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Comparative Government
Test 1
81
Political Studies
Undergraduate 4
02/13/2008

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Cards

Term
Sovereignty
Definition
the ability of a state to carry out actions or policies within a terriotry independently from external or internal rivals
Term
Institution
Definition
An organization or activity that is self-perpetuating valued for its own sake
Term
Politics
Definition
the struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group
Term
Comparative Politics
Definition
the study and comparison of domestic politics across countries
Term
Comparative Method
Definition
the means by which social scientists make comparisons across cases
Term
Quantatative Method
Definition
study through statistical data from many cases
Term
Qualitative method
Definition
Study through an in depth investigation of a limited number of cases
Term
Statecraft
Definition
the study of how to govern
Term
Modernization theory
Definition
a theory asserting that as societies developed, they would take on a set of common characteristics, including democracy and capitalism
Term
Behavioralism
Definition
a movement in political science in the 1950s and 1960s to develop general theories about individual political behavior that could be applied across all countries
Term
Freedom
Definition
the ability of an individual to act independently, without fear of restriction or punishment by the state or other individuals or groups in society
Term
Equality
Definition
a shared material standard of individuals within a community, society, or country
Term
State
Definition

the organization that maintains a monopoly of legitimate force over a given territory

 

a set of political institutions to generate policy regarding freedom and equality 

Term
Regime
Definition
the fundamental rules and norms of politics
Term
Government
Definition
the leadership or elite in charge of running the state
Term
Country
Definition
term used to refer to state, government, regime, and the people who live within that political system
Term
Legitimacy
Definition
a value whereby an institution is accepted by the public  as right and proper, thus giving it authority and power
Term
traditional legitimacy
Definition
legitimacy that accepts aspects of politics because they have been institutionalized over a long period of time
Term
charismatic legitimacy
Definition
legitimacy built on the force of ideas embodied by an individual leader
Term
rational-legal legitimacy
Definition
legitimacy based on a system of laws and procedures that are highly institutionalized
Term
federalism
Definition
a system in which significant state powers, such as taxation, lawmaking, and security, are devoted to regional or local bodies
Term
Unitary States
Definition
a state in which most political power exists at the national level, with limited local authority
Term

Strong States

 

Definition
a state that is able to fulfill basic tasks, such as defending terriotry, making and enforcing rules, collecting taxes, and managing the economy
Term
Weak State
Definition
a state that has difficulty fulfilling basic tasks
Term
Failed States
Definition
a state so weak that its political structures collapse, leading to anarchy and violence
Term
capacity
Definition
the ability of the state to wield power to carry out basic tasks
Term
autonomy
Definition
the ability of the state to wield its power independently of the public
Term
Society
Definition
complex human organization, a collection of people bound by shared institutions that define how human relations should be conducted
Term
Ethnicity
Definition
specific attributes and societal institutions that make one group of people culturally different from others
Term
National Identity
Definition
a sense of belonging to a nation and a belief in its political asparations
Term
Nation
Definition
 group of people bound together by a common set of political aspirations, the most important which is self-government
Term
Nationalism
Definition
pride in one's people and the belief that they have a unique political destiny
Term
citizenship
Definition
an individuals relationship to the state, wherein citizens swear alliegance to that state and the state in return is obligated to provide rights to those citizens
Term
Patriotism
Definition
pride in one's state
Term
Nation-state
Definition
a state encompassing one dominant nation that it claims to embody and represent
Term
ethnic conflict
Definition
a conflict in which different ethnic groups struggle to achieve certain political or economic goals at each other's expense
Term
national conflict
Definition
a conflict in which one or more groups within a country develop clear aspirations for political independence, clashing with others as a result
Term
political attitude
Definition
description of ones views regarding the speed and the methods with which political changes should take place in a given society
Term
radical
Definition
a political attitude that favors dramatic, often revolutionary changes
Term
liberals (p.a)
Definition
political attitude that favors evolutionary transformation
Term
conservatism
Definition
a political attitude that is skeptical of change and supports the current order
Term
reactionaries
Definition
Someone who seeks to restore the institutions of a real or imagined earlier order
Term
Political ideologies
Definition
the basic values held by an individual about the fundamental goals of politics or the ideal balanceof fredom and equality
Term
Liberalism (p.i.)
Definition
a political ideology that favors a limited state role in society and the economy, and places a high priority on individual political and economical freedom
Term
Liberal Democracy
Definition
a political system that promotes participation, competition, adn liberty and emphasizes individual freedom and civil rights
Term
Communism
Definition
political ideology/system where all wealth and property are shared so as to eliminate exploitation, oppression, and ultimately the need to political institutions such as the state
Term
Social Democracy
Definition
political system/ideology where freedom and equality are balanced through the state's management of the economy and the provision of social expenditures
Term
Fascism
Definition
political ideology that asserts the superiority and inferiority of different groups of people and stresses a low degree of both freedom and equality in order to achieve a powerful state
Term
Anarchism
Definition
political ideology that stresses the elimination of the state and private property as a way to achieve both freedom and equality for all
Term
Fundamentalism
Definition
a view of religion as absolute and inerrant that should be legally enforced by making faith the sovereign authority
Term
Theocracy
Definition
a nondemocratic form of rule where religion is the foundation for the regime
Term
culture
Definition
basic institutions that define society
Term
Political culture
Definition
the basic norms for political activity in a society
Term
Political economy
Definition
the study of the interaction between states and markets
Term
Markets
Definition
the interaction between the forces of supply and demand that allocates resources
Term
Property
Definition
goods or services that are owned by an individual or group, privately or publicly
Term
Public goods
Definition
goods, provided or secured by the state, available to society and which no private person or organization can own
Term
social expenditures
Definition
state provisions of public benefits, such as education, health care, and transportation
Term
Central Bank
Definition
the state institution that controls how much  money is flowing through the economy, as well as how much it costs to borrow money in that economy
Term
Inflation
Definition
an outstripping of supply by demand, resulting in an increase int he general price level of goods and services and the resulting loss of value in a country;s currency
Term
hyperinflation
Definition
inflation of more than 50 percent a month for more than two months in a row
Term
regulations
Definition
a rule or order that sets the boundaries of a given procedure
Term
monopoly
Definition
a single prducer that is able to dominate the market for a good or service without effective competition
Term
Cartel
Definition
a small number of producers that, although each individually is unable to dominate a market, collaborate to do so together
Term
comparative advantage
Definition
the ability of one country to produce a particular good or service more efficiently relative to other countries efficiency in producing the same good or service
Term
tariff
Definition
a tax on imported goods
Term
quotas
Definition
a nontariff barrier that limits the quantity of a good that may be imported into a country
Term
non-tariff barriers
Definition
policies and regulations used to limit imports through methods other than taxation
Term
political economic systems
Definition
the relationship between political and economic institutions in a particular country and the policies and outcomes they create
Term
capitalism
Definition
a system of production based on private property and free markets
Term
Laissez-Faire
Definition
the principle that the economy should be allowed to do what it wishes; a liberal system of minimal state interference in the economy
Term
Neocorporatism
Definition
a system of social democratic policy making in which a limited number of organizations representing business and labor work with the state to set economic policy
Term
Mercantilism
Definition
a political-economic system in which national economic power is paramount and the domestic economy is viewed as an instrument that exists primarily to serve the needs of the state
Term
Parastatals
Definition
industry partially owned by the state
Term
Gross domestic product
Definition
the totawl market value of goods and services produced within a country over one year
Term
Purchasing Power parity
Definition
a statistical tool that attempts to estimate the buying power of income across different countries by using prices in the US as a benchmark
Term
Gross national Product
Definition
the total market value of all goods and services produced by the residents of a country, including income from abroad
Term
Gini Index
Definition
a mathematical formula that measures the amount of economic inequality in a society
Term
Human development index
Definition
a statistical tool that attempts to evalutate the overall wealth, health, and knowledge of a country's people
Term
economic liberalization
Definition
changes consistent with liberalism that aim to limit the power of the state and increase the power of the market and private property in an economy
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