1. Political Literacy
Unit 1

2. State, Nation, Regime
State = Country (must meet 4 criteria or conditions)
Permanent population
Defined territory
Organized government
Sovereignty – ultimate political authority on one’s own soil
Roughly 200 states globally – since USSR and Eastern States divided

3. Nation = cultural grouping
Nationalism and patriotism
Common language or ethnicity
Cultural traits of fashion, clothing, food
Thousands exist as “stateless nations”
Palestine
Quebecois in Canada
Kurds in Middle East
Chechnya

4. States classified 1st World= Industrialized democracies “free world”
Western Europe, Japan, Canada, U.S.
2nd World= Industrialized, but not democratic
Former Soviet block
3rd World= everything else
New classifications – came after the two “superpowers” idea gone

5. 1st world - Liberal or Advanced Democracies
Wealthier
Usually belonged to organizations that were globally influential, yet restrictive group memberships
NATO, UN, EU
High quality of life indicators
Long life expectancy
Low infant mortality
High per capita GDP
Democratic regimes where majority rule is restrained by the minority
Liberal tradition of respecting individual rights and private property
Economy largely dependent on service sector
Produce intangible products- insurance, banking, and entrepreneur
Other two sectors are industrial and agricultural
Examples – U.S., Canada, Japan, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand

6. 2nd world – communist/post communist states (C/PC)
Making the transition from a command economy (state planned/communism) to a market economy (consumer driven/capitalism)
Communist party still matters, but becoming the minority
Found in Eastern Europe (former Soviet Republics and Iron Curtain)
Also communist regimes in Cuba, Laos, North Korea, Vietnam, and China

7. 3rd world – now broken down into three different classes
Newly Industrialized Countries (NIS)
Emerging stars
Industrialized to the point of shipping goods out ( DVD players, cars, etc.) – not just commodities (sugar, coffee, oil)
Politically stable – not necessarily democratic
Examples – Mexico, India, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan

8. Less Developed Countries (LDC)
Not as industrialized – have the potential, but advancement is blocked by ethnic or religious cleavages
Dependent upon a single commodity (or 2)
Instable governments
Examples are Nigeria, Columbia, and Philippines

9. Islamic states
26 countries in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and southern Asia
Islam and Qur’an serve as the guide for the government (Theocracy – a state is led by religious rulers)
Don’t necessarily interpret the Islamic law the same
Examples – Iran, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, and Pakistan

10. Regimes and Hybrid Regimes
Regime-a government in which the system has not changed even though there have been different leaders.
Hybrid regime-a government with both authoritarian and democratic elements.

11. Measurements
HDI-Human Development Index measures life expectancy, birth and death rates, education, quality of life.
GDP-the total value of goods and services produced in a country
GDP per capita-GDP divided by the population
Gini Index-measures income inequality

12. In a Nutshell….
Developed countries have high GDP per capita and HDI rankings; service-based economies.
Developing countries are emerging economies; based on production.
Underdeveloped countries have low GDP per capita and HDI rankings; agricultural.
Least Developed-the poorest of the poor

13. First World Problems

14. Ways a state may divide its power:
Unitary
All power held at a national level. Sub-state governments exist, but only to administer state law, not to create their own.
Usually in smaller states
Most western European states unitary governments, also China (authoritarian led by the communist party)
Devolution occurs when the national government grants more power to states.

15. Federal Power shared between the state and sub-state entities
Regional differences can be honored
Sub-state vs. state = state wins
Better for states with large geography
India, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Nigeria, and U.S

16. Confederation
State government has almost no power, sub-state governments have all the power
Usually break into their sub-states
Usually state government given military and monetary power – not much else
Most fail – U.S. – Articles of Confederation; Russian - Confederation (Commonwealth) of Independent States (CIS) 1990s

17. Institutions
Formal policymakers within the government, including the executive, legislature, judiciary and bureaucracy

18. Executive Two Types of systems in selecting the executive
Parliamentary system
Presidential system
Sometimes a system will have a mix of both systems. Be able to tell which elements of each the system has.

19. Parliamentary system
Citizens vote for legislative representatives, who then select the leaders of the executive branch
The legislative and executive branches of government are fused together
Theoretically the legislature makes laws, but actually the cabinet makes the policy.

20. Presidential system
Citizens vote for executive, the executive does not come out of the legislative branch.
There is a separation of powers between the two branches – they are distinctly different.
The executive is not necessarily a member of the same party as the majority of the legislature.
The executive serves as both the head of government and the head of state.

21. Legislatures
A bicameral legislature has two houses, and a unicameral legislature has one.

22. Ways legislative bodies are elected
Single Member District Plurality (SMDP)
Country broken down into districts of roughly equal population
Parties run a single candidate
Candidate getting the most votes (plurality)
Minus –
not representative of electorate as a whole –
majority could have voted against, but still had most votes so gets the seat
Plus – promotes two party systems – not so factionalized , more efficient
Example: Great Britain

23. Proportional Representation (PR)
Country not divided into districts, nor are individual candidates voted on
Voters choose a party with their vote – votes tallied and that many representatives from that party are put into those legislative seats
Much more representative, but more minor parties getting seats with no majority parties
Necessitates coalition governments; smaller parties can break it up

24. The Judiciary
In common law systems, court decisions are written down and serve as precedent for future cases.
Code law systems are based on rules written by the legislature.
Judicial review is the ability of a Supreme Court to overturn a law or executive action if go against the constitution.

25. Linkage institutions How is the government linked to its citizens?
Political parties
Electoral systems
Media

26. Legitimacy
Legitimacy is the people’s belief that the government has the right to rule.
Rational/legal-based on a fair and understandable system of laws that are followed and apply to everyone
Traditional-because it has always been that way
Charismatic-based on a ruler’s engaging personality
Stable – may want to oust a president or representative, but not throw out the whole Constitution
U.S. & Great Britain high legitimacy – Nigeria the lowest of the case studies

27. Political Recruitment
The process for selecting current and potential leaders, including formal and informal power structures.

28. Transparency
The ability of citizens to see what the government is doing.

29. Globalization and Sovereignty
Globalization is the increasing interconnectedness of the world.
Sovereignty is the ability of a government to rule without internal or external influence.

30. Economics
Political Economy is the relationship between government policies and the economy.
Economic liberalization is the move to a free market by reducing tariffs, trade barriers, and government control over the economy.

31. Economic Systems
Market economies set wages, production, and prices based on supply and demand with less government interference.
In command economies, the government makes decisions regarding wages, prices, and production, and private property is limited.
Mixed economy has some of each system.

32. Communism and Welfare States
Communism is a system of government based on the writings of Karl Marx in which the stated goal is economic equality.
In a welfare state, the government provides support to citizens, such as unemployment benefits and health care.

33. Rentier States
States that derive a significant portion of their revenues from rent (such as renting land to oil companies).

34. Dependency Theory
The idea that colonial rule left a legacy of political and economic dependence making it difficult for former colonies to improve their economies and democratize.

35. Structural Adjustment
Structural adjustment programs require countries to increase taxes and cut spending (austerity measures) to improve budgets.

36. Post-Materialism
Societies in which basic needs are met and citizens can concentrate on higher goals, like the environment

37. Democratization
The transition from an authoritarian state to an illiberal democracy to a liberal democracy

38. Authoritarian State
A government where elections are not free and fair and civil rights and liberties are lacking

39. Illiberal/Procedural Democracy
A government with elections that are not completely free and fair or lacking some civil rights and liberties

40. Liberal/Substantive Democracy
A government with
free and fair elections
civil rights and liberties
Rule of law
Neutrality of the judiciary
Open civil society
Civilian control of the military

41. Civil Rights and Liberties
Civil rights are protections granted by the government to prevent discrimination against groups, like ethnic or religious minorities and women.
Civil liberties protect individuals from government infringement, like free speech

42. Referendum
A measure sent by the legislature to the citizens for approval

43. Revolutions and Coups
A revolution is an overthrow of the government based on broad popular support.
A coup is a change in the leader brought about by a small group, often a military leader.

44. Nationalism
The belief that a group of people has its own unique destiny, often including a desire for a separate state

45. Normative and Empirical Statement
An empirical statement is a verifiable fact.
A normative statement is a judgment about what should be.

46. Causation and Correlation
Causation is when a change in one variable precipitates a change in another variable.
Correlation is an apparent connection between variables.
Causation and correlation may be positive (in the same direction) or negative (in opposite directions).

47. Cleavage – (it’s not what you think)
A political cleavage is a division over a policy issue.
Religion
Ethnic groups
Race
Social & economic classes
Regional
Cross – cutting cleavage – conflict on one issue, but cooperate on another
Coinciding cleavage – every dispute pits the same groups against one another

48. Ideology and Socialization
Political ideology is an individual’s belief system about the role of government.
Political socialization is the process through which an individual acquires his or her political beliefs and behaviors.
Political culture is the shared beliefs of a group of people.
Efficacy -Political action matters and may influence policy (your vote and protest matter) -Very low in US – look at voting rates

49. Political Ideologies
Political Right favors the status quo(conservatives).
Political Left favors change. They usually favor social programs .
Reactionaries are extreme and want to go back to the past.
Liberalism-favor freedom in the economy and in civil rights and liberties

50. Cooptation and Corporatism
Cooptation is when the government buys off its critics.
Corporatism is when large businesses and labor unions are brought into the policymaking process. This limits pluralism because small actors are left out.
Pluralism is when many groups compete in policymaking.

51. Citizen Involvement
Civil Society consists of voluntary associations outside of government control which strengthen society.
Grassroots movements occur when ordinary citizens push for reform.