AP Comp. Gov. Chapter 1 Vocab.

International Relations

A field in political science that concentrates on relations between countries (such as foreign policy, war, trade, and foreign aid).

Democracy

A government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

Equality

A material standard of living shared by individuals within a community, society, or country.

Empirical Statement

A statement derived from or guided by experience or experiment.

Normative Statement

A statement of or relating to a norm.

Legitimacy

A value whereby something or someone is recognized and accepted as right and proper.

Comparative Method

A way to compare cases and draw conclusions.

Freedom

An individual's ability to act independently, without fear of restriction or punishment by the state or other individuals or groups in society.

Theory

An integrated set of hypotheses, assumptions, and facts.

Institution

An organization or pattern of activity that is self-perpetuating and valued for their own sake.

Causation

Anything that produces an effect.

Correlation

Apparent association.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Argued that citizens' rights are inalienable and cannot be taken away by the state; influenced the development of civil rights.

John Locke

Argued that private property is essential to individual freedom and prosperity.

Formal Institution

Assumed to be based on officially sanctioned rules that are relatively clear.

Rational-Legal Legitimacy

Based on a system of laws and procedures that are presumed to be neutral or rational.

Selection Bias

Choosing only one type of case rather than different cases with similarities and differences.

Thomas Hobbes

Developed the notion of a "social contract", whereby people surrender certain liberties in favor of order.

Karl Marx

Elaborated a theory of economic development and inequality; predicted the eventual collapse of capitalism and democracy.

Aristotle

First separated the study of politics from that of philosophy; used comparative method to study Greek city-states.

Quantitative Methodology

Gathering of statistical data across many countries to look for correlations and test hypotheses about cause and effect. Emphasis on breadth over depth.

Modernization Theory

Held that as societies developed they would become capitalist democracies, converging around a set of shared values and characteristics.

Nation

Human communities that share a common history, culture, language, and sense of political destiny.

Qualitative Methodology

Mastery of a few cases through the detailed study of their history, language, and culture. Emphasis on depth over breadth.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Often cites as first modern political scientist because of his emphasis on statecraft and empirical knowledge; analyzed different political systems, believing the findings could be applied by statesmen.

Traditional Legitimacy

Often embodies historical myths and legends as well as the continuity between past and present.

Charismatic Legitimacy

Opposite of traditional legitimacy; based on the power of ideas and beliefs.

Collective Identity

Refers to the shared definition of a group that derives from its members' common interests and experiences.

Deductive Reasoning

Starting with a puzzle and from there generating some hypothesis about cause and effect to test against a number of cases.

Baron de Montesquieu

Studied government systems; advocated the separation of powers within government.

Area Studies

Studies of parts of the world where similar variables are clustered rather than comparisons of countries from different parts of the world.

Sovereignty

The ability to carry out actions and policies within a territory independent of external actors and internal rivals.

Power

The ability to influence others or impose one's will on them.

Statecraft

The art of government and diplomacy.

Regime

The fundamental rules and norms of politics.

Government

The leadership that runs the state.

Inductive Reasoning

The means by which we go from studying a case to generating a hypothesis.

State

The organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory.

Endogeneity

The problem of distinguishing cause and effect.

Political Science

The science of using comparative politics and/or international relations in order to help make arguments about cause and effect by drawing evidence from across space and time.

Politics

The struggle in any group for power that will give one or more persons the ability to make decisions for the larger group.

Comparative Politics

The study and comparison of domestic politics across countries; sub-field of political science.

Informal Institution

Unwritten and unofficial rules, but no less powerful as a result.

Rational Choice Theory (Game Theory)

Used to study the rules and games by which politics is played and how human beings act on their preferences.

Multicausality

When many variables are tied together to produce particular outcomes.

Behavioral Revolution

When the subject of investigation shifted away from political institutions and toward individual political behavior.

Globalization

Worldwide integration and development.

Max Weber

Wrote widely on such topics as bureaucracy, forms of authority, and the impact of culture on economic and political development.