Chapter 1: Understanding Politics

Politics activity related to influencing, making or implementing collective decisions for a political community Power the ability to achieve an objective by influencing the behaviour of others, particularly to get them to do what they would not have otherwise done Free rider problem a problem with voluntary collective action that results because an individual can enjoy the benefits of group action without contributing Three faces of power the argument that looking at who affects particular decisions is insufficient to analyze power. Power can also involve the ability to keep issues off the political agenda and the ability to affect the dominant values of society

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1st face ability to affect decisions 2nd face ability to ensure that issues are not raised 3rd face ability to affect the dominant ideas of society

Political agenda the issues that are considered important and given priority in political deliberations Pluralist perspective the freedom of individuals to establish and join groups that are not controlled by the government results in a wide variety of groups having an ability to influence the decisions of government, with no group dominant Elitist perspective the view that power in all communities is concentrated in a small number of hands, particularly in the elites that hold the top positions in the major institutions of the economy, society, and politics Authority the right to exercise power. Those with political authority claim that they have been authorized to govern Legitimacy acceptance by the members of a political community that those in positions of authority have the right to govern Charismatic authority authority based on the perception that a leader has extraordinary or supernatural qualities Traditional authority authority based o customs that establish the right of certain persons to rule Legal-rational authority the right to rule based on legal rules and procedures rather than on the personal qualities or characteristics of the rulers Common good what is good for the entire political community Individualist perspective a perspective that views human beings as acting primarily in accordance with their own interests Political science the systematic study of politics Empirical analysis analysis that involves explaining various aspects of politics, particularly by using careful observation and comparison to develop generalizations and testable theories Normative analysis analysis that involves examining ideas about how the community should be governed and what values should be pursued through politics

Policy analysis analysis that involves evaluating existing policies and assessing alternatives to deal with particular problems

Chapter 2: Nation-States, Nationalism, and Globalization

State an independent, self-governing political community whose governing institutions have the capability to make rules that are binding on the population residing within a particular territory Jurisdiction the states governing and law-making authority over a particular geographic area and population Government the set of institutions that makes decisions and oversees their implementation of decisions on behalf of the state for a particular period of time Sovereignty the principle that states have the right to govern their population and territory without outside interference Sovereign state a state that has the ability to govern its population and territory without outside interference Failed state a state that no longer has the capacity to maintain order Nation-state a sovereign state based on people living in a country who share a sense of being a member of a particular nation Nation a group of people who share a sense of common identity and who typically believe they should be governing within their homeland Binational and multinational states states whose population is composed of two or more nations National self-determination the idea that nations should have the right to determine their political status, including choosing to have their own sovereign state Nationalism the idea that that the nation-state is the best form of political community and that a nation should have its own self-governing state Ethnic nationalism nationalism based on common ancestry along with the cultural traditions and language associated with a particular ethnic group Civic nationalism nationalism based on the shared political values and political history of those who are citizens of a country Citizenship the idea that the permanent residents of a country are full members of the political community, involving various duties and rights Identity politics a perspective in which groups seek recognition and respect for their particular identity. Those involved in identity politics often seek to express their distinctiveness and gain a degree of autonomy from the rest of the community by developing their own institutions and services, obtaining recognition of their specific rights, and having their own means of political representation Globalization the processes that are increasing the interconnectedness of the world

Economic, political, cultural

Chapter 3: Government, the Economy, and Political Conflict

Free-market capitalist economic system an economic system involving private ownership and control of most businesses. Economic activity is coordinated primarily

through market transactions rather than by the commands of government or other authorities Mercantilist policies pursuit of the interests of the nation-state through protectionist policies, the granting of monopolies to particular merchants, and the extraction of wealth from colonies Keynesian economic policies the idea that government can smooth out the ups and downs of the free-market economy by stimulating the economy when private business investment is low, and cooling down the economy when excessive investment is creating inflation Monetarism an economic perspective based on the view that governments role in the economy should be largely restricted to controlling the supply of money Socialist economic system an economic system based on social (usually state) ownership and control of the economy Centrally planned state socialist economic system an economic system involving state ownership of almost all enterprises and centralized planning by state officials Mixed economy an economic system in which there is substantial state ownership or control of major elements of the economy along with a substantial degree of private ownership and some ability of private business to make their own decisions Welfare state a term used to describe countries in which government ensures that all people have a minimum standard of living and are provided some protection from hardships resulting from unemployment, sickness, disability, and old age Social class a grouping of people who have a similar position in the economy and related social status Class consciousness the extent to which people see themselves as members of a particular social class Affirmative action the adoption of programs designed to make the workplace, universities, legislatures, or other institutions more representative of disadvantaged groups and groups that have suffered from discrimination Pay equity a policy that requires employers to provide equal pay for work of equal value; for example, by raising the pay of persons in occupations that are largely staffed by women to the same pay as persons in comparable occupations that are largely staffed by men

Chapter 18: Politics and government in the worlds poorer countries

Purchasing power parity (PPP) - a measure of per capita income that shows the purchasing power of an income, instead of its worth at current exchange rates Third world less developed countries Underdeveloped countries a term often used to describe Third World countries South less developed, poorer countries North The rich, developed countries Developing countries countries that have not reached the same level of development as the richer, advanced countries Gross domestic product (GDP) the market value of goods and services produced in a country, excluding transactions with other countries

Development a condition that involves the satisfaction of the basic needs of all of the people as well as the means for them to live fulfilling and productive lives based on the creation of a more diversified, sophisticated, and sustainable economy Human development index (HDI) an annual index for most countries, calculated by the United Nations Development Programme and based on literacy and education, life expectancy, and per capita GDP Modernization theory a development model that views that traditional values, practices and institutions of Third World countries as the basic cause of underdevelopment. To develop, poor countries should change their cultural outlook, social structure, economic organization, and political system based on the model of the advanced Western societies International Financial Institution (IFI) an organization that has some ability to affect the global economic system; for example, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Washington Consensus A series of policies put together by the International Monetary Fund and the World bank that encourages developing countries to generate more revenue for debt repayment by cutting government expenditures to balance their budgets, selling off government-owned enterprises (privatization), and fully opening their countries to foreign goods and investments Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) A program administered by international financial institutions, which offers loans at very favourable interest rates to governments facing problems paying their debt if they adopt the programs espoused by the Washington Consensus Dependency theory a development model that views underdevelopment as a result of unequal power relations between the centre (dominant, capitalist countries) and the periphery (poor, dependent countries) Import substitution industrialization (ISI) an economic development model that involves creating an industrial sector by placing tariffs on imported industrial products Tariff a tax on imports Export-led industrialization (ELI) a model of economic development with a capitalist system in which government and the biggest businesses work very closely together to develop export industries. Government influences investments, provides incentives for exports, and can decide whether firms are allowed to export products Asian model the economic model of export-led industrialization associated with a number of Asian countries Official Development Assistance (ODA) aid to the poorer countries given by the governments of the richer countries Non-governmental organization (NGO) private organizations that often deliver public services but are independent of government. NGOs have been very active in international development activities Transparency the visibility to the public of the governmental decision-making processes Accountability having to be responsible for ones actions and having to accept the consequences of failure to perform as expected Consolidated democracies countries with democratic governments that are stable, well accepted by both ordinary citizens and political elites, and unlikely to be overthrown

Authoritarian government a non-democratic system of government Personalistic leader a political leader whose claim to rule is based on some presumed inherent personal qualities. It also implies a government in which all important decisions are made by the leader and according to the leaders wishes Political institutions behavioural patterns or established organizations associated with governing Coup dtat a forcible seizure of power by the armed forces or occasionally the police Democratic transition a process of change involving abandoning authoritarian government for democratic rule

Chapter 5: Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism, and Fascism

Political ideology a package of interrelated ideas and beliefs about government, society, the economy, and human nature that affect political action. Each ideology provides a different perspective that is used to understand and evaluate how the world actually works. Most ideologies present a vision of what the world should be like and how political action can be used to achieve that vision Enlightenment An intellectual movement that developed in the mid eighteenth century, emphasizing the power of human reason to understand and improve the world Left the general ideological position associated with advocacy of greater social and economic equality, laws based on human rights rather than traditional morality, and opposition to state support for religious institutions Right the general ideological position associated with opposition to imposing greater social and economic equality and with maintaining traditional (religious-based) moral values and institutions Totalitarian a type of state that attempts to control all aspects of life Rule of law the idea that we should be subject to known, predictable, and impartial rules of conduct, rather than to the arbitrary orders of particular individuals. Both the rulers and the ruled should be equally subject to the law Classical liberalism a form of liberalism that emphasizes the desirability of limited government and the free marketplace Laissez-faire system a system in which privately owned businesses, workers, and consumers freely interact in the marketplace without government interference. The role of government is limited to such activities as maintaining order, enforcing contracts, and setting disputes Reform liberalism a version of liberalism that combines support for individual freedom with a belief that government action may be needed to help remove obstacles to individual development Neo-liberalism a perspective based on a strong belief in the free marketplace and opposition to government intervention in the economy Conservatism a perspective or ideology that emphasizes the values of order, stability, respect for authority, and tradition, based on a view that humans are inherently imperfect, with a limited capacity to reason Reactionary a conservative who favours a return to the values and institutions of the past

New Right a perspective that combines, in various ways, the promotion of free-market capitalism and traditional cultural and moral values Socialism an ideological perspective based on the view that human beings are basically social in nature and that the capitalist system undermines the co-operative and community-oriented nature of humanity. Socialism advocates the establishment of an egalitarian society Historical materialism the view that historical development and the dynamics of society and politics can be understood in terms of the way society is organized to produce material goods Communism a system in which private property has been replaced by collective or communal ownership and in which everyone would be free to take from society what they need Leninism the version of Marxism that includes the belief that the capitalist system can only be overthrown through force by means of a tightly disciplined party controlled by a revolutionary vanguard Democratic socialism the perspective that socialism should be achieved by democratic rather than revolutionary means and that a socialist society should be democratic in nature with political rights and freedoms respected Anarchism an ideology that views the state as the key source of oppression and seeks to replace the state with a system based on voluntary co-operation Fascism an ideology that combines an aggressive form of nationalism with a strong belief in the naturalness of inequality and opposition to both liberal democracy and communism Nazism a version of fascism associated with Adolf Hitler, the Nazi leader of Germany, emphasizing racial conflict and the superiority of the Aryan race Holocaust the systematic extermination of six million European Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War Social Darwinism the use of Darwins theory of evolution to argue that competition and conflict allow humanity to evolve through the survival of the fittest Corporate state a system associated with fascist Italy in which business and labour work harmoniously to achieve goals established by the state to advance the good of the nation Neo-fascism a revival of fascism in contemporary times

Chapter 6: Feminism, environmentalism, and religious fundamentalism

Feminism a perspective that views society as patriarchal and seeks to achieve full independence and equality for women Patriarchy a system in which power is in the hands of men and in which many aspects of womens lives are controlled by men Liberal feminism a version of feminism that advocates equal opportunities for women in such areas as education and employment as well as equal legal and political rights Socialist feminism a version of feminism that views women as oppressed by both the male-dominated character of society and the capitalist system. The liberation of women is connected to the transformation of capitalism into a more co-operative and egalitarian socialist system

Radical feminism a version of feminism that views society as based fundamentally on the oppression of women, and seeks to liberate women through the fundamental transformation of social institutions, values, and personal relationships Liberation freeing the human potential that has been stifled by the organization and values of society Environmentalism a perspective based on the idea that humanity needs to change its relationship to nature so as to protect the natural environment and ensure that it can sustain all forms of life Anthropocentrism the focus on human well-being that is at the centre of most political thought Ecocentrism the view that nature has intrinsic value and should not be valued only in terms of its use for human beings Sustainability maintaining the integrity of ecosystems by ensuring that renewable resources are not being used at a rate that exceeds the ability of ecosystems to regenerate them, developing renewable substitutes to replace the consumption of non-renewable resources, and ensuring that the emission of pollutants does not exceed the ability of the ecosystem to handle them without damage Sustainable development meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs; it involves development to ensure that the needs of the poor are fulfilled and protecting the environment for the well-being of future generations Reform environmentalism a perspective that views the solution to environmental problems primarily in terms of better science, technology, and environmental management Deep ecology an environmental perspective that views anthropocentrism as the fundamental cause of environmental degradation and advocates the cultivation of an environmental consciousness and a sense of oneness with the world that recognizes the unity of humans, plants, animals, and the Earth Social ecology a perspective that views social, economic, and political relationships of hierarchy and domination as the cause of both human and environmental problems Ecofeminism a combination of environmentalism and feminism that views male dominance as the basic cause of the degradation of the Earth Islamic fundamentalism the revival of Islam based on a strict, literal interpretation of the Quran and a belief that public and private life should be governed by the sharia (Islamic law) Fundamentalism the revival of strict religious beliefs seeking to promote the fundamental principles of the faith, including the belief that sacred scriptures are the word of God and should be strictly followed in all areas of life Secular humanism the view that ethical principles and moral standards can be developed through human reason Radical Islamism the perspective often associated with those seeking to purge degenerate foreign elements from Muslim society and establish a pure Islamic state based strictly on the sharia (Islamic law)

Chapter 4: The Democratic Ideal

Democracy rule by the people Direct democracy a system in which citizens make the governing decisions Representative democracy a form of democracy in which citizens elect representatives to the legislature to make decisions on their behalf Legislature a body that is responsible for the formal approval of legislation and the raising and spending of funds by the government Liberal democracy a political system that combines the liberal ideas of limited government, individual freedom, and the rule of law with a democratic system of governing based on the election of representatives Liberalism an ideological perspective advocating a high level of individual freedom, based on a belief in the inherent dignity and worth of each individual Civil society the voluntary groups and organizations that are not controlled by the state Social democracy the belief that the capitalist economy should be reformed to ensure that it works for the common good of all and that greater social and economic equality is desirable to achieve a meaningful democracy Plebiscitary democracy a form of democracy in which citizens have greater control than in representative democracy through the use of such devices as referendums, initiatives, and recall elections Populism a perspective that advocates putting power in the hands of the people rather than the elites who control politics and society Referendum a vote by citizens on a particular issue or law Initiative a procedure that gives citizens the right, by obtaining a sizable number of signatures on a petition, to have a proposition that they have drafted put to a vote by the electorate for approval Recall a procedure that allows citizens to remove representatives from office. By gaining a sufficient number of signatures on a petition, citizens can require that their representative seek re-election before the representatives term is over Deliberative democracy a political system in which decisions are made based on discussion by citizens rather than by elected representatives alone Citizens jury a group of randomly selected persons that deliberate about and make recommendations concerning particular issues Federal system a system of governing in which sovereign authority is divided or shared between the central government and regional governments, with each deriving its authority from the constitution

Chapter 19: Non-democratic systems and transition to democracy

Third wave of democracy the broad move to democratic government that began in 1974 and still continues Democratic consolidation - the situation in which a countrys commitment to democracy is strong and sure, such that democracy is likely to persist Personal dictatorship an undemocratic government dominated by a single individual. Saddam Husseins Iraq was a classic example of this kind of system Party dictatorship an undemocratic political system that is controlled by one party. The most familiar examples are communist political systems Military dictatorship an undemocratic government run by the military

Theocratic dictatorship an undemocratic system run by religious elites. The best contemporary example is Iran Pacted transition a democratic transition that occurs when pacts or agreements among the elites of formerly undemocratic states permit the establishment of democratic government Transitional election an election that marks the official beginning of a democratic regime Procedural definition of democracy a definition of democracy in terms of procedures and institutions (such as elections) rather than outcomes