Comparative Politics Exam 2 Study Guide
What are structural adjustment programs (SAPS)?
(aka Washington Consensus; favored by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and United States) privatization of state-run industry, deregulation and reducing size of governance, removing investment and trade barriers, balancing budgets and paying off foreign debt, devaluation of currencies. adopted by developing countries to receive financial assistance from liberal economic organizations and actors.
What is the Paris Agreement?
195 countries agree to cut down CO2 and combat climate change in 2016; US left agreement in 2017
How many member states does the European Union have?
27
How did the map of Eastern Europe change between 1989-1991?
After the fall of the USSR, the first countries to experience this were Poland and Hungary; bloc-states were made into countries, Fall of Berlin Wall in 1989
Why did we see the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe but not in China?
Chinese leadership violently suppressed protests, declared martial law, public support for communism remained strong
Can you describe the development of the European Union?
EU and European integration has been a decades long effort to restore mutual acceptance and respect to make sure Europe never again falls back to its past characterized by its hatred and intolerance of others; relations between east and west Europe stopped during the Cold War and the western countries created NATO while the eastern countries created the Warsaw Pact in 1955; Robert Schuman was the founder of Euro integration; European Coal and Steel Community (the first successful supranational organization) created in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris (came into effect in 1952). its purpose was to strengthen French-German relationship after WW2; Treaty of Rome in 1957 established European Economic Community and the Atomic Energy Community to allow a better movement of labor, services, and capital.
What do you know about the European Parliament, the European Council, and the European Commission?
European Parliament: legislative branch of EU and is chosen directly by EU member governments; has 751 members who serve 5 year terms, proposes legislation. European Council: in charge of "general political direction and priorities;" comprises the head(s) of states for member states; EU's own president is selected for 2.5-year terms; EU pres. is NOT elected directly by EU public, nor does the office hold executive power. Euro Commission: a body made up of 28 members (one member per state), each responsible for specific policy area; has its own president serves 5-year terms who must be approved by Parliament but is appointed by Council; manages work, sets policy objectives, proposes legislation, and manages budget.
Which countries are considered to be the "founding members" of the European Union?
France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg
Who was the leader that attempted to reform Soviet Union's communism in the 1980s? What type of policies did he implement?
Gorbachev implemented glasnost (encouraged public disclosure about shortcomings of the system) and perestroika (encouraged institutional restructuring in the economic and political realms).
What is imperialism? What effects did imperialism have on countries that were under the imperial rule?
Imperialism: "state extends power to directly control territory, resources, and people beyond its borders;" pros: better infrastructure and to some extent, better living standards cons: local population was not incorporated into decision-making processes and their traditions were ignored/suppressed in order to promote western ideas of society/culture; favoritism to certain ethnicities; national identities; gender roles changed; ethnic group divisions were created; after imperialism, weak institutional structure were characterized by corruption and lack of rule of law (kleptocracy).
Can you name some of the most polluted places in the world and the type of pollution they are subjected to?
Indonesia: hazardous waste; China: air pollution; Russia: radiation (lake karachay); Nigeria: water pollution
What Treaty established the European Union?
Maastricht Treaty (1992 went into full effect in 1993); established EU and was first major step towards integration in political realm. expanded EU responsibilites, changed legislature powers & responsibilities, introduced monetary union, broadened definition and privileges of Euro citizen
What are some economic and political characteristics of communism?
Marx expected communism to take place where capitalism was most advanced (didn't happen); Communist states closely monitored political, economic, and social developments in the country (ie: suppression of civil society organizations was common because those institutions posed a threat to communist regime). State institutions were considered to be "transition belts" which means that they carried out orders and rarely had a say on their own. Communist party: leadership role in economic matters (central planning), set priorities and the subordinates executed orders, heavy industry had priority (military)
What is the Kyoto Protocol?
The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions .These amount to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.
Where did the first Communist Revolution take place?
The first communist revolution took place in Russia in 1870 and lasted until 1924; Chinese communist revolution happened in 1883 until 1976
What are the following principles: a) non-discrimination; b) non-penalization; c) nonrefoulement?
a) non-discrimination: signatories to the Refugee Convention are expected to offer asylum to people who are fleeing persecution b) non-penalization: states should not impose penalties on refugees who enter their territories without papers c) nonrefoulment: refugees cannot be forcibly returned to their countries of origin where their lives may be at risk
Can you define the following: a) refugee; b) asylum seeker; c) internally displaced person (IDP); d) economic migrant; e) stateless person?
a) refugee: a person who is outside the country of his/her nationality, has a well-founded fear of persecution (race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular human group, or political opinion), unable to seek protection from his/her own country. b) asylum seeker: a person fleeing from his/her own country and seeking refuge in another country, has applied for protection as a refugee in the new country, but who may or may not the strict criteria of the 1951 Refugee Convention, receives legal protection until his/her status is determined c) internally displaced person (IDP): a person who lives within the borders of his/her country, a person who is forced to leave his/her home/usual place of residence; in principle, an IDP remains under the legal protection of his/her own government. d) economic migrant: a person who voluntarily leaves his/her country, because of economic (NOT political reasons), continues to receive legal protection from his/her own country, can return safely to her his/her country of origin e) stateless person: a person not considered a national by any state, can but does not have to be a refugee, de-nationalization of groups by the state
What do advanced democracies have in common?
all advanced democracies considered to be industrialized liberal democracies which means that they promote the three key principles: participation, competition, and the civil liberties
How are developing countries characterized?
by middle income countries and lower income countries; between $4,000 and 13,000 per capita GDP, historically less developed, but have recently gone rapid development (middle) and less than $4,000 per capita GDP, states that have not made progress in development (lower)
In the post-imperial era, what were the challenges in creating capacity and autonomy in the developing countries?
capacity challenges: absence of professional bureaucracy (ie: imperial power vacuum), politicization of bureaucracy (ie: clientelism, rent-seeking, and corruption) autonomy challenges: patrimonialism: state captured and exploited & kleptocracy (rule by theft; ie. Nigeria in 1990s where officials stole more then $1 billion); international pressures: more powerful states and international actors shape state's political decisions.
What is the 1951 Refugee Convention?
central document for international refugee protection (adopted in 1951); key principles included non-discrimination, non-penalization, and non-refoulement. does NOT provide protection to persons seeking refuge who have committed war crimes.
What is the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)? Does the UNHCR have any limitations in providing protection?
est. 1950 by UN General Assembly, purpose: provide protection and assistance to refugees, mandate: "Until the refugee problem is solved," focus: worldwide limitations: it can only help IDPs if the government in question consents.
In the post-imperial era, what strategies were implemented in the developing countries as a pathway to economic development? Can you describe the strategies?
import substitution: adopted by countries in latin america and africa; main policies: restrict imports, raise tariff and nontariff barriers, industry receives government subsidies or parastatal, patents and intellectual property rights are weakly enforced. export-oriented industrialization: adopted by asia; capitalize on product life cycle, competitive industries receive government subsidies, create special economic zones to attract foreign investment
What do you know about China's one-child policy?
in order to control population rates, China once followed a one-child policy that ended in the beginning of 2016. was enforced for the previous 35 years in effort to stimulate economic growth and brake population growth. fertility rates were dropping so relaxation of the rule was applied while economic growth was still increasing;
What purpose do environmental regimes have?
main purpose: is norm creation which means that they create norms of acceptable behavior for countries around the world. other purposes: help capacity building where developed countries transfer funds and technology to less-developed countries in order to enable them to fully participate in international environmental regimes; also help with dissemination of knowledge and scientific data as a basis of cooperation among various countries.
What is the "Tragedy of the Commons"?
negative externalities that lead to environmental degradation are similar to "tragedy of commons;" the unintended consequences of one's affect that are borne by others. ie. helpful but harmful technologies such as fertilizers, coal, pesticides, herbicides, and plastics; unrestricted overgrazing is a metaphor for "Tragedy of the Commons'" overexploitation of earth's common property like: land, air, and water
What is the basic idea behind communism?
proletariat would rise up, seize means of production and state, revolution would take place worldwide, "dictatorship of the proletariat" for a short time, the state would "wither away," the creation of true communism; no real blueprint for what would happen next
What is the 1967 Protocol?
removed geographic limitations from Convention
What is the EU accession criteria?
states have to fulfill the Copenhagen criteria; democratic, functioning market economy, and administratively capable to take on obligations of membership (ie: have infrastructure in place that can implement different rules and regs. imposed by EU)
What is dependent development?
the theory that poor countries can develop economically but only in ways shaped by their reliance on wealthier countries; mercantilist political economies: little development of local/regional industry, limits on trade, business monopolies controlled economies (ie: United East India Company and British East India Company)
How do advanced democracies differ from one another?
they differ from one another by the means of participation (ie: may/may not use referenda), competition (ie: proportion/plurality/majority-based/single member district/electoral systems), civil liberties (ie: abortions, death penalty, LGBT rights), and the role of the government's role in the economy.
Who was Karl Marx and what was his worldview?
viewed the world through an economic lens and argues that the elimination of private property and market forces would establish equality
What do you know about the European Union (EU)?
was created in the aftermath of WW2 in order to better address the needs and wants of the European citizens; a de facto state; described as the most integrated regional intergovernmental organization; currently has 27 members; Britain withdrew membership (Brexit) on January 31, 2020; constitutes 7% of world's total population (506 million people); member citizens speak 24 languages; motto is "united in diversity;" currency is the euro; EU anthem is based on the 9th symphony of Beethoven in 1823; 12 stars on flag represent of EU ideals; May 9th is Europe Day; 2012 EU awarded Nobel Peace Prize