Thursday, April 14, 2011

Vocabulary words

Wed. April 27th:
      Vocabulary Quiz 4.1
  1. Gang of Four        
 2. CNC        
3. BUO
 4. CTM    
5. CROM
6.  CROC
7. CNOP   
8. CEN  
9. PARM
 10. Hegemonic party system
11. Proportional representation 
   12. Collectivist
   13. Gulag     

       Friday April 29th:
                
Vocabulary Quiz 4.2

1. Anomic interest groups
2. Associational groups                                          
3. Nonassociational groups                        
4. Consociational party systems
5. Exclusive governing body                                   
6. Inclusive governing party
7. Alliance             
8. New Labour Party                                                         
9. Thatcherism                                                       
10. Blocked vote
11. Communist Party (PCF)                                  
12. CFDT
13. CGT                                                               
14. CNPF
        

Monday May 2nd:

Vocabulary Quiz 4.3
1. FNSEA                                                             
2. Jean Marie Le Pen
3. National Front
4. Prefects
5. RPR                                                                  
6. Socialist Party
7. UDF                                                                 
8. UDC                                         
9. Procuracy                                              
10. PLA
11. Mobilized participation                         
12. Camarilla                                                         
13. Corrienge Democratica                                    
14. Charismo

The Bumpy Road to Democracy- Nigeria

Please post thoughts and comments on the reading by April 26th at 8am.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Mexico Reading posts

Please post a response to the two reading you were given in class today.

1. Mexico's Presidential Elections- Respond to connections you see in the reading between current or past events in the U.S. and/or other countries.
2. Mexico's Women- compare and contrast the role of women in Mexico with that of women in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

GREAT BRITAIN REVIEW SHEET

Country Fact Sheet
Directions
Below is some key information you should know about each countries you studied in Comparative Politics.  Use this chart to test yourself and see what you need to review

GREAT BRITAIN_ REVIEW SHEET
*NOTE: Letters in BLUE are topics you may need to use outside sources to discuss but MUST discuss)

Federal/Unitary


Roles of Local Government (Discuss devolution and centralization)
What did devolution do in GB?
·         Devolution has given some autonomy to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. 
o        New legislatures in Wales and Scotland.
o        1998 Good Friday Agreement between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland allowed for establishment of North Irish Assembly. 
o        Established Office of Mayor and General Assembly in London. 
o        Regional and local authorities have greater legitimacy and more powers than in past, but central governments still controls defense policy, most taxation power, and national economic policy. 
Also, central government may limit power if chooses. 
Presidential, Parliamentary, or Mixed?



Head of State/Head of Government
Head of State
-Queen

Head of Government
Prime Minister (terms, elections, relationships with cabinet members, powers)
Use Figure 8.1
Name of Legislative Branch (Identify both houses if applicable)
Blocs, importance of whips, compared to U.S. functions, newly elected Member of Parliament vs. U.S member of Congress, House of Lords (membership and functions)
·        Discuss backbenchers.  What are they and what is their role, typically, in legislation
·        With whom does legislation typically originate?
·        Vote of no confidence (what is it and how often is it used?)
Name of Judicial Branch
See “unwritten constitution”
- reaction to abuses and secrecy

Bureaucracy/Cabinet
role as advisers, most important departments, role of minister…also, discuss how ministers chosen.
- Importance of Treasury
*Discuss Gordon Brown’s role as PM*
- Ministers

Political Recruitment
- could discuss how ministers chosen here. 
 Participation (turnout, who votes? Ways to participate)
- Recruitment (most important roles and how chosen, geography)


Other important institutions (complete only if applicable to the country)
What is government (Whitehall-Westminster…as a teaching suggestion, compare to the U.S.)
Civil Service (roles, efforts to modernize”
- Abuses of power among civil service.
- Civil Service

Media
Prime Minister and Media “double edged sword”
*Make sure you talk about BBC!*

Legitimacy
UK dominant people group
3 Political Justifications of who should be involved when decisions are made.
- GREAT QUOTE about role of government in shaping political culture and view of the role of government, compliance of people to basic laws, symbols of common past, habit and tradition (also see Churchill quote)
- Negative factor (secrecy)
Discuss in two ways:  Sources of and Evidence of legitimacy
Discuss traditional legitimacy as a source for the British belief in democracy.
Features of the Constitution
- Development of Democracy in England
Table 8.2 (168)
- unwritten (discuss authority, civil rights amendments, courts)
Possible discussion topics for constitution:
Influence of the Magna Carta, the English Civil War, the Glorious Revolution, and the Great Reform Act
Historical Evolution of Political Traditions
- Development of Parliament/Voting
Political Development in England (5 stages)
Discuss monarchy and citizens’ attitutudes towards it here. 
Key Political Leaders and their Policies
- Blair- “
Third Way
- Thatcher,
- additional information about Thatcher
- Major
- Blair
- Box 8.1
- additional information on Blair
You MUST discuss the following leaders:
  • David Cameron
  • Gordon Brown
  • Tony Blair
  • Margaret Thatcher
Ethnic Cleavages
- Scotland and Whales, N. Ireland (discuss Protestant/Catholic conflict),
- IRA
- United Kingdom dominant

Political Parties (Identify/describe platforms of 3)

- Labour and Conservative
- emergence of a multi-party system, “first past the post system”, contrast with Italy and Belgium
- Leadership of Party, Image and appeals
The Liberal Democrats is the significant 3rd Party in GB. Discuss this party, as well. 

Define collectivist consensus of 50’s and 60’s and how this mindset changed into the 1970’s.
Electoral Systems
- emergence of a multi-party system, “first past the post system”, contrast with Italy and Belgium

Discuss differences between US and British electoral systems
Role of Political Elites
- higher educated and role in society.

Citizens
- Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland
- Insularity (1/2 don’t think of themselves as Europeans)
- views of Govt. (influence by abuses of political power)
- culture as a constraint on policy
- Political socialization (family and gender roles)...impact on party membership, voting, social roles, education and impact on voting, class and impact on voting.

Interest Group System (identify pluralist or corporatist)
- CBI, TUC
*discuss goals, connections to political parties of interest groups*


- Keeping pressure at a distance (state-distancing strategy)
Are the CBI and TUC part of a corporatists arrangement in Great Britain?  Discuss arguments for and against this statement.
Economic System
(identify capitalist, socialist, etc.; identify major economic policies government has adopted)
- dependent on world trade
 *will probably have to research outside resources*
- Turning to the market (contrast Labour and Conservative positions on the economy, discuss privatization.)

First World/Third World
- Choice today in Great Britain regarding Economy…good Dean Acheson quote

Supranational Organizations
-European Union member but unique
- member of125 International Bodies
What are citizens’ attitudes towards the rest of Europe and/or the European Union? (hint: research the term “euro skeptics”)
Public Policy
- Government as a network (power/policymaking consists)
- From Trust to Contract (see 198 2nd paragraph and discuss how they save $)
- Contingency of Influence (Balance of control/local government, octopus)
- Why policy matters (benefits of average citizen, cost of public policy, tax on consumption, social security)
- Policy outcomes (National Defense, International Alliances, Economy, Poverty)
Discuss Great Britain’s public policy challenges in terms of its welfare state status. 
Other
- Iraq War a source of controversy
Whitehall (what mean?)

Discuss “quangos”

TERMS TO KNOW:
MP= Members of Parliament
“backbenchers”- not chosen to be ministers

IRAN REVIEW SHEET

Country Fact Sheet
Directions
Below is some key information you should know about each countries you studied in Comparative Politics.  Use this chart to test yourself and see what you need to review

IRAN REVIEW SHEET
Federal/Unitary
theocracy

Number of subunits

Description of arrangement (for example, devolution, etc)
- explain HOW a theocracy (include terms: shari’a, ulema,
- Local Elections (this is not comprehensive but will give you some insight into how local governments work in this federalist system

Presidential, Parliamentary, or Mixed?

Name of Head of State (for example, President)
Leader, Council of Guardians, Expediency Council
Name of Head of Government
- President
Head of State/Head of Government
*see above page numbers for the information in these columns*
Powers of head of state, length of term
Council of Guardians, Expediency Council
Powers of the leader (discuss fatwas like caviar and chess, advisory authority of Expediency Council)
Powers of head of government
- Multiple Power Centers
- National Security Council
*this will need to be further researched from outside sources*

Election of head of state, length of term
Presidential Elections
Election of head of government
- Presidential Elections
Name of Legislative Branch (Identify both houses if applicable)
Number of seats in legislative branch, length of term, describe power of legislative branch (rubber stamp, powerful)
Parliament (Majles)
Describe elections of legislative branch
- Parliamentary Elections
Name of Judicial Branch
How are judges selected?
who appoints?
Council of guardians
Expediency Council
Describe type of power
*Describe judicial power by considering outside sources…don’t forget the following:
- Council of guardians
- Expediency Council
- Judiciary’s abuse of power
Bureaucracy/Cabinet
Describe bureaucracy
*this will require further research. Don’t forget to discuss the following:
POLICY OUTCOMES (Incoherent Policies...use music as an example of how complicated implementation of policy sometimes is)
Describe cabinet
Political Recruitment/Participation
How are elites recruited?
RECRUITING THE POLITICAL ELITE (discuss role of personalism, how clergy, nonclerical parliamentarians and ministers, educational, and military institutions recruited)
What are various forms of participation?
- INTEREST ARTICULATION AND AGGREGATION (Noninstitutional Forms of Interest Articulation and Aggregation (clientalism and patron-client networks)
Other important institutions (complete only if applicable to the country)
Institutional Groups and Professional Organizations (discuss Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and volunteer mobilization corps)
Summarize State Institutions Not Mentioned in the Constitution(Supreme  Council for the Cultural Revolution)

Media
Describe type of “feedback” citizens receive
Mass Media…how does it unify AND divide Iranians? (Discuss TV, radio, newspapers, and what happens to journalists who criticize government?)

Legitimacy
Describe levels of legitimacy

Identify sources of legitimacy
Discuss role of religion and citizens’ reaction to it as a source of legitimacy. Use the following to supplement, although this is not totally exclusive:
- HISTORICAL LEGACY
·        - Twelver Shiism (explains how theocracy established….pay CLOSE attention to this section.

Features of the Constitution
When was it written?
·        Constitutionalism in Iran
·        Islamic Revolution (describe the principle of velayate-e faqih)

Identify 3 unique features
- An Honestly Undemocratic Constitution…What does this phrase mean?
- 2nd column, middle  paragraph
Historical Evolution of Political Traditions


Pay special attention to highlighted sections and explain the in detail
(Identify 3 key events and briefly explain how the events shaped current government (revolutions for example)
HISTORICAL LEGACY
·        Twelver Shiism (explains how theocracy established….pay CLOSE attention to this section.
·        Constitutionalism in Iran
·        The Pahlavi monarchy
·        Islamic Revolution (describe the principle of velayate-e faqih)
·        Iran-Iraq War


Key Political Leaders and their Policies
Identify and describe at least 3 key political leaders
Ruhollah Khomeini
Mohammad-Reza Shah Pahlavi
Ali-Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani
Mohammad Mossadegh
Ali Khamenei
Mohammad Khatami
Muhamud Ahmadinejad

Ethnic Cleavages
Identify the major ethnic cleavages in the country

Sunnis and Shiites (discuss beliefs and know the differences between the two)
Describe the results of these cleavages in political conflict and government response; include a description of women
- discuss various women’s groups
- Gender Relations (discuss key reproaches, Islamic Penal Code of 1981, ad hoc discriminations. Also, discuss how the role of women has changed and increased their participation in society, and changes in perceptions over the role of women. Finally, discuss “Islamic feminism”)
Political Parties (Identify/describe platforms of 3)

BEFORE the revolution, there was the Tudeh party and the National Front party
ELECTIONS AND PARTIES (the prerevolutionary legacy, post revolutionary parties (describe beliefs of conservatives, pragmatists, and radicals)
Islamic Republican party (IRP)

- 2nd column middle paragraph (autonomous associations…discuss Shirin Ebadi)
- Discuss the negative effect of factionalism on political parties)
- 2nd column, bottom paragraph (why are parties limited in their role?)
Electoral Systems
Describe the methods by which citizens elect their leaders.  Include length of terms, frequency of elections,
Presidential Elections and Parliamentary Elections

Role of Political Elites
Identify elites (people with political power) and describe the role

Citizens
Describe attitudes towards government (political socialization)
Who can vote before the Revolution?
POLITICAL CULTURE (discuss citizen belief in conspiracies, relationship with western world, ethnic nationalism, patriotism, and nuclear technology)
extreme individualism
Policy Level
POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION
·        Discuss Education System (prerevolutionary textbooks, cultural revolution, Islamic economics, Islamic sciences, basij,) The Military (how revolution and Iran-Iraq war influence generation), Religion and Religious Institutions (VERY important), and Family and Social Groups
Discuss “state educational system” and literacy rates among population
Describe types of political participation
- Presidential Elections and Parliamentary Elections
- Process level
- INTEREST ARTICULATION AND AGGREGATION (Noninstitutional Forms of Interest Articulation and Aggregation (clientalism and patron-client networks), Institutionalized Forms of Interest Articulation and Aggregation: Voting, Institutional Groups and Professional Organizations (House of Labor, Iranian Chamber of Commerce, Industries, and Mines), and Nonassociational Social Groups, Demonstrations and Public Protests (civil disobedience, protests, sit-ins, demonstrations))
Interest Group System (identify pluralist or corporatist)
Identify key interest groups
Bazaari merchants
Martyr’s Foundations, the Foundation of the Disinherited, Society of the Devotees of the Islamic Republic, and Headquarters of the POWs
Describe their power and activities
See left column
Economic System
(identify capitalist, socialist, etc.; identify major economic policies government has adopted)
Identify state-owned industries, foreign-owned industries, nature of privatization
Contrast 1980s and 1990s
Describe impact of Iran’s macro-economic policy and the number one worry of young Iranians.
Describe nature of private/public industries
*Will require outside research. Don’t forget below…
- The legacy of Oil Wealth: A Rentier State
First World/Third World
Describe level of economic development
Identify 5 socioeconomic indicators that places the country in this category
- Literacy Rates of population
- Improvements in the countryside
- Iranians struggle to make ends meet. How and why?
- “Third Wordlists” approach to foreign policy (left column and then right column bottom paragraph)
Supranational Organizations
Identify supranational organizations that country is a part of
Foreign Policy (3 concentric circles)
Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution of Iraq
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (explain)

Discuss impact of supranational organizations on sovereignty and on development
- Discuss relations with United States and how American economic embargo has affected the airline industry.

Public Policy
Identify and describe 3 recent policies

Population Growth Policies (birth rates), health care, improvements in the country side, provision of basic services to people
Islamicization of Society (what social behaviors does it control?)
Foreign Policy (summarize all aspects of its approach to foreign policy)
pay special attention to nuclear program of Iran (and research more current events regarding this program)
Identify and describe most pressing current problems
- CURRENT POLICY CHALLENGES (describe view of “west”, post revolutionary reality, role of oil reserves, employment issues (and relate to educational system), corruption, ethnic minorities, and community and development)
- Power Centers and the Difficulty of Policy Coordination
-POLICY OUTCOMES (Incoherent Policies...use music as an example of how complicated implementation of policy sometimes is)
Other