POSC 335 Final Study Guide
State- The state is the organization that maintains a monopoly of legitimate violence over a given
territory. This means that organizations such as the mob do not qualify as the state since their
power is illegitimate and limited to a specific area. Examples of states include Germany and
Britain since they have established themselves as the only organizations that are legitimately
allowed to use force or grant others the right to use force.
Nation- The nation is a group of people bound together by common political aspirations, most
importantly the desire for self-government and sovereignty. An example includes Kosovo as the
people that make up this nation created a state where they could use its sovereign nature to
determine their own fate rather than have it determined by Serbia.
Liberalism- Liberalism favors a limited state role in society and the economy with an emphasis
upon individual political and economic freedom. An example of a country that follows liberalism
is the United Kingdom as this country emphasizes individual freedom and equality, although this
freedom and equality is associated with competition and contestation as part of liberal
democracy.
Fascism- Fascism asserts the superiority of certain groups and stresses a low degree of freedom
and equality in favor of a powerful state. An example of fascism is Nazi Germany where Jews
were considered to be part of an inferior race that interfered with the success of a superior Aryan
race. In addition, extensive repression of civil liberties was exercised in an attempt to assure the
power of the Nazi state.
Communism- Communism emphasizes limited personal freedom and a strong state in order to
achieve social equality. An example was the Soviet Union where the government took control of
all property and instituted a command economy where all production and wages were
predetermined, all in an effort to emphasize the needs of society over one single person.
Social democracy- Social democracy seeks to balance freedom and equality through social
expenditures and state intervention in the economy. Examples include European countries such
as France and Germany where resources are used to redistribute income through a strong system
of social expenditures.
Neo-Corporatism- This is where a small number of businesses and labor unions work with the
state to set economic policy. An example is in Germany where a limited number of associations
represent nearly all of business and labor in discussions with the government over important
issues such as wages and compensation.
Fundamentalism- Fundamentalism is a view where religion is united with the state as the
sovereign authority. An example is Iran where Sharia law is placed at the center of the state and
determines how procedures such as judicial and executive proceedings will be carried out.
Market- A market is the interaction between the forces of supply and demand, which results in
the allocation of resources. Depending on the political-economic system that is in place, the
forces of supply and demand can act differently. For example, a market in a capitalist system
such as America is determined by the free interaction of supply and demand where in a
, communist system such as North Korea, the government determines what supply and demand
will be in the market.
Public Good- A public good is something that is non-excludable (cannot prevent one person
from enjoying) and non-rivalrous (enjoyment of one person does not lessen the enjoyment of
another person). An example of a public good in Canada is health care as the government
provides it in the form of publicly owned hospitals and equal benefits to all citizens. Every
citizen is entitled to health care and the same level of health care.
Parliamentary system- A parliamentary system is where power is split between a strong prime
minster who is selected by the legislature to serve as head of government and a weak president or
monarch as head of state. An example is Britain where power is split between the monarch as a
weak and ceremonial head of state and the prime minster as a powerful head of government with
the majority of power and who is selected from the largest party in the legislature.
Presidential system- A presidential system is where the roles of head of state and head of
government are combined into one executive office. An example of this system is Mexico where
the elected president reigns as an important national symbol and rules as a director of policy.
Semi-presidential system- A semi-presidential system is where executive power is split between
two strong executives, a president and prime minister that reflects the majority in the legislature.
How this power is split differs from country to country, but one example of a semipresidential
system is Russia where the president is more powerful and the prime minister from the majority
in the Duma plays a supporting role.
SMD- A single member district is an electoral district with one seat, which tends to result in
power being concentrated in two large parties. Examples include France and Australia where two
parties dominate in majority single member districts even though majority single member
districts are a weaker reinforcement of the two party system.
Proportional representation- Proportional representation is where political parties compete in
multimember districts and are awarded seats based upon the proportion of the vote received,
which can lead to parties receiving seats with a smaller percentage of the vote. An example is in
South Africa in 2004 where a significant number of small parties gained seats, which would
never have happened when contesting for one seat in a SMD.
First past the post- First past the post is where a candidate or party only needs to achieve a
plurality of votes in an SMD to win the seat, which has the ability to magnify a majority winner.
An example is in the United Kingdom in 2005 where the Labour Party won 55 percent of the
seats and the Conservative Party won 30 percent of the seats despite both parties achieving about
the same number of votes. Winner take all helped to magnify the slight majority in vote to a
significant majority in seats.
Totalitarianism- Totalitarianism is a nondemocratic regime that has a strong ideological goal and
seeks to control and transform all aspects of the state, society, and economy with violence as a
tool for this transformation. An example is the Soviet Union under Stalin as Stalin executed and
imprisoned millions in his radical restructuring of domestic institutions and private life.
State- The state is the organization that maintains a monopoly of legitimate violence over a given
territory. This means that organizations such as the mob do not qualify as the state since their
power is illegitimate and limited to a specific area. Examples of states include Germany and
Britain since they have established themselves as the only organizations that are legitimately
allowed to use force or grant others the right to use force.
Nation- The nation is a group of people bound together by common political aspirations, most
importantly the desire for self-government and sovereignty. An example includes Kosovo as the
people that make up this nation created a state where they could use its sovereign nature to
determine their own fate rather than have it determined by Serbia.
Liberalism- Liberalism favors a limited state role in society and the economy with an emphasis
upon individual political and economic freedom. An example of a country that follows liberalism
is the United Kingdom as this country emphasizes individual freedom and equality, although this
freedom and equality is associated with competition and contestation as part of liberal
democracy.
Fascism- Fascism asserts the superiority of certain groups and stresses a low degree of freedom
and equality in favor of a powerful state. An example of fascism is Nazi Germany where Jews
were considered to be part of an inferior race that interfered with the success of a superior Aryan
race. In addition, extensive repression of civil liberties was exercised in an attempt to assure the
power of the Nazi state.
Communism- Communism emphasizes limited personal freedom and a strong state in order to
achieve social equality. An example was the Soviet Union where the government took control of
all property and instituted a command economy where all production and wages were
predetermined, all in an effort to emphasize the needs of society over one single person.
Social democracy- Social democracy seeks to balance freedom and equality through social
expenditures and state intervention in the economy. Examples include European countries such
as France and Germany where resources are used to redistribute income through a strong system
of social expenditures.
Neo-Corporatism- This is where a small number of businesses and labor unions work with the
state to set economic policy. An example is in Germany where a limited number of associations
represent nearly all of business and labor in discussions with the government over important
issues such as wages and compensation.
Fundamentalism- Fundamentalism is a view where religion is united with the state as the
sovereign authority. An example is Iran where Sharia law is placed at the center of the state and
determines how procedures such as judicial and executive proceedings will be carried out.
Market- A market is the interaction between the forces of supply and demand, which results in
the allocation of resources. Depending on the political-economic system that is in place, the
forces of supply and demand can act differently. For example, a market in a capitalist system
such as America is determined by the free interaction of supply and demand where in a
, communist system such as North Korea, the government determines what supply and demand
will be in the market.
Public Good- A public good is something that is non-excludable (cannot prevent one person
from enjoying) and non-rivalrous (enjoyment of one person does not lessen the enjoyment of
another person). An example of a public good in Canada is health care as the government
provides it in the form of publicly owned hospitals and equal benefits to all citizens. Every
citizen is entitled to health care and the same level of health care.
Parliamentary system- A parliamentary system is where power is split between a strong prime
minster who is selected by the legislature to serve as head of government and a weak president or
monarch as head of state. An example is Britain where power is split between the monarch as a
weak and ceremonial head of state and the prime minster as a powerful head of government with
the majority of power and who is selected from the largest party in the legislature.
Presidential system- A presidential system is where the roles of head of state and head of
government are combined into one executive office. An example of this system is Mexico where
the elected president reigns as an important national symbol and rules as a director of policy.
Semi-presidential system- A semi-presidential system is where executive power is split between
two strong executives, a president and prime minister that reflects the majority in the legislature.
How this power is split differs from country to country, but one example of a semipresidential
system is Russia where the president is more powerful and the prime minister from the majority
in the Duma plays a supporting role.
SMD- A single member district is an electoral district with one seat, which tends to result in
power being concentrated in two large parties. Examples include France and Australia where two
parties dominate in majority single member districts even though majority single member
districts are a weaker reinforcement of the two party system.
Proportional representation- Proportional representation is where political parties compete in
multimember districts and are awarded seats based upon the proportion of the vote received,
which can lead to parties receiving seats with a smaller percentage of the vote. An example is in
South Africa in 2004 where a significant number of small parties gained seats, which would
never have happened when contesting for one seat in a SMD.
First past the post- First past the post is where a candidate or party only needs to achieve a
plurality of votes in an SMD to win the seat, which has the ability to magnify a majority winner.
An example is in the United Kingdom in 2005 where the Labour Party won 55 percent of the
seats and the Conservative Party won 30 percent of the seats despite both parties achieving about
the same number of votes. Winner take all helped to magnify the slight majority in vote to a
significant majority in seats.
Totalitarianism- Totalitarianism is a nondemocratic regime that has a strong ideological goal and
seeks to control and transform all aspects of the state, society, and economy with violence as a
tool for this transformation. An example is the Soviet Union under Stalin as Stalin executed and
imprisoned millions in his radical restructuring of domestic institutions and private life.
