9 Comparative Analysis of Political Systems Free Online FlashCards

What are political institutions?

Institutions are formal rules and organizations that distribute authority and structure political decisions, such as legislatures, executives, and courts.

What does a political regime determine?

A regime is the set of rules and practices governing who can exercise power and how leaders are selected, constrained, and replaced.

What does it mean to operationalize a political concept?

Operationalizing a concept means defining it in observable terms so it can be compared systematically.

How does V-Dem address the measurement of democracy?

V-Dem combines multiple indicators and expert judgments, and reports uncertainty alongside its estimates.

How does first-past-the-post work in UK House of Commons elections?

In UK House of Commons elections, the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins.

How does the U.S. Constitution distribute authority?

U.S. federal authority is divided among legislative, executive, and judicial branches, while powers are also distributed between the federal government and the states.

How does the state differ from the government of the day?

The state is the enduring set of public institutions governing a territory; the government of the day is distinct from it.

How can policy adoption differ from implementation and outcomes?

Policy adoption is the decision to enact a policy; implementation is carrying it out. Similar laws can produce different results when resources, administrative competence, or compliance differ.

Why are elections alone insufficient to establish democracy?

Holding elections alone does not establish that political competition is free or meaningful.

What is a most-similar-systems comparison?

A most-similar-systems comparison examines countries that share important characteristics but differ in the outcome of interest.

What is a most-different-systems comparison?

A most-different-systems comparison examines unlike countries with a similar outcome, which may point to a common explanation.

What can first-past-the-post do to party representation?

First-past-the-post can let a party win many seats without a similar share of the nationwide vote, and can favor geographically concentrated support.