Comparative Government Notes
Vocab List 1
advanced democracies: countries that have highly institutionalized democracies and a high level of economic development. authoritarian regimes: a government that concentrates political power in an authority not responsible to the people. authority- traditional: a form of leadership in which the authority is largely tied to customs or traditions. authority- charismatic: a form of leadership resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism, or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him. authority- rational-legal: a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or ruling regime is largely tied to legal rationality, legal legitimacy, and bureaucracy. bicameral legislatures: legislative body with two houses. bureaucracy: the body of officials and administrators of a government or government department. cabinet coalition: a cabinet with representatives from different parties. checks and balances: a governmental system of divided authority in which coequal branches can restrain each other’s actions. civil society: space occupied by voluntary associations outside the state (i.e.: trade unions, religious bodies, lawyers, doctors, etc). coinciding cleavages: divided and problems are amplified. command economies: a form of socialist economic organization in which government decisions rather than market mechanisms are the major influences in determining the nation’s economic direction. common law: law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunes rather than through legislative statues or executive branch action. code law: type of legislation that purports to exhaustively cover a complete system of laws or particular area of law as it existed at the time the code was enacted. communism: a system of social organization based on the common ownership and coordination of production. competitive elections: fair and procedural
advanced democracies: countries that have highly institutionalized democracies and a high level of economic development. authoritarian regimes: a government that concentrates political power in an authority not responsible to the people. authority- traditional: a form of leadership in which the authority is largely tied to customs or traditions. authority- charismatic: a form of leadership resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism, or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him. authority- rational-legal: a form of leadership in which the authority of an organization or ruling regime is largely tied to legal rationality, legal legitimacy, and bureaucracy. bicameral legislatures: legislative body with two houses. bureaucracy: the body of officials and administrators of a government or government department. cabinet coalition: a cabinet with representatives from different parties. checks and balances: a governmental system of divided authority in which coequal branches can restrain each other’s actions. civil society: space occupied by voluntary associations outside the state (i.e.: trade unions, religious bodies, lawyers, doctors, etc). coinciding cleavages: divided and problems are amplified. command economies: a form of socialist economic organization in which government decisions rather than market mechanisms are the major influences in determining the nation’s economic direction. common law: law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunes rather than through legislative statues or executive branch action. code law: type of legislation that purports to exhaustively cover a complete system of laws or particular area of law as it existed at the time the code was enacted. communism: a system of social organization based on the common ownership and coordination of production. competitive elections: fair and procedural