Chapter 1 Key Terms

Arab Spring

series of protests that rocked much of the Middle East in 2010 and 2011

state corporatism

state determines which groups are brought in. a political system in which the state requires all members of a particular economic sector to join an officially designated interest group, with the result that the state gains substantial control over interest groups and interest groups channel or control their members' political and economic advocacy

political frameworks

structures of a political system that carry out the work of governing; framework: a set of ideas, rules, or beliefs from which something is developed, or on which decisions are based

Input

support or demand from people to the state

Vicious Cycle

system that deteriorates over time

Virtuous Cycle

system that improves over time

informal politics

takes into consideration not only the ways that politicians operate outside their formal powers, but also the impact that beliefs, values, and actions of ordinary citizens have on policy-making.

Hybrid Regimes

term used to describe regimes that combine elements of liberal democracy and authoritarianism in post-communist and other countries

Colored Revolutions

term used to describe uprisings referred to by a color, such as the Green Movement in Iran

9/11

terrorist attacks on September 11, when two planes crashed into the twin towers in New York, a negative effect of globalization.

Human Security

the belief that security includes all areas, not just the military

conflictual political culture

the citizens are sharply divided, often on both the legitimacy of the regime and solutions to major problems

Public Policy

the decisions made by a state that define what it will do

Sustainability

the endurance of systems and processes, A principle of environmental science that demands us to maintain Earth's systems and its natural resources for the future.

Regime

the institutions and practices that endure from government to government, such as the constitutional order in democracy

co-optation

the means a regime uses to get support from citizens. the process by which a group subsumes or assimilates a smaller or weaker group with related interests; or, similarly, the process by which one group gains converts from another group by attempting to replicate the aspects that they find appealing without adopting the full program or ideals.

Imperialism

the policy of colonizing other countries - literally, establishing empires

Consolidation/Democratization

the process of developing democratic states

Politics

the process through which a community, state, or organizations organizes and governs itself

Industrialized Democracy

the richest countries with advanced economies and liberal states

legitimacy(traditional, charismatic, rational-legal)

the right to rule. 1.)the belief that tradition should determine who should rule and how. 2.)based on the dynamic personality of an individual or a small group.(Often not passed down to a successor) 3.)people obey the leaders because they believe in the rules that brought them to office.

electoral systems

the rules that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature

politicization of religion

the use of religious principles to promote political ends and vice versa

GDP,GNP, GNP per capita

Gross domestic product (GDP) is an economic indicator that compiles data on all forms of wealth produced within a country--all the goods and services produced by a country's economy in a given year, excluding income citizens and groups earn outside the country. Gross national product (GNP) is the market value of all the products and services produced in one year by labor and property supplied by the citizens of a country (like GDP, but also includes income citizens earned outside the country). GNP per capita divides GNP by population of country.

political socialization

How do citizens learn about politics in their country? Do electronic and print media shape their learning? Does the government put forth effort to politically educate their citizens?At any specific time, a person's political beliefs are a combination of many feelings and attitudes, including both general and specific identifications. It refers to a learning process by which norms and behavior acceptable to a well running political system are transmitted from one generation to another. It is through the performance of this function that individuals are inducted into the political culture and their orientations towards political objects are formed. Complex process by which people get their sense of political identity, beliefs, and values (family, school, media, religion, national events-all help to socialize)

institutions, institutionalized

Institutions: stable, long lasting organizations that help to turn political ideas into policy. Common examples of institutions are bureaucracies. legislatures, judicial systems, and political parties. These institutions make states themselves long lasting, and often help them to endure even when leaders change. ________ refers to clusters of rules and cultural meanings associated with specific social activities. Common ________ are the family, education, religion, work, and health care. to cause (a custom, practice, law, etc.) to become accepted and used by many people : to establish (something) as an institution

foreign direct investment

Investment made by a foreign company in the economy of another country.

liberalism as an approach to economic and political change

Liberals generally do not think that the political and/or economic systems are permanently broken, but they do believe that they need to be repaired or improved. They may support the notion that eventual transformation needs to take place, but they almost always believe that gradual change is best.

democratic corporatism

New groups can form to compete for power only if the government allows them to do so, and they create bonds with state agencies making them semi-public and as a result freedoms are lost. In democratic corporatism, interest representation is institutionalized through recognition by state (New groups can only form if the state allows it). In democratic corporatism, organizations develop institutionalized and legally binding links with the state agencies, so that the groups become semi-public agencies, acting on behalf of the state. As a result groups and individuals lose their freedoms.

purchase power parity (PPP)

PPP adjusts for relative costs of living in various countries and converts different economies into a single currency. GDP can be deceiving since the same amount of money will buy more in some countries than others. PPP per capita estimates the buying power of income in each country by comparing costs of basic commodities. A figure like GNP, except that it takes into consideration what people can buy using their income in the local economy.

political elites

Persons with a disproportionate share of political power

economic liberalization

Philosophy that aims to limit the power of the state and increase the power of the market and private property in an economy.

patron-client system

Relations in which "Patron" gains support of "Client" through mutual exchange of benefits and obligations.

market economies

Right to own property is guaranteed/accepted. Most industry is owned by private individuals. Competition and profit are not controlled by the government. Individuals make their own decisions about what to produce, how to produce it, and for whom to produce it.

political ideologies

Sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics. shaped by political culture. examples are: liberalism, communism, socialism, fascism, religions.

Feedback Loop

The section of a control system that allows for feedback and self-correction and that adjusts its operation according to differences between the actual output and the desired output. determine how and if a system "learns" from what has happened in the past.

marketization

The state's recreation of a market in which property, labor, goods, and services can all function in a competitive environment to determine their value.

tyranny of the majority

The tendency in democracies to allow majority rule to neglect the rights and liberties of minorities.

Global South

The underdeveloped and largely poor countries in the world. Often called the third world.

social boundaries

These are established within a culture and define how individuals are expected to behave in social situations

privatization

To change from government or public ownership or control to private ownership or control.

State

all individuals and institutions that make public policy, whether they are in the government or not. Organization that maintains a monopoly of violence over a territory. State defines who ca and cannot use weapons and force, and its sets the rules as to how violence is used. States often sponsor armies, navies, and/or air forces that legitimately use power and sometimes violence, but individual citizens are very restricted in their use of force.

Coalition

an alliance of parties that are close enough to one another ideologically to stay together for the duration of a parliamentary term

democracy index

based on 60 different indicators into 5 categories; electoral process, protection for civil liberties, the efficient function of government, patterns of political participation, and the strength and depth of political culture. score 1-10.

code law

based on a comprehensive system of written rules (codes) of law divided into commercial, civil, and criminal codes; predominant in Europe and countries influenced by the French, German, or Spanish systems; practiced in China, Mexico, and Russia

common law

based on tradition, past practices, or legal precedents set by the courts through interpretations of statues, legal legislation, and past rulings; English in origin & found in Britain, the US, and other countries with a strong English influence

consensual political culture

citizens tend to agree on the appropriate means of making political decisions and to agree on the major problems facing the society and how to solve them

indications of democratization

civil liberties, rule of law, neutrality of the judiciary, open civil society, civilian control of the military. Five categories of democracy index are: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture.

independent variable/dependent variable

condition that is manipulated by the experimenter to examine its impact on the dependent variable/ the measure that is affected by the independent variable

Win-Win Outcome

conflict resolution in which all parties benefit; also known as positive-sum game

Positive-Sum Outcome

conflict resolution in which all parties benefit; also known as win-win

Falsify

contradicting a theory by finding at least one example in which it does not hold true

societal corporatism (neo-corporatism)

corporatism when interest groups take the lead and dominate the state

advanced democracies

countries that have institutionalized democracy and a high level of economic development and prosperity

technocrats

highly-educated bureaucrats who make decisions based on their perceptions of technical issues rather than political ones

Feedback

how events today are communicated to people later on and shape what people do later on

Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)

nonprofit, private groups that exert political influence around the world and are playing an increasingly important role in determining developmental and environmental policies

Cold War

rivalry between the superpowers from the end of World War II to the collapse of the Soviet Union

conservatism

A set of beliefs that includes a limited role for the national government in helping individuals, support for traditional values and lifestyles, and a cautious response to change.

referendum

A state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a proposed constitutional amendment.

Gini index

A statistical formula that measures the amount of economic inequality within a country. "0" corresponds with perfect equality and "100" represents perfect inequality.

nationalism

A strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country

confederal system

A system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states. A confederal system spreads the power among many sub-units (such as states), and has a weak central government.

parliamentary system

A system of government in which the legislature selects the prime minister or president, a system of government in which both executive and legislative functions reside in an elected assembly. The head of the government must be a current member of the legislature.

checks and balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power (They somewhat overlap, but the 'Checks and Balances' doctrine refers to the ability of one branch to curtail the acts of another. For example: the legislative branch has the power to make laws, but the judicial branch has the power to strike them down if the legislative branch oversteps their bounds (if law is unconstitutional). )

hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

pluralism

A theory of government that holds that open, multiple, and competing groups can check the asserted power by any one group.

socialism

A theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

sovereignty

Ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states.

social movements

Active and sustained efforts to achieve social and political change by groups of people who feel that government has not been properly responsive to their concerns.

political rights

All rights of a citizen in a free society that are clearly expressed and guaranteed by the Constitution and implied by natural laws.

proportional representation

An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote.

mixed electoral system

An electoral system that uses a combination of single-member districts and proportional representation

revolution

An overthrow of a government or social system with another taking it's place.

coup d'etat

(French) a sudden, powerful political stroke, esp. the forcible overthrow of government.

patronage

(politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

correlation

A measure of the extent to which two factors vary together, and thus of how well either factor predicts the other.

military rule

A nondemocratic rule in which the military intervenes directly in politics as the organization that can solve the problems.

communism

A political system characterized by a centrally planned economy with all economic and political power resting in the hands of the central government

two-party system

A political system dominated by two major parties

fascism

A political system headed by a dictator that calls for extreme nationalism and racism and no tolerance of opposition

causation

A relationship between two phenomena in which one is believed to cause the other.

federal system

A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments

Equilibrium

A kind of stability that almost never occurs in the rough and tumble "real world" of political life. a state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced.

political efficacy

A citizen's capacity to understand and influence political events. When citizens enjoy a high level of Political Efficacy they believe that the government takes their input seriously and cares about what they have to say. If citizens lack this quality, they may not believe that it is important to vote, or they may try to ignore the government's efforts to enforce laws.

plebiscite

A direct vote of all the people of a country or district on an important matter; a referendum. a ballot to consult public opinion in a nonbinding way

direct democracy

A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives

totalitarianism

A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.)

judicial review

Authority given the courts to review constitutionality of acts by the executive/state/legislature; est. in Marbury v. Madison

bureaucratic authoritarian regimes

Bureaucracies in authoritarian regimes differ from those in democracies in that the head of government exercises almost complete control over bureaucratic activites. Unlike democratic bureaucracies, here, bureaucrats are more likely to receive their jobs through patronage than merit, although patronage exists in democratic systems as well. a system in which the state bureaucracy and the military share a belief that a technocratic leadership, focused on rational, objective, and technical expertise, can solve the problems of the country without public participation

democratic

Citizens participate freely in their government through voting and usually have many personal freedoms.

separation of powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law. (Separation of Powers is a model of government in which different parts of the government are responsible for different functions; in the US, these different areas are legislative, executive and judicial. )

civil liberties

Constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all citizens

illiberal democracies

Countries that have regular, free, fair elections, but are missing other qualities: Civil liberties,rule of law. Procedural democracies. (An illiberal democracy, also called a pseudo democracy, partial democracy, low intensity democracy, empty democracy or hybrid regime,[1] is a governing system in which, although elections take place, citizens are cut off from knowledge about the activities of those who exercise real power because of the lack of civil liberties. It is not an 'open society'. There are many countries "that are categorized as neither "free" nor "not free," but as "probably free," falling somewhere between democratic and nondemocratic regimes."[2] This may be because a constitution limiting government powers exists, but its liberties are ignored, or because an adequate legal constitutional framework of liberties does not exist.)

fragmentation

Divisions based on ethnic or cultural identity.

mixed economies

Economic systems in which some allocation of resources is made by the market and some by the government.

constitutional courts

Federal courts created by Congress under Article III of the Constitution, including the district courts, courts of appeals, & specialized courts such as the U.S. Court of International Trade.

transparency

For government to be accountable the people must be aware of what is happening in the country. A transparent government holds public meetings, allows citizens to attend, the press and the people can get information about decisions being made, by whom and why.

indirect democracy

Form of democracy in which individuals are represented by appointed representatives.

transmission belt

In an authoritarian state, when interest groups are used to convey messages from the political elite to their base, instead of the other way around because of their lack of autonomy.

recruitment of elites

In any political system, political roles must be defined, filled and vacated. The political recruitment recruits members of the particular subcultures -religious communities, statuses, classes, ethnic communities and the like, and inducts them into the specialized roles of the political system.

subject activities

In authoritarian governements, most citizens contact government through subject activities that involve obedience. Such activities are obeying laws, following military orders, and paying taxes. (In democracies, citizens may play a more active part in the political process. The most common type of participation is voting, but citizens may also work for political candidates, attend political meetings or rallies, contribute money to campaigns, and join political clubs or parties.)

cabinet coalition

In parliamentary systems, the cabinet is the most important collective decision-making body. Its ministers are also leaders of the majority party in parliament, or if the country has a multi-party system with no clear majority party, a cabinet coalition will form, where several parties join forces and are represented in different cabinet posts. A common problem is that they tend to be unstable, especially if they result from a fragmented legislature.

presidential system

In this type of democracy, the roles of head of state and head of government are given to one person. This central figure is directly elected by the people and serves as the chief executive within a system of checks and balances between the legislative and executive (and sometimes judicial) branches. A system of government in which the legislative and executive branches operate independently of each other.

empirical data

Information gathered from sensory observation and experimentation

succession

Inheritance of the right to rule.

radicalism

The political orientation of those who favor revolutionary change in government and society.

semi-presidential system

System in which a prime minister coexists with a president who is directly elected by the people and who holds a significant degree of power.

Samuel Huntington's "clash of civilizations"

The Clash of Civilizations is a theory that people's cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world. describes the democratization that has occurred during the post-Cold War era; according to Huntington, it has occurred due to the loss of legitimacy by both right and left wing authoritarian regimes; the expansion of an urban middle class in developing countries; and a new emphasis on human rights.

social capital

The amount of reciprocity and trust that exists among citizens, and between citizens and the state. Societies with low amounts of social capital may be inclined toward authoritarian governments, and societies with more social capital may be inclined toward democracy.

party system

The array of political parties operating in a particular country and the nature of the relationships among them is called a party system.

linkage institutions

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media. (Wood: In many countries we may identify groups that connect the government to its citizens, such as political parties, interest groups, and print and electronic media. Appropriately, these groups are called linkage institutions. Their size and development depends partly on the size of the population, and partly on the scope of government activity. The larger the population and the more complex the government's policy-making activities, the more likely the country is to have well developed linkage institutions.)

head of government

The executive role that deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, such as formulating and executing policy.

head of state

The executive role that symbolizes and represents the people both nationally and internationally.

bureaucracy

agencies that implement government policy; usually part of executive branch; tend to have non-elected positions, impersonal (have little concern for personal feelings, are more goal oriented) & efficient structures, formal prerequisite qualifications for jobs, hierarchical organization (top-down in which higher officials giver order to lower officials so everyone has a boss except the person at the very top), and red tape/inefficiency (large bureaucracies have trouble handling their own weight so that once it reaches a certain size and complexity, its orderly flow appears to break down so that one person doesn't know what the other is doing)

cleavages-coinciding or/ cross cutting

When every dispute aligns the same groups against each other, coinciding cleavages are likely to be explosive. Cross-cutting cleavages divide society into many potential groups that may conflict on one issue but cooperate on another. These tend to keep social conflict to more moderate levels.

initiative

Whereas refernda are called by the government, an initiative is a vote on a policy that is initiated by the people. Although less common than referendum, the initiative must propose an issue for a nation-wide vote and its organizers must collect a certain number of supporting signatures from the public. The government is then obliged to schedule a vote. Allows voters to petition to propose legislation & then submit it for a vote by qualified voters

Constitution

a basic political document that lays out the institutions and procedures a country follows

procedural democracy

a country that has regular, free, and fair competitive elections, but is missing vital qualities, like civil liberties, rule of law, neutrality of the judiciary, open civil society, and civilian control of the military, is called an illiberal democracy or a _____ _______. (Procedural democracy is a democracy in which the people or citizens of the state have less influence than in traditional liberal democracies. This type of democracy is characterized by voters choosing to elect representatives in free elections. Procedural democracy assumes that the electoral process is at the core of the authority placed in elected officials and ensures that all procedures of elections are duly complied with (or at least appear so). It could be described as a republic (i.e., people voting for representatives) wherein only the basic structures and institutions are in place. Commonly, the previously elected representatives use electoral procedures to maintain themselves in power against the common wish of the people (to some varying extent), thus thwarting the establishment of a full-fledged democracy. Procedural democracy is quite different from substantive democracy, which is manifested by equal participation of all groups in society in the political process.)

Crisis

a critical turning point

Systems Theory

a model for understanding political life, examining how a state's components interact over time and how nonpolitical and international forces shape what it can and cannot accomplish

integration

a process that encourage states to pool their sovereignty in order to gain political, economic, and social clout.

Authoritarian regime

a regime in which decisions are made by political elites; may also be rules by a single dictator, hereditary monarch, small group of aristocrats, or a single party

political liberalization

a state that progresses from procedural (illiberal) democracy to substantive (liberal) democracy through democratic consolidation is said to experience this phenomenon.

Democracy

a system of government in which sovereignty resides in the people

revolution of rising expectations

a theory (1) which states that revolutions typically occur when a period of improvement (1) is interrupted by some economic crisis (1) or sudden downturn (1)

Paradigm

a theory that covers an entire discipline

cosmopolitanism

a universal political order that draws its identity and values from everywhere

three-world approach

based largely on cold war politics. 1) The United States and its allies 2) the Soviet Union and its allies 3) third world nations that don't fit in the first categories and were all economically underdeveloped and deprived.

corporatism

an arrangement in which government officials interact with people/groups outside the government before they set policy. These outside contacts are generally business and labor leaders, or they may be heads of huge patron-client systems that provide reciprocal favors and services to their supporters. In its earliest form corporatism emerged as a way that authoritarian regimes tried to control public by creating or recognizing organizations to rerpresent the interests of the public. Corporatism (also known as corporativism) is the socio-political organization of a society by major interest groups, or corporate groups, such as agricultural, business, ethnic, labour, military, patronage, or scientific affiliations, on the basis of common interests. A method of co-optation whereby authoritarian systems create or sanction a limited number of organizations to represent the interests of the public and restrict those not set up or approved by the state.

reactionary beliefs

an attitude toward change. Go further to protect against change than do conservative beliefs. The oppose both revolution and reform, and are more willing to use violence to reach their goals than two of the more moderate groups. They want to turn back the clock to an earlier era, and reinstate political, social, and economic institutions that once existed.

first-past-the-post (plurality, winner takes all)

an electoral system in which the candidate who has more votes than any other candidate wins

Globalization (economic and political)

an integration of social, environmental, economic, and cultural activities of nations that has resulted from increasing international contacts. (Hauss: popular term used to describe how international economic, social, cultural, and technological forces are affecting events inside individual countries)

Interest Group pluralism

an organization formed to work for the views of a relatively narrow group of people, such as a trade union or business association

Freedom House ratings

an organization that studies democracy around the world, ranks countries on a 1 to 7 freedom scale, with counties given a 1 being the most free and those given a 7 being the least free

Resilient

an organization's ability to return to health and strength after setback

Power

as conventionally defined, the ability to get someone to do something he or she otherwise would not do

Nation

as used by political scientists, primarily psychological term to describe attachment or identity rather than a geopolitical unit such as the state

liberal democracies

democracies that display civil liberties, rule of law, neutrality of the judiciary, open civil society, and civilian control of the military. also called substantive democracies where citizens have access to multiple sources of information. (Liberal democracy is a form of government in which representative democracy operates under the principles of liberalism, i.e. protecting the rights of the individual, which are generally enshrined in law. It is characterised by fair, free, and competitive elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of powers into different branches of government, the rule of law in everyday life as part of an open society, and the equal protection of human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, and political freedoms for all persons. To define the system in practice, liberal democracies often draw upon a constitution, either formally written or uncodified, to delineate the powers of government and enshrine the social contract. After a period of sustained expansion throughout the 20th century, liberal democracy became the predominant political system in the world.)

social cleavages

divisions theoretically outside the realm of politics (religion, ethnic groups, race, social and economic classes) that interact with the political system and have a tremendous impact on policy-making

command economies

economic systems in which the government largely decides what goods and services will be produced, who will get them, and how the economy will grow. economy in which government owned almost all industrial enterprises and retail sales outlets. the old command economies, with socialist principles of centralized planning, quota-setting, and state ownership, are fading from existence, except in combination with market economies. Right to own property is greatly restricted. All industry is owned by the government. Competition and profit are prohibited.

competitive elections

elections that are regular, free, and fair and that offer a real possibility of the incumbent government being defeated

Theory

explanatory statements, accepted principles, and methods of analysis

Government

generic term to describe the formal part of the state/administration

Support

in systems analysis, popular input that tends to endorse the current leadership and its policies

Environment

in systems theory, everything lying outside the political system

Demand

inputs through which people and interest groups put pressure on the state for change

BRICS

large countries undergoing rapid economic growth; Brazil, Russia, India, China (and sometimes South Africa)

unicameral legislature

legislature with only one house

bicameral legislature

legislature with two houses; one house (usually upper chamber) represents the regional governments and local interests, with seats determined by the population. the other house (usually lower house) serves as a direct democratic link to voters. used to disperse power

substantive democracies

liberal democracies where citizens have access to multiple sources of information; (Substantive democracy is a form of democracy in which the outcome of elections is representative of the people. In other words, substantive democracy is a form of democracy that functions in the interest of the governed. Although a country may allow all citizens of age to vote, this characteristic does not necessarily qualify it as a substantive democracy. In a substantive democracy, the general population plays a real role in carrying out its political affairs, i.e., the state is not merely set up as a democracy but it functions as one as well. This type of democracy can also be referred to as a functional democracy. There is no good example of an objectively substantive democracy.)

reform

make changes in (something, typically a social, political, or economic institution or practice) in order to improve it.

Political Participation

opportunities for citizens to take part in their country's government, such as voting in competitive elections, joining interest groups, and engaging in protest

Political Party

organization that contests elections or otherwise contends for power

liberalism as a political ideology

places emphasis on individual political and economic freedom; seek to maximize freedom for all people including free speech, free religion, and free association; believe that citizens have the right to disagree with state decisions and act to change the decisions of their leaders

Identity Politics

political activity and ideas based on the shared experiences of an ethnic, religious, or social group emphasizing gaining power and benefits for the group rather than pursuing ideological, universal, or even statewide goals. a tendency for people of a particular religion, race, social background, etc., to form exclusive political alliances, moving away from traditional broad-based party politics

Zero-Sum Game

political outcome in which one side wins and the other loses. in game theory and economic theory, a zero-sum game is a mathematical representation of a situation in which a participant's gain (or loss) of utility is exactly balanced by the losses (or gains) of the utility of the other participant(s).

multi-party system

political party system that recognizes 3 or more major political parties

unitary systems

political systems in which power is concentrated in a central government

rule of law

principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern. Rule of law that provides for equal treatment of citizens and due process

Output

public policy in systems theory

normative questions

questions used to study and compare countries that require value judgments; for example may focus on whether or not certain statistics bode well or ill for the countries

Political Culture

refers to the collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on. (Hauss: basic values and assumptions that people have toward authority, the political system, and other overarching themes in political life)

third wave of democracy

refers to the surge in democratic transitions that have occurred around the world since 1974; the third wave is characterized by the defeat of dictatorial or totalitarian rulers in South America, Eastern Europe, and some parts of Africa.

civil society

refers to voluntary organizations outside of the state that help people define and advance their own interests. Civil society is usually strong in liberal democracies were individual freedoms are valued and protected. The organizations that compose it may represent calss, religious, or ethnic interests, or they may cross them, creating strong bonds among people that exist outside of government control. Political scientists interested in civil society because it helps define the people's relationship to and role in politics and community affairs. (A complex network of voluntary associations, economic groups, religious organizations, and many other kinds of groups that exist independently from the government)