INTRO TO COPO

1. INTRO TO COPO STUDENT NOTES 2

2. When classifying governments, you can ask five questions to help you classify them: • Who can participate? • How is power distributed? • How are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches structured? • What is the relationship between the legislative and executive branch? • What type of electoral systems do they have?

3. II. Sovereignty, Authority, and Power 1.) Who can participate? • The two classifications are authoritarian or democratic • Measured by: • Electoral process and pluralism • Civil liberties • Functioning of government • Political participation • Political culture • NEVER use the word democracy without the following: substantive, procedural, liberal, illiberal

4. LIBERAL DEMOCRACY • SUBSTANTIVE DEMOCRACY • A democracy with strong protections of civil rights and liberties, access to information, political competition and economic freedom • Focuses substantially on ELECTIONS • Should be competitive and results are likely representative of the political views of the population w/ peaceful transitions

5. II. Sovereignty, Authority, and Power 1.) Who can participate? • LIBERAL DEMOCRACY: limits the power of the government • Sustained and recurring national elections • Competitive political parties • Civilian control over the military • An independent judiciary • Usually a fairly high level of economic development • Civil liberties/human rights protected

7. ILLIBERAL DEMOCRACY • PROCEDURAL DEMOCRACY • A democracy without strong protections of civil rights and liberties, where the process may be censored and a low level of political competition and/or economic freedom • ELECTIONS are held – fraud or vetting of candidates – results may not be reflective of people

8. II. Sovereignty, Authority, and Power 1.) Who can participate? • Illiberal democracies- appear like other established democracies but, procedurally, are not democratic. • Elections are held without regard to civil liberties/rights/human rights or electoral competition. • Large-scale disenfranchisement, probably on ethnic/racial grounds • Access to the media is often restricted or freedom of the press is greatly curtailed. • State institutions like the judiciary, the military, or state-run industries are under the direct control of government who, then, uses it to control political opposition. • Small/weak civil society

9. For each country and territory, Freedom in the World analyzes the electoral process, political pluralism and participation, the functioning of the government, freedom of expression and of belief, associational and organizational rights, the rule of law, and personal autonomy and individual rights

10. REGIME • Regimes are the fundamental rules and norms of politics. • Endure beyond individual governments and leaders • Determines level of democracy • Stems from regimen – guidance, rules • Regimes can be institutions and/or individuals. • Examples of changes in regimes: • French Revolution overthrowing the monarchy • South Africans overthrowing apartheid white rule

11. Regimes can be grouped into three broad categories: • Liberal/Substantive (consolidated) democratic regimes—democratic political systems solidly and stably established for ample period of time with consistent adherence to core democratic principles. • Procedural/Illiberal democracies (flawed) or Hybrid regimes—countries that have moved from authoritarian government to a democratic one. While some democratic forms are present, the regime has yet to demonstrate consistent adherence to core democratic principles. • Authoritarian Regimes—system of rule in which power depends not on popular legitimacy, but on the coercive force of political authorities. • Authoritarian Characteristics: • Elites who hold political power make decisions • Some based on Communism • Gov’t officials interact with people/groups outside gov’t before they set policy • Economy is tightly controlled by the political elite • Citizens have little to no input on selection of leaders • Restriction of civil liberties very common

12. In 2016, populist and nationalist political forces made astonishing gains in democratic states, while authoritarian powers engaged in brazen acts of aggression, and grave atrocities went unanswered in war zones across two continents. • All of these developments point to a growing danger that the international order of the past quarter-century—rooted in the principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law—will give way to a world in which individual leaders and nations pursue their own narrow interests without meaningful constraints, and without regard for the shared benefits of global peace, freedom, and prosperity.

13. DEMOCRATIZATION • The transformation process by which a non-democratic state changes to a government that allows free and fair elections. This eventually leads to a greater protection of civil rights and liberties and greater political and economic competition

14. POLITICAL LIBERALIZATION • The process of minimizing government interference/supervision of individuals and/or society • Increasing the rights enjoyed by citizens • A necessary part of democratization

15. II. Sovereignty, Authority, and Power1.) Who can participate? • Authoritarianism - political regime where a small group of individuals exercises power over the state without being constitutionally responsible to the public. • Built upon the restriction of individualfreedom. • Driven by the whims of those in power. • Totalitarianism - highly centralized regime that possesses some form of strongideology that seeks to transform and absorb aspects of the state, society, and the economy. • It seeks to use power to transform the total fabric of a nation, which distinguishes it from authoritarianism. • Totalitarianism shattershumanwill, and destroys the ability of individuals to create or aspire to freedom.

16. CORPORATISM • An authoritarian government system in which groups are given a monopoly in representing an interest. Creates limited public influence. • Contrast with PLURALISM where MULTIPLE groups compete

17. CO-OPTATION • Individuals outside of the govt are brought into a beneficial relationship, thereby tacitly supporting an authoritarian govt • Means to an end

18. Theocracy A political system in which religious leaders control political decisions and religious law provides the basis for policy decisions. Examples?

19. When classifying governments, you can ask five questions to help you classify them: • Who can participate? • How is power distributed? • How are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches structured? • What is the relationship between the legislative and executive branch? • What type of electoral systems do they have?

20. II. Sovereignty, Authority, and Power2.) How is power distributed? Unitary System – concentrates all policymaking powers in one central government (geographic) place Ex.) Britain, Iran, China Confederal System – spreads the power among many sub-units and has a weak central government. Ex.) United States (1781-1788) • The difference between the three has to do with how power is distributed over a geographic area Federal System – divides the power between the central government & the sub-units Ex.) Russia, Mexico, Nigeria, U.S.

21. Federal System • A system of governance in which political authority is shared between the national government and regional or state governments • Power CANNOT be removed from sub governments • Protected usually through codification in a constitution • EX: The United States, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia (Asymmetric)

22. Federal Systems Advantages • Protects ethnic, linguistic, or religious minorities. • Serves as a check on ambitious rulers and protects markets and citizenfreedoms • Allows for experimentation. • Citizens may choose the policy that best fits them at the regional level. Disadvantages • Limited equality because citizens get different treatments and benefits from different local governments.

23. Devolution • A process of delegating some decision making to local public bodies (decentralization) • Different from federalism b/c can be revoked • When it’s a unitary system: • The UK is doing this with Scotland and Wales. • This is also a sign of fragmentation • Usually done to reverse or quell separatist movements • Could be described as moving from a unitary system to a federal system

24. Sometimes, leaders of unitary systems voluntarily choose to decentralize power • Why? • To pacify politicalrivals (intra- or interparty rivalry; devolution in the United Kingdom as an example). • To prevent revolution. • Ethnic/regional/national cleavages. • To increase legitimacy. • To increase politicalparticipation. • Political efficiency (such as distribution of services and tax collection). • To increase accountability of local leaders (e.g., China)

25. When this happens, there is still a distinct difference between a federal system, however: • Power can be takenaway in a unitary system (by the central government). • Subnational government’s powers are not constitutionally protected. • In a unitary system decentralization is not necessarily symmetrical. • Local legislature/government can be dissolved in unitary systems but not in federal systems.

26. When classifying governments, you can ask five questions to help you classify them: • Who can participate? • How is power distributed? • How are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches structured? • What is the relationship between the legislative and executive branch? • What type of electoral systems do they have?

27. III. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS3) How are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches structured? PRESIDENTIAL • Typically, a singlechiefexecutive who performs ceremonial and political roles. • Elected separately from the legislature!!!! • Terms of office are fixed. • Presidents typically have veto power. PARLIAMENTARY • Typically, a splitchiefexecutive • Head of Stateperforms ceremonial functions; public rep of state • Head of Governmentperforms political functions; leads operations of government • Elected by the legislature!!!! • The influence of the executive rests almost primarily with their influence over the legislature. • Terms of office are determined by the maximum term for the legislature. • The veto power is used much lessfrequently, if it exists at all.

28. III. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS • Executive– carries out the laws and policies of a state. • Head of State • Symbolizes and Represents the people (nationally & internationally) • May not have any real policymaking power • Head of Government • Everyday tasks of running government • Directs activities of other members of Executive Branch • Head of State & Government

29. Cabinet • Refers to the group of leaders (often called “ministers” or “secretaries”) of all major departments (sometimes called “ministries”) into which the executive branch is divided • In parliamentary systems the cabinet is the key organization that forms policy proposals • The CABINET and the PM are collectively called “the Government” in parliamentary systems • The cabinet in parliamentary systems is typically selected by the head of government & can be dismissed when a government loses a vote of confidence • In presidential systems, the cabinet is selected by and can be dismissed by the president

30. Comparing Cabinets PRESIDENTIAL CABINETS • The president selects cabinet members and, sometimes, must go through legislative approval. • Role is limited. PARLIAMENTARY CABINETS • The entire cabinet is subject to the legislature and the prime minister (PM) is just the “first among equals.” • The PM must maintain the confidence of the parliamentary majority so they must consult the legislature when choosing a cabinet. • **There are distinct differences in how a cabinet is formed depending on whether there is a two-party or multi-party system

31. III. POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS3) How are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches structured? • Bureaucracy – consist of agencies that implement government policy. • A hierarchically structured organization charged w/ carrying out the policies determined by those w/ political authority • In democracies provide continuity over time • In authoritarian regimes, head of gov’t exercises control; patronage system • Characteristics • Non-Elected Positions • Impersonal, Efficient/Goal-Orientated Structures • Hierarchical Organization • Red tape/inefficiency

32. Bureaucracies • The bureaucracy has almost exclusive control over implementinglaws and regulations. • Executives and bureaucracies mutually depend on each other. Executives need bureaucracies to carry out their policies and make decisions, while bureaucracies need guidance, direction, and resources from the executive. • Examples of mutual cooperation: creating budgets and reorganization of administrative capabilities.

33. Bureaucracies • Bureaucracies are often called “quasi-legislative” because they often have experts clarify legislation. • Bureaucracies can also perform “quasi-judicial” functions because they ensure laws are followed. They monitor and penalize citizens or organizations that do not follow their laws. • Laws are, typically, vague so implementing and enforcing policies often depends on the interpretations of the bureaucracy. They also have some leeway as to how much they want to enforce certain laws.

34. Bureaucracies ADVANTAGES • They promote consistency, competency, fair treatment, and protection from political influences. DISADVANTAGES • They tend to be stodgy, rule-bound, inflexible, and insensitive to the needs of citizens. • Few incentives to be innovative and efficient. • Many citizens are tired of bureaucracies due to this lack of efficiency and responsiveness.

35. Elite Recruitment • Refers to the selection of people for political activity and government offices • In a democracy, competitive elections play a major role in political recruitment • In authoritarian systems, recruitment may be dominated by a single party, as in China, or unelected religious leaders, as in Iran