Terms
Definitions
accommodation
an informal agreement among a government and important interest groups in
response to the interest groups' concerns about government policy or program
benefits
accountability
the concept that government officials are responsible to and serve at the pleasure
of constituents or elected officials (and that they may be removed from office by
those electors or officials)
agro-export model of
a strategy for economic development in which a country exports agricultural
development
products, minerals or petroleum, and imports manufactures goods
asymmetrical federalism
subdivisions have local control while central state still retains authority over
money, defense and foreign relations
authoritarianism
a political system in which a small group of individuals exercises power over the
state without being constitutionally responsible to the public.
autocracy
a political system governed by a single individual
bureaucracy
system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials
cabinet government/collective
A system of government, as in Britain, in which the cabinet (rather than the PM)
responsibility
exercises responsibility for formulating policy and directing both the government
and the executive branch.
capitalism
an economic system based on private property and free enterprise
catch-all party
aim is to gather support from a broad range of citizens through a de-emphasis on
ideology and an emphasis on pragmatism and marketing.
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
civil society
a network of voluntary associations that exists outside the state, such as
professional organizations, trade unions, student and women's groups, religious
bodies, fraternal organizations, athletic leagues, musical societies, etc.
clientelism
an informal aspect of policymaking in which a powerful patron(e.g. a government
agency or dominant political party) offers resources such as land, contacts,
protection or jobs in return for the support and services of lower-status and less
powerful clients; corruption, preferential treatment and inequality are
characteristic of clientelist politics
collectivist consensus
Post World War II era of mixed economy and a welfare state
collectivization
system in which private farms were eliminated, instead, the government owned all
the land while the peasants worked on it.
command economy
An economic system in which the government controls a country's economy.
communism
A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a
single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a
higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.
consultative authoritarianism
where one individual determines the course of action
co-optation
strategy of that manages symbiotic interdepen. by neutralizing problematic forces
in specific environment
corporatism
a political system in which interest groups become an institutionalized part of the
state or dominant political party; public policy is typically the result of negotiations
among representatives of the state and key interest groups
coup d'etat
the constitutionally unauthorized removal of an existing government by force
danwei
control maintained through this system, all Chinese citizens have a lifetime
affiliation with a specific industrial, agricultural, or bureaucratic nit that dictated
all aspects of their lives, including housing, health care, and other social benefits.
democracy/democratization
the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their
elected representatives
democratic centralism
a form of democracy in which the interests of the masses were discovered through
discussion within the Communist party, and then decisions were made under
central leadership to serve those interests
developmental state
A nation-state in which the government carries out policies that effectively
promote national economic growth
devolution
the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the
states
dual society
a government in which the president or chief executive is from a differen political
party than the political party that has a majority in, or which dominates the
national legislatures
economic development
The improvement of living standards by economic growth.
export-centered development
a strategy for development in which a country exports goods and services in which
strategy
it has a comparative advantage; part of a neoliberal development model
fascism
any movement, ideology, or attitude that favors dictatorial government,
centralized control of private enterprise, repression of all opposition, and extreme
nationalism
federalism
a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national,
government and the states
foreign direct investment
Direct investments in productive assets by a company incorporated in a foreign
country, as opposed to investments in shares of local companies by foreign
entities. An important feature of an increasingly globalized economic system.
formal sector
salaried or wage-based work registered in official statistics.
fragmented authoritarianism
authority divided among several groups/powers
fundamentalism
Literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion (or a
religious branch, denomination, or sect).
free trade
unrestricted trade between countries
fusion of powers
a system of governance in which the authority of government is concentrated in
one body
globalization
growth to a global or worldwide scale
gross domestic product
the sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation
gross domestic product per
the total value of a nation's goods and services divided by its population
capita
import-substituting
a strategy for industrialization in which a country manufactures domestically
industrialization
goods that it previously imported in order to satisfy the demands of its domestic
market
informal sector
the portion of an economy largely outside government control in which employees
work without contracts or benefits
insider privatization
a method of privatization where workers are allowed to use vouchers to acquire
shares in the enterprises where they worked.
interest groups
organizations that seek to represent the interests(usually the economic
interests)of their members in dealing with the government
international financial
financial institutions that have been established (or chartered) by more than one
institutions
country, and hence are subjects of international law.
intergovernmental
(IGOs) organizations composed of representatives appointed by the state gov's
organizations
that have agreed to become members of the organization
interventionist
describing an activist government and/or state that is involved in a wide range of
political, economic, and social arenas
judicial review
review by a court of law of actions of a government official or entity or of some
other legally appointed person or body or the review by an appellate court of the
decision of a trial court
keynesianism
economic theory, based on the ideas of British economist John Maynard Keynes,
that argues that the government can stimulate the economy by increasing public
spending or by cutting taxes
laissez-faire
a policy based on the idea that government.
law-based state/rule of law
a state of order in which events conform to the law
legitimacy
political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution
liberalism/liberalization
an economic theory advocating free competition and a self-regulating market and
the gold standard
market economy
an economy that relies chiefly on market forces to allocate goods and resources
and to determine prices
monetarism
an economic theory holding that variations in unemployment and the rate of
inflation are usually caused by changes in the supply of money
nation
a community of people that shares territory and a government
nationalization
changing something from private to state ownership or control
neo-liberalism
A strategy for economic development that calls for free markets, balanced
budgets, privatization, free trade, and minimal government intervention in the
economy.
non-governmental
international organizations that operate outside of the formal political arena but
organizations
that that are nevertheless influential in spearheading international initiatives on
social economic and environmental issues
nomenklatura
marxism-leninism
the system of patronage in Communist countries
An expanded form of Marxism that emphasizes Lenin's concept of imperialism as
the final stage of capitalism and shifts the focus of struggle from developed to
underdeveloped countries.
mixed-market economy
economic system that combines both private ownership and government
ownership of the means of production
para-statal sector
state-owned, or state-controlled, corporations created to undertake a broad range
of activities, from the control and marketing of agriultural production to the
provision of banking services and the operation of airlines, other transportation
facilities and public utilities
parliamentary democracy
government ruled democratically by a national representative body that has
supreme legislative powers
party of power
patronage parties with strong official sponsorship
patrimonial state
Single ruler treats state as his own personal property, and appoints public offices
to his own favor.
prebendalism
the form of patron-client politics that legitimizes the exploitation of government
power for the benefit of office holders and their followers
presidencialismo
the traditional concentration of power, formal and informal, in the office of the
Mexican president
presidential system
a system of government in which the legislative and executive branches operate
independently of each other
privatization
the process of putting ownership of productive resources into the hands of non
governmental organizations and people
procedural democracy
Decision making process involving; universal participation, political equality,
majority rule, and responsiveness
proportional representation
representation of all parties in proportion to their popular vote
purchasing power parity
a monetary measurement of development that takes into account what money
buys in different countries
redistributive politics
Shift wealth from rich to poor
regime
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit
rent/rent-seeking behavior
Expenditure of scarce resources (capital, human, natural) to produce or gain an
asset that generates economic rent.
rentier state
A state that derives a substantial portion of its revenues on a regular basis from
payments by foreign concerns in the form of rent.
repression
a state of forcible subjugation
separation of powers
the division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of
government
shari'a
the code of law derived from the Koran and from the teachings and example of
Mohammed
single member district
An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official.
single-member plurality
based on the principle of having only one member (as of a legislature) selected
electoral system
from each electoral district
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.
state
a political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized
government with the power to make and enforce laws without approval from any
higher authority
state capitalism
an economic development strategy in which the state guides the process of private
industrial and agricultural development, encourages the formation of investment
capital and the establishment of businesses, and protects domestic businesses
from foreign competition
state corporatism
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
state-owned enterprises
A business owned by the government
structural adjustment
refers to the set of adjustments or so-called reforms that are required by
international banks as a condition for future loans and for refinancing on
payments due on existing loans
substantive democracy
Domocracy is in the substance of gov. policies, and not in the policy making
procedure
tacit social contract
Unwritten agreement that grants Soviet power in exchange for guaranteed
employment, free social services, a lax work environment, and limited
interferences in personal life.
technocrats
highly educated bureaucrats who make decisions based on their perceptions of
technical ideas rather than political ones.
theocracy
the belief in government by divine guidance
totalitarianism
a form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a
constitution or laws or opposition etc.)
velayat-e faqih
The guardianship of the religious jurist. Concept elaborated by Ayatollah Khomeini
to justify political rule by the clergy.
unfinished state
A state characterized by instabilities and uncertainties that may render it
susceptible to collapse as a coherent entity
unitary state
An internal organization of a state that places most power in the hands of central
government officials
vanguard party
a political party that claims to operate in the 'true' interests of the group or class it
purports to represent, even if this understanding doesn't correspond to the
expressed interests of the group itself.
welfare state
a government that undertakes responsibility for the welfare of its citizens through
programs in public health and public housing and pensions and unemployment
compensation etc.
westminster system
a democratic, parliamentary system of government modeled after that of the
United Kingdom system; series of procedures for operating a legislature.