POLITICAL LITERACY Unit 1
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
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
STATES CLASSIFIED 1 st World= Industrialized democracies free world Western Europe, Japan, Canada, U.S. 2 nd World= Industrialized, but not democratic Former Soviet block 3 rd World= everything else New classifications came after the two superpowers idea gone
1 ST 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
2 ND 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
3 RD 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
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
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
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.
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
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
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS
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.
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
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
INSTITUTIONS Formal policymakers within the government, including the executive, legislature, judiciary and bureaucracy
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.
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.
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.
LEGISLATURES A bicameral legislature has two houses, and a unicameral legislature has one.
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 a two party systems not so factionalized, more efficient
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
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.
LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS How is the government linked to its citizens? Political parties Electoral systems Media
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
POLITICAL RECRUITMENT The process for selecting current and potential leaders, including formal and informal power structures.
TRANSPARENCY The ability of citizens to see what the government is doing.
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.
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.
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.
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.
RENTIER STATES States that derive a significant portion of their revenues from rent (such as renting land to oil companies).
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.
STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT Structural adjustment programs require countries to increase taxes and cut spending (austerity measures) to improve budgets.
POST-MATERIALISM Societies in which basic needs are met and citizens can concentrate on higher goals, like the environment
DEMOCRATIZATION The transition from an authoritarian state to an illiberal democracy to a liberal democracy
AUTHORITARIAN STATE A government where elections are not free and fair and civil rights and liberties are lacking
ILLIBERAL/PROCEDURAL DEMOCRACY A government with elections that are not completely free and fair or lacking some civil rights and liberties
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
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
REFERENDUM A measure sent by the legislature to the citizens for approval
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.
NATIONALISM The belief that a group of people has its own unique destiny, often including a desire for a separate state
NORMATIVE AND EMPIRICAL STATEMENT An empirical statement is a verifiable fact. A normative statement is a judgment about what should be.
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).
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
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
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
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.
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT Civil Society consists of voluntary associations outside of government control which strengthen society. Grassroots movements occur when ordinary citizens push for reform.