Comparative Politics Exam 3- UARK Sullivan

Import Quotas

- way to limit trade which, which in place, place an upper limit on the amount of good or product that can be imported. -may use to achieve reductions on imports similar to tariffs, but less likely to result in economic retaliation.

HDI is calculated using 3 variables

-Average life expectancy -Access to education -Income (measured in GNI per capita PPP)

What are some of the institutions that govern the European Union?

-European Parliament -European Court of Justice -Council of Ministers -European Commission

What are the effects of "devolution?"

-Has produced mixed results for central government. -In Britain, the public approval of the decision to grant regional assemblies for Scotland, wales, and in Northern Ireland, In Northern Ireland, this helped end hostilities between Protestants and Catholics -However, it has also enabled a referendum on Scottish Independence in 2014

Legislatures in a Parliamentary System

-Lower chambers are typically more powerful and are responsible for writing and passing laws. Prime Ministers and key cabinet officials must come from this camber. -Upper chambers will review laws and may amend them or send them back to lower chambers to be revised.

Intellectual Property

-Ownership allows entrepreneurs to enter the marketplace. -a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a manuscript or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.

What are the effects of each electoral system on a state's political parties?

-The composition of institutions within a state will influence the politics of that country: -The roles of (specifically) Executive and Legislative branches will determine the style of leadership in a state and may place constraints on a government action -How executive and legislative leaders can interact will also determine the expectations placed on a country's judicial systems

Key features of developed democracies

-a democratic system of government in which competition and participation are encouraged -they also tend to feature open markets, diverse economy, and a high GDP per capita -also tend to have high levels of social development and high HDI value

Democracy

-any government that is overseen either directly or indirectly by the public and preserves participation, competition and liberties

Executive Branch

-democracies must enforce policies created by the state and are usually responsible for foreign policy (leader of democracy) -to complete this agenda more efficiently, some governments split the powers of the executive into 2 offices: Head of State and Head of Government

Communism

-eliminated individual freedoms in favor of equality -state controls all resources and property -state makes all the decisions -can be used for good things but at a high cost

Identify the two important features of democracies

-follow a decision making process based on majority rule -powers of elected leaders are established through the consent of the ground

Public Goods

-goods and services provided by the state that facilitate the economic growth Ex. Highways

The Euro

-introduced in 1999 as a part of the European Economic and Monetary -national currency in 19 out of 28 EU states and was fully implemented in 2002.

Institutions in Democracies: Executives

-political life in a state is heavily influenced by the way powers and responsibilities are distributed through political offices. Ex: separations of powers and Gridlock

Tariffs

-the taxation of goods that are imported into a country. -set at a certain percentage of the value of the product being taxed. -serve as a way to encourage consumers to purchase goods from domestic businesses.

Preservation of Liberties

1/3 principles -governing regimes that protect basic freedoms of expression, participation and movement

Competition

1/3 principles -the ability of dissenting or alternative parties and candidates to presents their belief and agenda to the general public

Participation

1/3 principles -which is accomplished through voting

Integration

A process by which states pool their sovereignty, surrendering some individual powers in exchange for (supposedly) greater economic and social benefits. 2 basics forms:

Concrete review

Ability to only issue a ruling when a constitutional question is posted by a specific court case

Goal of Euro:

An attempt to further integrate European economies and promote growth.

Inflation

An increase in prices within an economy when supplies do not match levels of demand. -Scarcity of supplies automatically leads to higher prices within a specific market (or the economy overall). -Government policy can cause inflation by continually borrowing money at high interest rates.

Supranational System

An international organization with its own sovereign powers and the ability to make decisions on behalf of member states.

Developed democracies

Are those countries that have an institutionalized democracy, a high level of economic development, and widespread prosperity -developed democracies account for most of the wealth that is generated by the global economy

Social Democracy

Attempt to combine the benefits of liberalism and communism -accept the need for strong property rights and an open market -provides public goods -taxes are higher than they are in economically liberal states

Social Welfare

Benefits that are designed to target and assist at-risk members of the state. Ex. Social Security

Lower (bicameral legislature)

Chamber delegates are more numerous, and are elected by the smallest group of constituents

Abstract Reviews

Decision on a constitutional question in the absence of a specific legal challenge. -some states allow courts to rule a constitutional question before a law is passed Ex: Canada

Head of Government

Developed and implemented domestic policy may work closely with the legislature or a body of ministers. Usually serves as a prime minister.

Bicameral Legislature

Divide delegates into 2 legislature chambers, who are elected in either separate elections or on separate ballots. -historically more common than unicameral retained for 2 reasons: -one chamber in a bicameral legislature can check the influence of the other, limiting the likelihood that nondemocratic laws are enacted -bicameral legislature are more likely to enable groups elect delegates

Integration and Devolution

Economic and political regulations that were required due to integration produced a backlash against the EU. -As a result, developed democracies face calls to give up powers through integration into international organizations and called to extend greater freedoms to domestic minority groups.

Money

Economic growth can also be achieved through the creation and management of the national currency.

General Assistance

Expenditures that widely dispersed across a state and (in theory) equally benefit all the members of a state. Ex. Education, maternity leave

GDP

Gross Domestic Product -simplest measurement of wealth -measured on a per captain basis, by dividing a states GDP by its population

Parliamentary System: Head of state

Head of government (Prime Minister) are part of the legislature, and must still propose and receive approval from the legislature for new laws or policies

Judicial Systems

Help protect import freedoms and central principles in democratic systems. -specifically, they help uphold the rule of law

HDI

Human Development Index -Tracks how a state reinvests its revenue on behalf of its population -HDI is a statistical calculation that evaluates social development by examining overall wealth, health, and knowledge in a state.

How do democracies develop?

If wealth is evenly distributed in a population leaders may face greater limits to their authority and may leave office peacefully. -the growth of a middle class may also lead to accountability from public officials

Intergovernmental System

In which states voluntarily cooperate on mutually agreed upon issues. (Ex: The United Nations)

Intergovernmental system:

In which states voluntarily cooperate on mutually agreed upon issues. (Ex: The United Nations)

Why is GDP not accurate?

Income poorly explains wealth, as costs of living vary (widely) within a state. Other measurements of wealth are necessary to evaluate economic standing.

Hyperinfaltion

Inflation that is higher than 50 percent a month, for more than 2 months in a row. -Hyperinflation is more likely to occur when states print money without any discretion to cover their debts, which leads to a loss of confidence in that states government. This usually cases a currency collapse.

Modern States

Institutionalized democratic practices have let to specific behaviors that all developed democracies uphold. -such countries are classifies as modern states, or states that are secular, governed bureaucratically behave materialistically, and uphold the rule of law.

2 basic forms of integration

Intergovernmental & Supranational Systems

Customs Union

Is a trading block composed of an internal freed trade zone and common external tariffs.

Central Bank

Is an institution that controls how much money is circulating in society and the borrowing rates are referred to as interest rates. Ex. Federal Reserve

The European Council

Is composed of executives from each member country and addresses technical issues instead of political ones.

Legislature

Is the deliberate body responsible for creating policies for the state as a whole through a process debate and majority rule. -composed of delegates selected by constituencies across the country, meaning that delegates in legislatures are chosen by the smallest groupings of voters

Plurality-based system

Members in the Single-Member District system are elected through this, in which the winner of the election receives more votes than any other candidate, even if they do not win a majority of votes. -In this system, does cast for a losing candidate are "wasted" as they do not contribute to the election of any candidate.

Treaty of Lisbon

New changes to the EU were formally approved in the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007.

Identify the three different principles that states use to comply with the principles of important features of democracies

Participation, Competition, Preservation of Liberties

Unicameral

Place all the delegates into a single legislature chamber. -tend to be common in states that do not delegate significant powers to local governments as well as states that are ethnically homogenous. Ex: Greece, Iceland, or New Zealand

Classical Liberalism

Places a high emphasis on individual freedoms. They favor strong property rights and prefer markets to be self regulated. -low taxation -public good are limited to the provision of common benefits (education) -questions the need for collective equality and state regulations

The Big Bang of 2004

Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the Baltic states all joined the EU on May 1st, 2004. -This helped spark an anti-immigration backlash in states that received immigrants.

Regulatory Barriers

Policies and regulations that limit imports without resorting to taxation. -May be used to promote domestic companies or limit international competition for these businesses. Ex. American Airline Company regulations

Semi-Presidential Systems

Power is divided between a head of state and a head of government, both of whom hold independent powers.

The European Union

Primary example of supranational integration. After WWII, European leaders hoped integration would rebuild economies and prevent war by creating interdependence.

Judicial Review

Process of reviewing the legislature passed or created by another government

Social Expenditures

Public goods can be considered a type of social expenditures, such expenditures are commonly referred to as being part of the "welfare state"

PPP

Purchasing Power Parity -Refers to estimates of the buying power of a currency by comparing the cost of a product in multiple countries. -The strength of a currency determined by tracing the difference of the same product in different countries. Ex. The Big Mac Index

Single-Member District System

Refers to an electoral system. in which district elects a single representative to serve in the national legislature.

Political Economic Systems

Refers to efforts by state leaders to manage an economy according to ideological principles -Political economic system therefore describe the relationship between political and economic institutions in a state

Markets

Refers to the interaction of supply and demand, which allocate resources through repeated transactions. -sellers attempt to develop or obtain product that individuals will purchase; consumers attempt to find the highest quality product at the lowest price possible

Property

Refers to the ownership of goods and services that are exchanged in markets. -States generally provide protection that is associated with property ownership, primarily from having it taken without compensation.

The Schengen Agreement of 1985

Removed border control for European citizens traveling between member states, -this increased commerce and encouraged travel among European states.

Weakness of HDI

Since the value is derived from three different sources, positive scores in some areas can mask deficiencies in others. Ex. Japan

Two systems are commonly used to count votes in democracies.

Single-Member District and Proportional Representation (PR)

How to create a healthy economy

States must ensure that competitive markets exist and that domestic businesses are internationally competitive. -States attempt to achieve these goals through national trade policies.

Constituencies

The geographic areas that elected officials represent.

Rule of Law

The supremacy of the law over (all) people and elected officials.

How is hyperinflation resolved?

Through a bailout (by the international Community) or by selling off state assets.

Legislature is divided into:

Unicameral and Bicameral systems

Upper (bicameral legislature)

Usually represent an established group or class of interest, and function as a brake on lower chambers. May have veto powers over lower chambers bills, and delegates in upper chambers will serve longer terms.

European Commission

Which repersents EU (but not national) interests by identifying problems and proposing solutions to the council of the European Union.

Head of State

Will usually have greater influence over forge in policy and is generally elected by the voting population of a country. -either elected by the country or symbolic powers ex: the Queen of England

Describe the organization of a Presidential Systems

a democratic and republican system of government

How is the Executive Branch organized under the Presidential System of government

a head of government leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch.

PPP strengths

allows for more accurate comparison of national economies by using a common standard to compare the strength of different currencies.

Economic Liberalism is closely associated with

capitalism

European Parliament

consists of specifically elected members that are chosen to represent their states in legislative matters

Parliamentary System

executive power is divided between a head of state and head of government

Why keep tariffs low?

generally to promote commerce and trade. -or can result in trade war

The Executive (President)

is directly elected by the public and serves a fixed term. As a result, they are not easily removed from office. Executives are also separate from the legislature and have less control over the legislative process.

The Council of the European Union or "Council of Minister"

made up of ministers from member states -the exact composition of this "council of Ministers" depends on the issue being addressed -For instance, all 28 states will send their foreign Minister Affairs Council meeting -Council of Ministers allows the representatives of a states executive branch to express concerns and pursue results to a particular dilemma -bicameral legislature

what are the main components of "Political Economy"

market and property

Multi-member district

refers to a constituency that seats multiple representatives

Proportional Representation

refers to an electoral system in which parties compete in multi-member district and seats in a legislature are awarded based on a party's strength of support

Electoral System

refers to the institutional structures that determine how votes are cast, counted, and translated in to seats in government. -A key element of an electoral system is the construction of constituencies.

Civil Society

social organizations outside state control that helps people organize, define and advance their interests -India -more likely to see a democracy occur if they allow individuals to express interests and draft solutions to dilemmas

Presidential Systems:

the role of the Head of State and Head of Government are combined into a single office

What role may the courts occupy under the Presidential System

the roles of head of state and head of government are combined into a single office

Vote of No Confidence

vote among legislators to support or remove the sitting Prime Minister -means that the length of a Prime Minister's term are not predetermined, and they may remain in office as long as they have confidence of their party