Power & The State
A system without free and fair elections in which civil rights and liberties are restricted
Authoritarian state
The process of transitioning from an authoritarian to a democratic regime
Democratization
Groups that form outside government control to influence the actions of elected policy makers and businesses
Civil society
A measure of income inequality within a country
Gini index (coefficient)
A political system in which a state's power is legally and constitutionally divided among more than one level of government
Federal system
The process by which a regime has developed stable democratic institutions and significant protections of civil liberties and is unlikely to revert to authoritarianism
Democratic consolidation
The collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on
Political culture
Economic policies that support the free market and reduce trade barriers
Legitimacy
Countries that have democratic procedures in place but have significant restrictions on them, especially elections that are marred by fraud
Illiberal democracies
A set of appointed officials and government workers who implement government policies organize the state's business
Bureaucracy
Economic measures that cut social services to reduce government debt
Austerity measures
A state's ability to carry out actions or policies within their borders without internal and external interference
Sovereignty
An organized movement(s) to advocate for significant political/social change through sustained campaigns or actions
Social movement
A value judgement, usually in the form of a should or ought statement
Normative statement
Enacting high tariffs and providing incentives to encourage the growth of domestic manufacturing
Import substitution industrialization
A system in which some regions have more formal power and autonomy than others
Asymmetrical federalism
A nongovernmental organization (NGO) that measures/scores democracy and freedom around the world
Freedom House
An individual's set of beliefs and values about government, politics and policy (examples are liberalism, communism, socialism, fascism...)
Political ideology
Measures the well-being of a country's people by factoring in adult literacy, life expectancy, educational enrollment, etc. as well as GDP
Human Development Index (HDI)