproportionate control over:1. Economic resources needed for material survival and comfort2.Military resources(physical and human) of coercion and violence.3. political organizations used to legislate and enforce rules4. ideological cultural meaning, values, and practices.
What is Political Science? International Relations, Comparative Politics, American Politics Public Policy, Formal Theory, etc
bureaucratic authoritarianism (through military rule) regime in which the state bureaucracy & military share belief that technocratic leadership focused on rational, objective, technical expertise can solve problems of country
Red Guards Units of young Chinese who were fanatically devoted to Mao
democratic regimes regime with rules that emphsize large role for the public that protect basic rights and freedoms
Political Institutionalization

Creation of entirely new state and governing philosophy
bashar assad noted Syrian eye doctor who succeeded Hafez Assad as Syria's leader
modernization effect - informal institutions are stymied by government in resource rich states so democratization does not occur
Limits on Ulama Authority 1. European Colonialism2. Print revolution3. Mass literacy 4. Division into nation-states5. Challenges from Sunni Islamists
What country is best described as a "social market economy"? Germany
Who introduced the idea of a supreme leader to Iran? Khomeini
What is feudalism? Legal tie between lord & peasant
Who created the social market economy & when? Post-1945 Christians
NONDEMOCRATIC REGIMES A SMALL GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO EXERCISES POWER OVER THE STATE AND IS NOT CONSTITUTIONALLY RESPONSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC
top-down industrialization Iran did this kind of economic modernization following the pattern of many other countries (mercantilism), led to social dislocation
Manmohan Singh current prime minister of India, first Sikh prime minister
night watchman state civil society very present, government provides basic infrastructure
Comparative Advantage Ability to produce a particular good or service more efficiently relative to other countries' efficiency in producing the same good or service.
Constitutional Court Highest judicial body that rules on the constituitonality of laws and government actions.
Political Attitudes Views regarding the necessary pace and scope of change between freedom and equality.
Patrimonial States Power is vested in the agent, Obedience to Ruler
"Asian values" argue that Asia's cultural & religious traditions stress conformity, hierarchy & obedience, which are more conducive to political regime that limits freedom to defend social harmony & consensus
Little Red Book Book of quotations by Mao Tse-Tung which served as the ideological foundation of Cultural Revolution
A situation in which the upper and lower houses of a parliament are controlled by different parties is called: divided government
surrogate speakers/surrogate speech a technique that allows a government or organization to get its view across to the Arabic-speaking target audience while still allowing the option of plausible deniability vis a vis other audiences. The term "surrogate" means "a person appointed by another" or "a deputy" or simply "a substitute,"
Scorched Earth Policy in 1900, British troops were ordered to burn down every Boer town or farm they came across and destroy all food supplies
what are political parties - institutions for aggregating and representing the preferences of voters- organizations that offer candiates and expend resources to elect those candiates
Down's median voter theory if voter preferences can be represented as a point on a single dimension, and if voters vote for politicians who offer a policy position close to their preferences --> politicians will maximize their votes by adopting a policy position preferred by the median voter.- when there is a plurality system, it makes the best sense to move to the median. the voter also know that voting for person whose preferences best reflect theirs at the median is best cause otherwise other party gains advantage
The Classical Period -Political Quietism Norm: it is better to have stability than anarchy-Tyranny vs. Anarchy-Need for Muslim ruler to defend Islam
Germany has increasing complexity of what? National identities & citizenship
What was the Igbo attempt to secede? The Biafra War
What illustrates that the pursuit of individual interests can lead to collectively suboptimal outcomes? The Prisoners' Dilemma
Newly Industrializing Countries (NICs) countries mostly Latin and South America that have experienced dramatic rates of ecnomic growth and democratization, so that they resemble advanced democracies in many ways
Political Communication Models: Totalitarian no privately owned media, govt. controls all news agencies
poltical party group of people with the same ideas and ideals that has the ability to influence government
Purchasing-Power Parity (PPP) Attempts to estimate the buying power of income in each country by comparing similar costs.
Negative Relationship When X is above/below its mean, Y tends to be below/above its mean


Lack of Democratic Culture 		country had a deep political/ social authoritarian tradition, not democratic one.
sources of religious authority the koran- literal words of godsunnah- words and acts of muhamedijma- scholarly consensusqlyas- analagous deductionijtjihad- indpenednent judgementsyariah- codified law, conidered divenefigh- jurisprudence based on the four sources of authority
What kind of group sees themselves as having commonalities but do not seek state? An ethnic group
informal economy the part of the economy that is not regulated or taxed by the state
Schmitter and Karl concepts of democracy 1) public realm2) citizens3) competition4) election5) majority rule6) Numbers meet intensities7) Cooperation8) Representative9) Regime
What does wage labor create? competition, working class, and a market. money is worth nothing unless you have stuff to buy.
political challenges and consequences: military challenges posses the means to control operation - weak state builds military apparatus to ensure internal security or oppress population
What are two types of market economies? Feudalism & Communist "command economies"
another way to define fundamentalism an attempt to turn mythos into logos
efforts to promote Personality Cults promotion leader in a semi religious manner describes as wise all seeing and all knowing Media and culture important tool Terror another means
Three ideals that reinforce status quo in Confucianism 1) Paternalism2) Emphasis on Stability and Harmony3) Strictly proscribed roles and behavior
Which came first, the German state or nation? Nation, because of shared language
Ragin's definition of the comparative method the comparison of large macro social units with the goal of explaining and interpreting macrosocial variation
Forms of political control in Authoritarian state? Coercion - physical force method
Co-optation - carrot method
Corporatism - control thru state sanctioned organizations
Clientelism - patron client relationship between the state and members of society
Personality cults- promotion to image of leader being great!
what impact does PR system have on: behavior of voters sincere voting rather than strategic voting- higher chance that preferred candidate will win- leads to more parties- more specific ideological appeal
What is the downside of the 3-way split in Nigeria? Lack of central power and efficiency
What kind of a state did Khomeini set up? A theocratic state with some democratic elements