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Contents
Chapter 1 – What is Politics? .............................................................................................................................................. 1
Chapter 2 – Political Ideas and Ideologies........................................................................................................................ 2
Chapter 3 – Politics and the State ...................................................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 4 – Democracy and Legitimacy ........................................................................................................................... 6
Chapter 5 – Nations and Nationalism ............................................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 6 – Political Economy and Globalization ........................................................................................................... 8
Chapter 7 – Politics, Society, and Identity ........................................................................................................................ 9
Chapter 8 – Political Culture and the Media .................................................................................................................. 11
Chapter 9 – Representation, Elections, and Voting ....................................................................................................... 12
Chapter 10 – Parties and Party Systems.......................................................................................................................... 13
Chapter 11 – Groups, Interests and Movements ........................................................................................................... 14
Chapter 12 – Governments, Systems, and Regimes ...................................................................................................... 14
Chapter 13 – Political Executives and Leadership ........................................................................................................ 15
Chapter 14 – Assemblies ................................................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 15 – Constitutions, Laws, and Judges .............................................................................................................. 17
Chapter 16 – Public Policy and Bureaucracy ................................................................................................................. 18
Chapter 17 – Multilevel Politics ....................................................................................................................................... 19
Chapter 18 – Security: Domestic and International....................................................................................................... 20
Chapter 20 – A Crisis in Politics? ..................................................................................................................................... 22

Chapter 1 – What is Politics?

Terms

Conflict – competition between opposing forces reflecting a diversity of opinions, preferences, needs, or interests

Cooperation – working together; achieving goals through collective action

Polis (Greek) – city-state; classically understood to imply the highest or most desirable form of social
organization

Polity – a society organized through the exercise of political authority; for Aristotle, rule by the many in the
interest of all

Anti-politics – disillusionment with formal or established political processes, reflected in non-participation,

support for anti-system parties, or the use of direct action

Normative – the prescription of values and standards of conduct; what should be rather than what is
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Objective – external to the observer, demonstrable; untainted by feelings, values, or bias

Empirical – based on observation and experiment; empirical knowledge is derived from sense data and
experience

Positivism – the theory that social, and indeed all forms of, enquiry should adhere strictly to the methods of the
natural sciences

Behaviouralism – the belief that social theories should be constructed only on the basis of observable behavior,
providing quantifiable data for research

Bias – sympathies or prejudices that affect human judgment; bias implies distortion

Institution – a well-established body with a formal role and status; more broadly, a set of rules that ensure
regular and predictable behavior, the rules of the game

Post-positivism – an approach to knowledge that questions the idea of an objective reality, emphasizing instead
to the extent which people conceive or construct the world in which they live

Discourse – human interaction, especially communication; discourse may disclose or illustrate power relations

Deconstruction – a close reading of philosophical or other texts with an eye to their various blind spots and/or
contradictions

Model – a theoretical representation of empirical data that aims to advance understanding by highlighting
significant relationships and interactions

Theory – a systematic explanation of empirical data usually presented as a reliable knowledge

Transnational – configuration, which may apply to events, people, groups, or organization that takes little or no
account of national governments or state borders

Chapter 2 – Political Ideas and Ideologies

Terms

Rationalism – the belief that the world can be understood and explained through the exercise of human reason,
based on assumptions about its rational structure

Pragmatism – a theory or practice that places primary emphasis on practical circumstances and goals;
pragmatism implies a distrust of abstract ideas

Meta-ideology – a higher or second-order ideology that lays down the grounds on which ideological debate can
take place

Progress – moving forwards; the belief that history is characterized by human advancement based on the
accumulation of knowledge and wisdom
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Meritocracy – rule by the talented; the principle that rewards and positions should be distributed on the basis of
ability

Atomism – the belief that the society is made up of a collection of largely self-sufficient individuals who owe
little or nothing to one another

Economic liberalism – a belief in the market as a self-regulating mechanism tending naturally to deliver general
prosperity and opportunities for all

Big government – interventionist government, usually understood to imply economic management and social
regulation

Redistribution – a narrowing of material inequalities brought about through a combination of progressive

taxation and welfare provision

Ancien Regime (French) – old order; usually linked with the absolutist structures that predated the French
Revolution

Paternalism – an attitude or policy that demonstrates care and concern for those unable to help themselves, as
in the relationship between a father and a child

Noblesse oblige (French) – obligations of the nobility; responsibility to guide or protect those less fortunate or
less privileged

Toryism – an ideological stance within conservatism characterized by a belief in hierarchy, an emphasis on

tradition, and support for duty and organicism

Natural aristocracy – the idea that talent and leadership are innate or inbred qualities that cannot be acquired
through effort or self-advancement

Christian democracy – an ideological tendency within European conservatism, characterized by commitment to

social market principles and qualified interventionism

Nanny state – a state with extensive social responsibilities; the term implies that welfare programs are
unwarranted and demeaning to the individual

Permissiveness – the willingness to allow people to make their own moral choices; suggests that there is no
authoritative value

Revisionism – the modification of original or established beliefs; can imply the abandonment of principle or a
loss of conviction

Leninism – belief in the need for a vanguard party to raise the proletariat to class consciousness

Stalinism – structures of Stalin’s USSR, especially a centrally placed economy linked to systematic and brutal
political oppression

Dialectical Materialism – the crude and deterministic form of Marxism that dominated intellectual life in
orthodox communist states
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Historical Materialism – the Marxist theory that holds that economic conditions ultimately structure law,
politics, culture, and other aspects of social existence

Dictatorship of the proletariat – a temporary Proletarian state, established to prevent counter-revolution and
oversee the transition from capitalism to communism

Perestroika (Russian) – restructuring; a slogan that refers to the attempt to liberalize and democratize the Soviet
system within a communist framework

Fundamentalist socialism – seeks to abolish capitalism and replace it with qualitatively different kind of society

Anarcho-capitalism – holds that unregulated market competition can and should be applied to all social
arrangements, making the state unnecessary

Mutualism – a system of fair and equitable exchange, in which individuals or groups trade goods and services
with one another without profiteering or exploitation

Anarcho-communism – takes common ownership to be the sole reliable basis for social solidarity, thereby
linking statelessness to classlessness

Liberal feminism – core goal is equal access for women and men to the public realm, based on the belief of
genderless personhood

Socialist feminism – seeks to restructure economic life to achieve gender equality, based in links between
patriarchy and capitalism

Radical feminism – aims to overthrow patriarchy through a radical transformation of all spheres of life but
especially the personal

Anthropocentrism – the belief that human needs and interests are of overlapping moral and philosophical
importance; the opposite of ecocentrism

Holism – the belief that the whole is more important than its parts, implying that understanding is gained only
by studying relationships among its parts

World government – the idea of all humankind united under one common political authority, whether a unitary
world state with supranational authority or a federal body that shares sovereignty with nation-states

Non-Aligned Movement – an organization of countries founded in Belgrade in 1961 that sought to avoid formal
political and economic affiliation with either the capitalist West or the communist East

Jihad (Arabic) – holy war, holy struggle or effort; intense and all-consuming devotion to Islamic goals

Asian values – values that supposedly reflect the history, culture and religious backgrounds of Asian societies;
examples include social harmony, respect for authority, and a belief in the family

Dualism – the belief that reality consists of two basic principles, often taken to be mind and matter but it may
extend to other dualities
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Chapter 3 – Politics and the State

Terms

Idealism – the view of politics that emphasizes the importance of morality and ideals; philosophical idealism
implies that ideas are more real than the material world

Civil society – a private sphere of autonomous groups and associations, independent from state or public
authority

Great power – a state deemed to rank amongst the most powerful in a hierarchical state system, reflecting its
influence over minority states

Nation-state – a sovereign political association within which citizenship and nationality overlap; one nation
within a single state

Pluralism – a belief in, or commitment to diversity or multiplicity; or the belief that power in modern societies
is widely and evenly distributed

Divine right – the doctrine that early rulers are chosen by God and thus wield unchallengeable authority; a
defence for monarchical absolutism

Political obligation – the duty of citizen towards the state; the basis of the state’s right to rule

State of nature – a society devoid of political authority and of formal checks on the individual; usually employed
as a theoretic device

Anarchy – without rule; often used pejoratively to suggest instability or even chaos

Bourgeoisie – A Marxist term denoting the ruling class of a capitalist society, the owners of the productive wealth

Proletariat – A Marxist term denoting a class that subsists through the sale of its labor power; strictly speaking,
the proletariat is not equivalent to the working class

Rights – legal or moral entitlements to act or be treated in a particular way; civil rights differ from human rights

Competition State – a state which pursues strategies to ensure long-term competitiveness in a globalized
economy

Tiger economies – fast-growing and export-oriented economies modelled on Japan; South Korea, Taiwan,
Singapore

Social justice – a morally justifiable distribution of material rewards; social justice is often seen to imply a bias
in favor of equality

Welfare state – a state that primarily takes responsibility for the social welfare of its citizens, discharged through
a range of social security, health, education, and other services

Collectivization – the abolition of private property in favor of a system of common or public ownership
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Totalitarianism – an all-encompassing system of political rule involving pervasive ideological manipulation and
open brutality

Supraterritoriality – the reconfiguration of geography that has occurred through the declining importance of
state borders, geographical distance, and territorial location

Economic Sovereignty – the absolute authority of the state over national economic life, involving independent
control of fiscal and monetary policies and control over trade and capital flows

Market state – a state that aims to enlarge citizens’ rights and opportunities rather than assume control over
economic and social life

Political globalization – the growing importance of international bodies and organizations, and of transnation
political forces generally

Warlordism – locally-based militarized bands vie for power in the absence of a sovereign state

State-building – the construction of a functioning state through the establishment of legitimate institutions for
the implementation and formulation of policy across key areas of government

Chapter 4 – Democracy and Legitimacy

Terms

Fiscal crisis of the welfare state – the crisis in state finances that occurs when expanding social expenditure
coincides with the recession and declining state revenues

Revolution – a popular uprising, involving extra-legal mass action, which brings about fundamental change (a
change in the political system itself) as opposed to merely a change of policy or a governing elite

Reform – change brought about within a system, usually by peaceful and incremental measures; reform implies
improvement

Consent – assent or permission; in politics, usually an agreement to be governed or ruled

Majority rule – the rule that the will of the majority, or numerically strongest, overrides the will of the minority
implying that the latter should accept the views of the former

Cosmopolitan democracy – a form of democracy that operates at supranational levels of governance and is based
on the idea of transnational or global citizenship

Totalitarian democracy – an absolute dictatorship that masquerades as a democracy, typically based on the
leader’s claim to a monopoly if ideological wisdom

Radical democracy – a form of democracy that favors decentralization and participation, the widest possible
dispersal of political power
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Economic democracy – a broad term that covers attempts to apply democratic principles to the workplace,
ranging from profit-sharing, and the use of workers’ councils to full workers’ self-management

Natural rights – God-given rights that are fundamental to human beings and are therefore inalienable (they
cannot be taken away)

General will – the genuine interests of a collective body, equivalent to the common good; the will of all provided
each person acts selflessly

Accountability – answerability; a duty to explain one’s conduct and be open to criticism by others

Deliberative democracy – a form of democracy that emphasizes the need for discourse and debate to help to
define the public interest

Leninist democracy – a form of democracy in which the communist party, organized on the basis of democratic
centralism, articulates the interest of the proletariat

Madisonian democracy – a form of democracy that incorporates constitutional protections for minorities that
enable them to resist majority rule

Neocorporatism – a tendency found in western polyarchies for organized interests to be granted privileged and
institutionalized access to policy formulation

Peak association – a group recognized by government as representing the general or collective interests of
businesses or workers

Ruling class – a Marxist term, denoting a class that dominates other classes and society at large by virtue of its
ownership of productive wealth

Eurocommunism – a form of deradicalized communism that attempted to blend Marxism with liberal-
democratic principles

Chapter 5 – Nations and Nationalism

Terms

Ethnic group – a group of people who share a common cultural and historical identity, typically linked to a belief
in common descent

Volksgeist (German) – spirit of the people; the organic identity of a people reflected in their culture and
particularly their language

Culturalism – the belief that human beings are culturally-defined creatures, culture being the universal basis for
personal and social identity

Tribalism – group behavior characterized by insularity and exclusivity, typically fuelled by hostility towards
rival groups
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Xenophobia – a fear or hatred of foreigners; pathological ethnocentrism

National self-determination – the principle that the nation is a sovereign entity; implies both national
independence and democratic rule

Universalism – the theory that there is a common core to human identity shared by people everywhere

Human rights – rights to which people are entitled by virtue of being human; universal and fundamental rights

Ethnic cleansing – the forcible expulsion or extermination of alien peoples; often used as a euphemism for
genocide

Euroscepticism – opposition to further European integration; usually not extending to the drive to withdraw
from the EU

Jingoism – a mood of public enthusiasm and celebration provoked by military expansion or imperial conquest

Pan-nationalism – a style of nationalism dedicated to unifying a disparate people through either expansionism
or political solidarity

Chapter 6 – Political Economy and Globalization

Terms

Mercantilism – an economic philosophy that takes the state to be the most significant economic actor,
highlighting the extent t which economic relations are determined by political power

Protectionism – import restrictions such as quotas and tariffs, designed to protect domestic producers

Beggar-thy-neighbor policies – policies pursued at the expense of other states that are believed to be in their own
country’s short-term best interests

Perfect competition – a hypothetical market structure in which markets are free and open, consumers have
perfect knowledge and no producer is large enough to affect the price of goods

Surplus value – a Marxist term denoting the value that is extracted from the labor of the proletariat through the
mechanism of capitalist exploitation

Economic system – a form of organization through which goods and services are produced, distributed, and
exchanged; seen by Marxists as a mode of production

Economic globalization – the incorporation of national economies into a single borderless global economy,
through transnational production and capital flows

Keynesianism – policy of economic management, associated with regulating aggregate demand to achieve full
employment
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Multiplier effect – the mechanism through which a change in aggregate demand has an increased effect on
national income as it circulates through the economy

Stagflation – a combination of economic stagnation, reflected in high or rising unemployment, and an increase
in inflation

Market fundamentalism – an absolute faith in the market, reflected in the belief that the market mechanism
offers solutions to all economic and social problems

Social capital – cultural and moral resources that help to promote social cohesion, political stability and
prosperity

State socialism – a form of socialism in which the state controls and directs economic life; in theory, in the
interests of the people

Market socialism – an economy in which self-managing enterprises operate within a context of market
competition supposedly delivering efficiency without exploitation

Industrialism – an economic theory or system based on large-scale factory production and the relentless
accumulation of capital

Sustainability – the capacity of a system to maintain its health and continue its existence

Ecosocialism – a tradition with green politics that views capitalism as the prime cause of environment
degradation, combining ‘red’ and ‘green’ themes

Supraterritoriality – a condition in which social life transcends territory through the growth of transborder and
transglobal communication and interactions

Homogenization – the tendency for all parts or elements to become similar or identical

Indigenization – the process through which alien goods and practices are absorbed by being adapted to local
needs and circumstances

McDonaldization – the process whereby global commodities and commercial and marketing practices associated
with the fast-food industry have come to dominate progressively more economic sectors

Financialization – the reconstruction of the finances of businesses, public bodies, and individual citizens to allow
them to borrow money and so raise their spending

Sovereign debt crisis – a structural imbalance in state finances that occurs when public spending so exceeds tax
revenues that levels of borrowing become unsustainable, threatening a default on interest repayments

The paradox of thrift – the paradox that increased saving by individual households may lead to a reduced overall
saving because of its negative impact on consumption and growth

Chapter 7 – Politics, Society, and Identity

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Terms

Gemeinschaft (German) – community; social ties typically found in traditional societies and characterized by
natural affection and mutual respect

Gesellschaft (German) – association; the loose artificial, and contractual bonds typically found in urban and
industrial societies

Class consciousness – a Marxist term denoting a subjective awareness of a class’ objective situation and interests;
the opposite of false consciousness

Post-industrial society – a society based on service industries, rather than on manufacturing industries, and
accompanied by a significant growth in white-collar workforce

Atomism – the tendency of a society to be made up of a collection of self-interested and largely self-sufficient
individuals, operating as separate atoms

Underclass – a poorly defined and politically controversial term that refers broadly, to people who suffer from
multiple deprivation (unemployment or low pay, poor housing, inadequate education, and so on)

Internet – a global network of networks that connects computers around the world; virtual space in which users
can access and disseminate online information

Connectivity – a computer buzzword that refers to the links between one device and others, affecting the speed,
ease, and extent of information exchanges

Knowledge economy – an economy in which knowledge is the key source of competitiveness and productivity,
especially through the application of information and communication technology

Network – a means of coordinating social life through loose and informal relationships between people or
organizations, usually for the purpose of knowledge dissemination or exchange

Economic individualism – the belief that individuals are entitled to autonomy in matters of economic decision-
making; economic individualism is loosely linked to property rights

Community – a principle or sentiment based on the collective identity of a social group; bonds of comradeship,
loyalty and duty

Anomie – a weakening of values and normative rules associated with feelings of isolation, loneliness, and
meaninglessness

Social reflexivity – the tendency of individuals and other social actors to reflect, more or less continuously, on
the conditions of their own actions, implying higher levels of self-awareness, self-knowledge and contemplation

Identity politics – a style of politics that seeks to counter group marginalization by embracing a positive and
assertive sense of collective identity

Eurocentrism – a culturally biased approach to understanding that treats European, and generally western ideas,
values, and assumptions as natural
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Race – a group of people who share a common ancestry and one blood; racial differences linked to skin and hair
color and facial features have no scientific basis

Consciousness raising – strategies to remodel social identity and challenge cultural inferiority by an emphasis
on pride, self-worth and self-assertion

First-wave feminism – dating form mod-nineteenth century to 1960s which sought to achieve gender equality in
the areas of legal and political rights, particularly suffrage rights

Second-wave feminism – 1960’s and 1970’s; characterized by a more radical concern with women’s liberation,
including, and perhaps especially in the private sphere

Hybridity – a condition of social and cultural mixing; the term derives from cross-breeding between genetically
dissimilar plants or animals

Secularism – the belief that religion should not intrude into secular affairs, usually reflected in the desire to
separate the church from the state

Secularization thesis – the theory that modernization is invariably accompanied by the victory of reason over
religion and the displacement of spiritual values by secular ones

Moral relativism – a condition in which there is deep and widespread disagreement on moral issues

Theocracy – rule by God; principle that religious authority should prevail over political authority, usually
through the domination of the church over the state

Shari’a (Arabic) – way or path; divine Islamic law, based on principles expressed in the Koran

Clash of civilizations thesis – the idea that twenty-first century conflict will be primarily cultural in character,
rather than ideological, political, or economic

Diaspora – dispersion; implies displacement or dispersal by force, but is also used to refer to the communities
that have arisen as a result of such dispersal

Affirmative action – reverse of positive discrimination which accords preferential treatment to groups on the
basis of their past disadvantage

Assimilation – the process through which immigrant communities lose their cultural distinctiveness by adjusting
to the values, allegiances, and lifestyles of the host society

Value pluralism – the theory that there is no single overriding conception of the good life but rather a number
of competing and equally legitimate conceptions

Chapter 8 – Political Culture and the Media

Terms

Civic culture – a set of specific attitudes which are crucial to the success of modern democracies
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Bourgeois ideology – a Marxist term, denoting ideas and theories that serve the interests of the bourgeoisie by
disguising the contradictions of the capitalist society

‘New’ media – a generic term for the many different forms of electronic communication made possible through
digital or computer technology

Free press – newspapers and others that are free form censorship and political interference by government and
usually are privately owned

Presidentialization – a growing emphasis on personal leadership in line with the role and powers of an executive
president

Celebrity politics – either or both the cultivation of the celebrityhood by elected politicians or interventions by
stars of popular culture into the political domain

Spatial leadership – the tendency of political leaders to distance themselves from their parties and governments
by presenting themselves as outsiders, or developing their own political stance or ideological position

Social media – forms of electronic communication that facilitate social interaction and the formulation of online
communities through the exchange of user-generated content

Hacktivism – the use of computers and computer networks to achieve political ends by methods including
denial-of-service attacks on targeted websites

Cultural globalization – the process whereby information, commodities, and images produced in one part of the
world enter into a global flow that tends to flatten out cultural differences between nations and regions

Censorship – a policy or act of control over what can be said, written, published or perform in order to suppress
what is considered morally or politically unacceptable

Glasnost (Russian) – openness or transparency; the liberalization of controls over political expression and the
media

Spin – the presentation of information so as to elicit a desired response, or being economical with the truth

Chapter 9 – Representation, Elections, and Voting

Terms

Trustee – a person who is vested with formal responsibilities for another’s property or affairs

Altruism – a concern for the welfare of others, based on either enlightened self-interest, or a recognition of
common humanity

Delegate – a person who is chosen to act for another on the basis of clear guidance and instruction, delegates do
not think for themselves

Initiative – a type of referendum through which the public is able to raise legislative proposals
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Recall – a process whereby the electorate can call unsatisfactory public officials to account and ultimately remove
them

Popular sovereignty – the principle that there is no higher authority than the will of the people (the basis of the
classical concept of democracy)

Manifesto – a document outlining the policies or program a party proposes to pursue if elected to power

Microcosm – little world; a miniature version of a larger body but exact in its features and proportions

Descriptive representation – a model of representation that takes account of politicians’ social and other
characteristics, usually based on the idea that they should be a representative sample of the larger society

Plurality – the largest number out of a collection of numbers, not necessarily an absolute majority

Proportionality – the degree to which the allocation of seats amongst parties reflects the distribution of the
popular vote

Issue voting – voting behavior that is shaped by party policies and a calculation of personal self-interest

Chapter 10 – Parties and Party Systems

Terms

Rational choice – an approach to politics based on the assumption that individuals are rationally self-interested
actors; an economic theory of politics

Anti-party party – parties that set out to subvert traditional party politics by rejecting parliamentary compromise
and emphasizing popular mobilization

Machine politics – a style of politics in which party bosses control a mass organization through patronage and
the distribution of favors

Caucus – a meeting of party members held to nominate election candidates, or to discuss legislative proposals
in advance of formal proceedings

Democratic centralism – the Leninist principle of party organization, based on a supposed balance between
freedom of discussion and strict unity of action

Party system – a relatively stable network of relationships between parties that is structured by their number,
size, and ideological orientation

Threshold – a minimum level of electoral support needed for a party to be eligible to win seats

Vanguardism – the Leninist belief in the need for a party to lead and guide the proletariat towards the fulfillment
of its revolutionary destiny
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Chapter 11 – Groups, Interests and Movements

Terms

Cleavage – a social division that creates a collective identity on both sides of the divide

Association – a group formed by voluntary action, reflecting a recognition of shared interests or common
concerns

Interest – that which benefits an individual or group; interests are usually understood to be objective or real

Direct action – political action taken outside the constitutional and legal framework; direct action may range
from passive resistance to terrorism

Tripartitism – the construction of bodies that represent government, businesses and the unions, designed to
institutionalize group consultation

Monism – a belief in only one theory or value; reflected politically in enforced obedience to a unitary power and
is, thus, implicitly totalitarian

Interventionism – government policies designed to regulate or manage economic life, more broadly a policy of
engagement or involvement

Peak group – a hierarchically organized group that coordinates the work of a collection of groups in the same
area of interest, usually formed to strengthen links to government

Iron triangle – a closed, mutually supportive in US politics between an executive agency, a special interest group,
and a legislative committee or subcommittee

Mass society – a society characterized by atomism and by cultural and political rootlessness; the concept
highlights pessimistic trends in modern societies

Chapter 12 – Governments, Systems, and Regimes

Terms

Political system – a network of relationships through which government generates outputs (policies) in response
to inputs (demands or support) from the general public

Coup d’ etat (French) – a sudden and forcible seizure of government power through illegal and unconstitutional
action

Government gridlock – paralysis resulting from institutional rivalry within government, or the attempt to
respond to conflicting public demands

Ethnocentrism – the application of values and theories drawn from one’s own culture to other groups and
peoples; ethnocentrism implies bias or distortion
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Demagogue – a political leader whose control over the masses is based on the ability to whip up hysterical
enthusiasm

Republicanism – the principle that political authority stems ultimately from the consent of the people; the
rejection of monarchical and dynastic principles

Gross domestic product – the total financial value of final goods and services produced in an economy over one
year

Liberalization – the introduction of internal and external checks on government power and/or shifts towards
private enterprise and the market

Westminster model – a system of government is which the executive is drawn from, and in theory accountable
to the assembly or parliament

Consociational democracy – a form of democracy that operates through power-sharing and a close association
amongst a number of parties or political formations

Exceptionalism – the features of a political system that are unique or particular to it, and thus restrict the
application of broader categories

Transition countries – former Soviet Bloc countries that are in the process of transition from central-planning to
market capitalism

New democracies – regimes in which the process of democratic consolidation is incomplete; democracy is not
yet the only game in town

Asian values –values that supposedly reflect the history, culture, and religious backgrounds of Asian societies;
social harmony, respect for authority and a belief in the family

Shari’a – Islamic law, believed to be based on divine revelation, and derived from the Koran, the Hadith
(teachings of Muhammad), and other sources

Junta (Spanish) – a council; (usually military) clique that seizes power through a revolution or a coup d’etat

Chapter 13 – Political Executives and Leadership

Terms

Parliamentary executive – an executive, typically composed of a prime minister and cabinet that is drawn from
and accountable to the parliament, and is formed through parliamentary elections

Presidential executive – executive that is headed by a separately elected president, who enjoys political and
constitutional independence from the parliament

Cabinet – a group of senior ministers that meets formally and regularly, and is chaired by the chief executive;
cabinets may make policies or be consultative
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Presidentialism – personalized leadership that is disengaged from parties or other government bodies, in the
manner of an executive president

Semi-presidential system – a system of government in which a separately elected president presides over a
government drawn form, and accountable to the assembly

Patronage – the practice of making appointments to office, or, more widely, the granting of favors

Imperial presidency – a presidency that has broken-free from its constitutional bounds and threatens to
dominate the other two branches of the government

Impeachment – a formal process for the removal of a public official in the event of personal or professional
wrongdoing

Cohabitation – an arrangement in a semi-presidential system in which the president works with a government
and assembly controlled by a rival party or parties

Thatcherism – the free-market/strong-state ideological stance adopted by Margaret Thatcher; the UK version of
the New Right political project

Bonapartism – a style of government that fuses personal leadership with conservative nationalism; for Marxists,
it reflects the relative autonomy of the state

Emotional intelligence – the ability to handle oneself and to build successful relationships based on an
understanding of one’s own and others’ feelings

Chapter 14 – Assemblies
Terms

Legislative – the branch of government whose chief function is to make laws, although it is seldom the only
body with legislative power

Responsible government – a government that is answerable or accountable to an elected assembly and through
it, to the people

Elective dictatorship – an imbalance between the executive and the assembly that means that, once elected, the
government is only constrained by the need to win subsequent elections

Lobby folder – a pejorative term denoting assembly members who vote consistently and unquestioningly as
their parties dictate

Immobilism – political paralysis stemming from the absence of a strong executive, caused by multiple divisions
in the assembly and probably the society

Checks and balance – internal tensions within the governmental system that result from institutional
fragmentation
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Superpresidentialism – a president-heavy constitutional order in which the presidency is invested with great
power and the assembly or parliament operates as a mere ‘rubber stamp’

Pork barrel politics – government projects whose only primary purpose is to bring money or jobs to a
representative’s district or constituency

Standing committee – a permanent committee within a legislative chamber, which considers bills, and oversees
executive activities

Rhetoric – the art of using language to persuade or influence; rhetoric can imply high-sounding but essentially
vacuous speech

Unicameralism – the principle or practice of having an assembly composed of a single legislative chamber

Bicameralism – the principle or practice of fragmenting legislative power through the establishment of two (co-
equal) chambers in the assembly

Bill – proposed legislation in the form of a draft statute, if passed, the bill becomes an act

McCarthyism – the use of witch hunts and unscrupulous investigations, as practiced in the 1950’s against
communists by US Senator Joseph McCarthy

Chapter 15 – Constitutions, Laws, and Judges

Terms

Codified constitution – a constitution in which key constitutional provisions are collected together in a single
legal document, popularly known as a written constitution or the constitution

Statute law – law that is enacted by the legislature

Uncodified Constitution – a constitution that is made up of rules drawn from a variety of sources, in the absence
of a single authoritative document

Common law – law based on custom and precedent; law that is supposedly open to all

Popular sovereignty – the principle that there is no higher authority than the will of the people, directly
expressed

Treaty – a formal agreement between two or more states on matters of peace, trade, or some other aspect of
international relations

Limited government – government operating within constraints, usually imposed by law, a constitution or
institutional checks and balances

Negative rights – rights that mark out a realm of unconstrained action, and thus check the responsibilities of the
government
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Positive rights – rights that make demands of the government in terms of the provision of resources and support,
and thus extend its responsibilities

State of emergency – a declaration by the government through which it assumes special powers supposedly to
allow it to deal with unusual threat

Law – a set of public and enforceable rules that apply throughout a political community; law is usually
recognized as binding

Legal positivism – a legal philosophy in which law is defined by the capacity to establish and enforce it, not by
its moral character

War crimes – acts that violate international conventions on the conduct of war, usually involving either
aggressive warfare or atrocities carried out against civilians or prisoners of war

Judicial independence – the constitutional principle that there should be a strict separation between the judiciary
and other branches of government; an application of the separation of powers

Gerrymandering – the manipulation of electoral boundaries so as to achieve political advantage for a party or
candidate

Due process – conduct of legal proceedings strictly in accordance with established rules and principles, link to
ensuring a fair trial

Judicial activism – the willingness of judges to arbitrate in political disputes, as opposed to merely saying what
the law means

Ultra vires (Latin) – beyond the powers; acts that fail outside the scope of a body’s authority

Chapter 16 – Public Policy and Bureaucracy

Terms

Decision – an act of choice; a selection from a range of options

Utility – a measure of satisfaction based on the quantity of pleasure over pain derived from material
consumption

Incrementalism – the theory that decisions are made not in the light of clear-cut objectives, but through small
adjustments dictated by changing circumstances

Mixed scanning – a way of making decisions that uses rationalistic or high-order process to set a basic direction
before incremental processes are employed

Groupthink – the phenomenon in which psychological and professional pressures conspire to encourage a group
of decision-makers to adopt a unified and coherent position

Epistemic community – a network of professionals who are recognized to possess expertise and policy-relevant
knowledge in a particular issue area
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Issue – a matter recognized as part of the policy agenda, over which there is public debate or disagreement

Agenda setting – the ability to structure policy debate by controlling which issues are discussed or establishing
a priority amongst them

Cost-benefit analysis – a technique to evaluate the feasibility of a project or plan, or the impact of policy by
quantifying its costs and benefits

Clientelism – a relationship through which the government agencies come to serve the interest of the client
groups they are responsible for regulating or supervising

Spoils system – a system in which the ability to make appointments is a reward for achieving political office,
leading to the preferment of friends or supporters

Executive agency – a body that usually operates within a government department but enjoys a measure of
managerial and budgetary independence

Balkanization – the fragmentation of a political unit into a patchwork of antagonistic entities (as has often
occurred in the Balkans)

Maladministration – bad administration; the improper use of powers, biased application of rules, failure to
follow procedures, or simple incompetence

Administrative law – law that defines the power and functions of the executive organs of the state

Chapter 17 – Multilevel Politics

Terms

Territory – a delimited geographical area that is under the jurisdiction of a governmental authority

Centralization – the concentration of political power or government authority at the national level

Decentralization – the expansion of local autonomy through the transfer of powers and responsibilities away
from national bodies

Executive federalism – a style of federalism in which the federal balance is largely determined by the relationship
between the executives of each level of government

Administrative federalism – a style of federalism in which central government is the key policy-maker, and
provincial government is charged with responsibility for policy implementation

Dual federalism – a style of federalism in which federal and state/provincial government occupy separate and
seemingly indestructible spheres of policy power

Fiscal federalism – a style of federalism in which the federal balance is largely determined by funding
arrangements especially transfer payments from the center to the periphery
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Local democracy – a principle that embodies both the idea of local autonomy and the goal of popular
responsiveness

Quango – quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization; a public body staffed by appointees rather than
politicians or civil-servants

Primary legislative power – the ability to make law on matters which have been devolved from a central
authority

Secondary legislative power – the ability to vary some laws devolved from a central authority that retains
ultimate legislative control

Quasi-federalism – a division of powers between central and regional government that has some of the features
of federalism without possessing a formal federal structure

Security regionalism – forms of transnational regional cooperation that are designed primarily to protect states
from their enemies, both neighboring and distant ones

Political regionalism – attempts by the states in the same area to strengthen or protect shared values, thereby
enhancing their image, reputation, and diplomatic effectiveness

Economic regionalism – forms of cooperation amongst states in the same region that are designed to create
greater economic opportunities, usually by fostering trading links

Pooled sovereignty – the sharing of decision-making authority by states within a system of international
cooperation, in which certain sovereign powers are transferred to central bodies

Functionalism – the theory that social and political phenomena can be explained by their function within a larger
whole, implying that regional integration occurs because it has functional advantages over state independence

Neofunctionalism – a revision of functionalism that recognizes that regional integration in one area generates
pressures for further integration in the form of ‘spillover’

German problem – the structural instability in the European state system caused by the emergence of a powerful
and united Germany

Political union – although the term lacks clarity, it refers to the coming together of a number of states under a
common government; can imply supranational governance

Monetary union – the establishment of a single currency within an area comprising of several states

Veto – the formal power to block a decision or action through the refusal of consent

Qualified majority voting – a system of voting in which different majorities are needed on different issues with
states’ votes weighted (roughly) according to size

Subsidiarity – the principle that decisions should be taken at the lowest appropriate level

Chapter 18 – Security: Domestic and International

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Terms

Security – the condition of being safe from harm or threats, usually understood as ‘freedom from fear’, implying
physical harm

Civil policing – the role of the police in the enforcement of criminal law

Community policing – a style of policing in which a constant police presence in the community seeks to build
trust and cooperation with the public

Broken windows theory – the theory that minor offences (broken windows) that are not speedily dealt with
advertise that an area is not cared for and so lead to more and more serious offences

Institutional racism – a form of racism that operates through the culture or procedural rules of an organization,
as distinct from personal prejudice

Police state – a state that relies on a system of arbitrary and indiscriminate policing in which civil liberties are
routinely abused

Rebellion – a popular uprising against the established order, usually (unlike a revolution) aimed at replacing
rulers rather than the political system itself

International security – conditions in which the mutual survival and safety of states is secured through measures
taken to prevent or punish aggression, usually within a rule-governed international order

Power politics – an approach to politics based on the assumption that the pursuit of power is the principal
human goal; the term is sometimes used descriptively

Egoism – greater concern with one’s own interests, well-being, or selfishness; the belief that one’s own interests
are morally superior to those of others

National interest – foreign policy goals, objectives or policy preferences that supposedly benefit the society as a
whole (the foreign policy equivalent of the ‘public interest’)

National security – conditions in which the survival and safety of a particular nation or state is secured, usually
through the buildup of military capacity to deter aggression

Balance of power – a condition in which no one state predominates over others, tending to create general
equilibrium and curb the hegemonic ambitions of the states

Just war – a war that is in its purpose and content meets certain ethical standards and so is allegedly morally
justified

International regime – sets of norms or rules that govern the interaction of states and non-state actors in
particular issue areas

Security paradox – the paradox that a buildup of military capacity designed to strengthen national security
maybe counter-productive, in that it encourages other states to adopt more threatening and hostile postures
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Civil war – an armed conflict between politically organized groups within a state, usually fought to gain (or
retain) control over the state, or to establish a new state

Guerilla war (Spanish) – little war; an insurgency or people’s war, fought by irregular troops using tactics that
are suited to the terrain and emphasize mobility and surprise, rather than superior fire power

Insurgency – an armed uprising, involving irregular soldiers, which aims to overthrow the established regime

Weapons of mass destruction – a category of weapons that covers nuclear, radiological, chemical, and biological
weapons which have a massive and indiscriminate destructive capacity

Nuclear weapons – weapons that use nuclear fission (atomic bombs) or nuclear fusion (hydrogen bombs) to
destroy their targets, through the effect of blast, heat, and radiation

Deterrence – a tactic or strategy designed to prevent aggression by emphasizing the scale of likely military (the
cost of an attack would be greater than any benefit it may bring)

Mutually Assured Destruction – a condition in which a nuclear attack by either state would only ensure its own
destruction, as both possess an invulnerable second-strike capacity

Rogue state – a state whose foreign policy poses a threat to neighboring or other states through its aggressive
intent, buildup of weapons, or association with terrorism

Human development – a standard of human well-being that takes account of people’s ability to develop their
full potential and lead fulfilled and creative lives in accordance with their needs and interests

Chapter 20 – A Crisis in Politics?

Terms

Civic engagement – the participations of citizens in the life of their community, although this may range from
formal political participation to wider communal activities or even civic-mindedness

Mainstream politics – political activities, processes and structures that are regarded as normal or conventional;
the dominant trend in politics

Apathy – the absence of interest in or enthusiasm for things that are generally considered to be interesting

Technocracy – rule by the skilled; government or control by an elite of technical experts

Free-rider – a person or group that enjoys collectively-provided benefits without needing to pay associated costs,
which are shouldered by others