KEY CONCEPTS LIST

TERM DEFINITION ONE EXAMPLE from Great Britain,

Russia, China, Iran, Nigeria, or
Mexico (only where applicable—
many will not be filled in at this
point)
Empirical data approach

Normative approach

Independent variable

Dependent variable

Three world approach

Civil society

“Advanced” democracies

Communist and post-communist

countries
Less developed and newly
industrializing countries
states

institutions

sovereignty

nation

nationalism

Multinational states

1
Stateless nations

Core areas-- periphery

regime

Indirect democracies

Direct democracies

Parliamentary systems

Parliamentary sovereignty

Head of state

Head of government

Presidential system vs. semi-

presidential system
Checks and balances

Separation of powers

Political elites

corporatism

Patron-client system

totalitarianism

authoritarianism

Military rule

2
Coup d’etat

Co-optation

pluralism

Democratic corporatism

Democracy Index

Legitimacy (what are the five

factors that encourage this…
pp.30-31)
Traditional legitimacy

Charismatic legitimacy

Rational-legal legitimacy

Common law

Code law

Political culture

Social capital

Consensual political culture

Conflictual political culture

Political ideologies

Liberalism

Communism

3
Socialism

Fascism

reform

revolution

radicalism

Conservatism

Reactionary beliefs

Liberal democracies (substantive

democracies) (Characteristics)
Illiberal democracies I(Procedural
democracies)
Democratization

Democratic consolidation

Command economy

Economic liberalization

Market economy

Mixed economy

marketization

Privatization

Social cleavages (understand the

five types)

4
Political efficacy

Political socialization

transparency

Social movements

Civil society

Nongovernmental organizations
(NGO’s)
Political institutions

Unitary system

Federal system

Supranational organization

Foreign direct investments

fragmentation

Centripetal forces

nationalism

Centrifugal forces

Separatist movements

devolution

Ethnic forces (ethnic group,

ethno-nationalism)

5
Executive office

Bureaucracies (seven
characteristics, as well as three
common features…)
Discretionary power

Patronage system

legislature

bicameral

unicameral

Elite recruitment

judiciary

Judicial review (as well as

concrete vs abstract)
Linkage institution

Two party system

First past the post (plurality

system)
Proportional representation

Referendum

Interest groups

State vs societal corporatism

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) vs

Gross national product (GNP) vs.
GNP per capita vs Purchasing

6
Power Parity (PPP)
Gini Index

Human Development Index

Strong states vs. weak states vs.

failed states

Constitutional court

cabinet

Multimember districts (MMDs)

Single-member districts (SMDs)

Personal dictatorship

Military regime

One-party regime

theocracy

7
Rent-seeking co-optation

suffrage

Social expenditures

Inflation/ hyper-inflation

globalization

Multinational corporations