Teaching Comparative

Beginning concepts glossary

Way back in the fall of '05, a number of people on the AP Government and Politics electronic discussion group (EDG) discussed the possibility of creating an EDG exclusively for comparative government and politics.

My response that November was to create the Teaching Comparative Government and Politics online discussion site.

Because the format of the discussion group required people to remember to "stop by" the site and see if there were new comments and because spammers kept trying to use the site as a base for their nefarious activities (they still do), I looked for alternatives.

The alternative was this blog, which I started writing last May.

The online discussion group will be going away after the exam this year, but there are still valuable ideas there. In the coming days, I'll be adding some of the best and most read things from the discussion site to the blog before I dismantle the discussion site.

Here's one of the really good items that is appropriate for this end of course time.

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In the summer of 2005, the participants in a summer institute at Oakland University created a glossary of basic concepts for comparative government and politics. They then used those concepts to create teaching plans. The list of lesson plans is in the "Pedagogy" forum at the online discussion site.

Here's the glossary they created.

1. Accountability:

• Definition: a government’s responsibility to its people for its actions, decisions, and policy
• Usage: Citizens who stay aware of their governments’ decisions and policies are more likely to hold their governments accountable by voting in elections.
• Example: Periodic elections and a vote of no confidence are examples of accountability in the government of United Kingdom

2. Checks and Balances (limits on government):

• Definition: divided authority; restrain each other’s actions
• Usage: Elections in Britain check the power of the majority party.
• Example: Fox is having a difficult time passing his ideas because the legislative branch is of the opposing party.

3. Citizenship (subjects):

• Definition: Legal membership to a particular state (country)
• Usage: People who are born in the UK are granted natural citizenship.
• Example: In China, those who are Tibetan may not be recognized as citizens of China.

4. Civil Society/Civic Culture:

• Definition: voluntary civic and social organizations that operate within one or several nations. These organizations are normally voluntary in nature and are centered around shared values, beliefs and issues. Though not part of a formal government, civic and social organizations often work with or against government and seek to influence government decision-making.
• Usage: Is the depth, complexity, and effectiveness of civil society greater in a more democratic state such as Britain than in a less democratic state such as Iran?
• Example: China’s civil society is more tightly regulated by government than Britain’s civil society.

5. Clientalism:

• Definition: Informal policymaking relationship between patron individuals/ institutions who provide goods, services, benefits to those in less strategic or powerful positions in return for their political or economic support
• Usage: Clientelism may provide benefits for both patron and client in the short term as well as an opportunity for corruption
• Example: The PRI in Mexico provided access to job opportunities in labor unions for workers in return for their political support in the elections

6. Comparative Methods:

• Definition: Process to examine and classify systems of government through their similarities and differences, which can be approached by systems theory, case study system or the conceptual system
• Usage: Comparative methods facilitate our understanding of how governments are structured and develop policy, and how that in turn affects their international relationships
• Example: Comparison of privatization in Russia and China and its impact on political and economic structures and political policies

7. Co-optation:

• Definition: Co-optation involves a political entity in power making accommodations for possible dissidents within its domain.
• Usage: Co-optation addresses dissident’s concerns in exchange for political support.
• Example: In Mexico, student protests in the late 1960s resulted in the death of several hundred student activists. The President elected in 1970 understood the potential for future problems. Consequently, he enlisted several of the student activists as government workers, where they were able to work in projects that addressed their concerns.

8. Corporatist:

• Definition: influencing policy in which the state gives favored status to certain interest groups
• Usage: Illustrated by state leaders investing funds or sponsoring programs directed to win the support or favor of a particular group.
• Example: Mexico

9. Economic Liberalization:

• Definition: an economic policy that limits the state’s control of the economy and increases the power of the market and the private sector
• Usage: Global changes may cause a country to adopt policies that lead to economic liberalization.
• Example: Russia, UK, China

10. Elite and Populist politics and culture:

• Definition: the political behavior of elites (of various kinds) is of a different kind and usually has different results when compared to the political behavior at the grassroots level.
• Usage: Elite politics and culture in Mexico is carried out by Spanish speaking professional politicians in “smoke filled rooms;” populist politics involves voting and protest and the acceptance of gifts by people who may or may not speak Spanish.

11. Ethnicity:

• Definition: Group identifiction that typically is rooted in the belief of a common biological ancestry or homeland
• Usage: A nation -state may be composed of multiple ethnicities such as the Ibo , Yoruba, Hausa and Fulani in Nigeria
• Example: Discrimination of various ethnicities residing in the United Kingdom has been addressed by the Race Relations Act (amended in 2000) by promoting racial equality
•
12. Globalization:

• Definition: Globalization refers to the increasing cross border connections throughout the world. Countries share economic, political, and cultural relationships.
• Usage: Technology such as the internet and cable networks help to increase globalization.
• Example: An example of globalization in respect to economic policy is apparent in actions taken by the World Trade Organization such as advocacy for free trade.
•
13. Government Structure:

• Definition: The institutions and institutional arrangements (relationships), formal and informal through which policy decisions are made and implemented.
• Usage: The more democratically the government structure is organized, the more complex it is likely to be.
• Example: Most government structures are unitary and do not include the kinds of checks and balances found in the USA. However, there are usually other limitations on the power of institutions and officials.

14. Imperialism:

• Definition: powerful rich countries spreading their influence around the globe
• Usage: Imperialistic goals of Britain forced China to open trade.
• Example: Opium wars, Hong Kong
•
15. Legitimacy:

• Definition: Legitimacy occurs when the majority of citizens believe that a government is adequately addressing their basic needs, which gives the government the right rule.
• Usage: When governments lack legitimacy, it is difficult to stay in power.
• Example: In Nigeria the government has struggled for legitimacy because it has failed to meet the basic needs of its citizens. Therefore, the people in Nigeria are reluctant to support such a government.
•
16. Nation:

• Definition: a group of people with similar cultural characteristics and political goals
• Usage: Many Nigerians do not identify themselves as members of the nation-state, but rather as members of a nation.
• Example: Nigeria
•
17. Nation-state:

• Definition: a territory with political boundaries and institutions where there is one dominant nation
• Usage: Many Nigerians do not identify themselves as members of the nation-state, but rather as members of a nation.
• Example: Nigeria
•
18. Party Systems:

• Definition: The structure and arrangement of political parties in a political system.
• Usage: The floating party system in Russia is usually visible only in the months before elections. The party system in Iran is mostly visible only by observing the political statements of individuals.
• Example: the party system in Britain involves three parties; the party system in France involves four or five

19. Political Culture:

• Definition: attitudes and beliefs that influence political behavior
• Usage:
• Example: Theme for the entire course

20. Political Economy:

• Definition: the study of the interaction of the political processes and the economy of a state or region
• Usage: China moves from a communist economy to a government directed market economy
• Example: Theme for the entire course

21. Political Ideology:

• Definition: a system of beliefs concerning the proper roles and responsibilities of people and their government—the beliefs need not be specific to any individual state and are often universal in their philosophical underpinnings.
• Usage: To what extent is Marxist political ideology still evident within the People’s Republic of China? What evidence of classical liberal ideology can be found in contemporary British society?
• Example: In many ways, political ideologies have been altered to fit the socioeconomic realities of different nations.

22. Political Particiation:

• Definition: citizens actively involved in their government; making views known and holding them accountable
• Usage: Authoritarian regimes might have participation but their actions are not free
• Example: China can vote but only for the allowed parties.

23. Political Socialization:

• Definition: the process how one's political beliefs and political culture are attained (family, education, media, experiences, church, employment, etc...)
• Usage: Religion (Islam) is a major factor on the political socialization of the people of Iran.

24. Recruitment of Elites:

• Definition: process by which newcomers become members of the political elite
• Usage: In China the recruitment of elites occurs through quanxi.
• Example: China

25. Rule of Law:

• Definition: everyone and every organization, including the political party in charge, is accountable and subject to the law
• Usage: In a country that has an authoritarian system only those who are not in positions of power are subject to the rule of law. Those in power may use the law to keep themselves in power.
• Example: China has not established the rule of law because the CCP may not be subject to the law.

26. Social Welfare

• Definition: a set of governmental policies and programs designed to help and improve the lives of a nation’s citizens. Examples of such programs include material assistance to the needy, health care to some or all citizens, safety provisions, labor regulations, etc.
• Usage: The degree of social welfare within nations is in part a result of political ideology.
• Example: UK web links to social welfare programs.

27. Sources of Authority:

• Definition: various methods that governments use to acquire, gain, and maintain authority
• Usage: Governments of all types use various sources of authority to maintain their power.
• Example: Theme for the entire course.

28. Sovereignty:

• Definition: Authority of a government over its people and territory (independent of other factors/governments)
• Usage: There is a question among some members in the EU about sovereignty and the proposed constitution.
• Example: County and city government in the UK are not sovereign.

29. State:

• Definition: key political institutions responsible for making important policies in a country
• Usage: Parliament is a long established political institution of the state of the United Kingdom.
• Example: UK

30. Structural Adjustment:

• Definition: a program to reform the economic structure of a country often involving privatization, trade liberalization, and limits on the printing of currency.
• Usage: A country which is in debt is often required to follow a structural adjustment program, if it wants to receive assistance from the World Bank or the IMF
• Example: The structural adjustment program imposed on Russia by the IMF involved privatization of state institutions and a limitation on the printing of rubles by the Russian government.

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Labels: concepts, pedagogy

posted by Ken Wedding @ 6:49 AM