COUNTRY FACT SHEET
Sovereignty, Authority, and Power
Legitimacy
Describe level of legitimacy
Identify sources of legitimacy
Constitution
When was it written?
Identify three unique features
Federal/Unitary
Number of subunits
Description of arrangement (i.e. devolution)
Supranational Organizations
Identify supranational organizations that
country is a part of
Discuss impact of supranational
organizations on sovereignty and
development
Political Culture
Identify three unique features
Describe political socialization
Name of head of state (i.e. President)
Name of head of government
Political Institutions
Presidential, Parliamentary, or Mixed
Head of State/Head of Government
Powers of head of state, election, length of
term
Powers of head of government, election,
length of term
Legislative Branch (identify both houses if
applicable)
Number of seats in legislative branch, length
of term, describe power of legislative branch
(influential, rubber stamp)
Describe elections of legislative branch
Judicial Branch
How are judges selected?
Describe type of power, key elements of
legal system
Bureaucracy/Cabinet
Describe bureaucracy
Describe cabinet
Political Recruitment
How are elites (people with political power)
recruited?
Identify elites and describe their role
Military and other coercive institutions
Other important institutions (complete
only if applicable to country)
Citizens, Society, and the State
Political Parties (identify/describe
platforms)
Interest Group System (identify pluralist or
corporatist)
Identify key interest groups
Describe their power and activities
Media
Describe type of “feedback”, political
communication
Citizens (describe attitudes towards
government)
Describe civil society and social capital
Describe types of political participation
(include social movements)
Ethnic Cleavages
Identify the major ethnic cleavages in the
country
Describe the results of these cleavages in
political conflict and government response
(include a description of women)
Political and Economic Change
Historical Evolution of Political Traditions
Identify three key events and briefly explain
how the events shaped current government
(i.e. revolutions, coups, and war)
Trends and types of political change
Economic System (identify capitalist,
socialist, etc., identify major economic
policies government has adopted)
Identify state-owned industries, foreignowned industries, nature of privatization
and private/public industries
Trends and types of economic change
First World/Third World (describe level of
economic development)
Identify five socioeconomic indicators that
place the country in this category
Describe approach to globalization
Public Policy
Identify and describe three recent policies
Identify and describe most pressing current
problems
Key Political Leaders and Their Policies
Identify and describe three key political
leaders and the policy goals they have
pursued
Identify factors influencing public
policymaking and implementation
Public Policy