Regimes & Authority
A country whose political systems exhibit some democratic and some authoritarian elements.
What is a Hybrid State?
Electoral system where each district elects a single representative, and the candidate with the most votes wins the seat without need an absolute majority.
What is Single-Member District Plurality (First-Past-The-Post)?
The non-renewable, single six-year presidential term limit established by the Mexican Constitution.
What is the Sexenio?
Term for states that get most of their national revenue from exporting resources to foreign countries, rather than taxing citizens.
What is a Rentier State?
The 1979 revolution that overthrew Shah Pahlavi and established the Islamic Republic in Iran.
What is the Iranian Revolution?
A state dominated by the clergy, who rule on the grounds that they are the only interpreters of God's will and law.
What is a Theocracy?
Political system where legislative seats are given to political parties based on the total percentage of the vote they receive nationwide.
What is Proportional Representation?
Prominent in Nigeria, a system where elected officials treat government offices as "prizes", using state resources for their own benefit and that of their ethnic groups.
What is Prebendalism?
Rapid, overnight privatization and free-market transition policy implemented in Russia by Boris Yeltsin in 1991.
What is Shock Therapy?
The election year in Mexico that marked the end of the 71 years of continuous ruling under the PRI.
What is the year 2000?
The doctrine that grants the legislature the power to make or overturn any law and permits no veto or judicial review.
What is Parliamentary Sovereignty?
To win Nigerian presidency, a candidate must win an overall majority in addition to this percentage of votes in two-thirds of the states.
What is 25%?
Constitutional principle in Nigeria that requires government appointments and cabinet positions to reflect the country's ethnic diversity.
What is the Federal Character Principle?
Designated coastal areas established in China under Deng Xiaoping to attract foreign direct investment and market capitalism.
What are Special Economic Zones (SEZs)?
Chinese leader who initiated "Reform and Opening Up" policies in 1978, shifting China towards market socialism.
Who is Deng Xiaoping?
A state where power is constitutionally shared between a central government and regional governments (e.g., Mexico, Nigeria, Russia).
What is a Federal State?
The independent state institution in Mexico responsible for organizing and guaranteeing free and fair elections.
What is the INE (National Electoral Institute)?
Russian politicians & government officials that were drawn from the military, intelligence, and security agencies (such as the KGB), who now hold influential political positions under Vladimir Putin.
Who are the Siloviki?
What is the Gini Index (or Gini Coefficient)?
The 1998 peace agreement that established devolved government power and regional assembly structures in Northern Ireland.
What is the Good Friday Agreement (Belfast Agreement)?
A state where the government has been brought to power by democratic election, but then takes steps to limit political competition, undermine the rule of law, and deprive citizens of their basic rights.
What is an Illiberal Democracy (or Competitive Authoritarianism)?
The electoral mechanism used in Iran's presidential elections that requires a candidate to win an absolute majority (over 50%) in the first round, otherwise it triggers a runoff between the top two candidates.
What is a Two-Round System (or Majority Runoff System)?
Chinese mandatory household registration system that ties access to public services (education, healthcare, housing) to a person's hometown, letting the government control rural to urban migration.
What is the Hukou?
The severe economic vulnerability caused when a country relies too heavily on one natural resource export (e.g., oil) that other natural resource sectors, like agriculture or mining, are ignored and suffer from it.
What is Resource Curse/Dutch Disease?
Lasting 1997-2005, the election of President Mohammad Khatami initiated a brief period of political relaxation, expanded freedom of the press, and increased civil society in Iran.
What is the Tehran Spring (the Reformist Movement)?