Political Systems and Multicultural Integration

Study Notes

Ethnocultural identities must be recognized and accommodated within political institutions.
Recognizing groups helps preserve distinct cultures and improves socioeconomic status.
Recognizing group rights can lead to disintegration if it undermines national identity and shared values.
Presidential governments have a president as the head of state and government.
Parliamentary governments have a prime minister as the head of state and government.
Vote of no confidence is a process where parliament votes to remove a government.
Unitary systems have a central government with sole constitutional power.
Federal systems divide power constitutionally among multiple levels of government.

A coup d'état is a forceful removal of a regime and establishment of a new one.
Democracies and highly institutionalized regimes are less likely to experience a coup because military is controlled by civilians.
Coups occur when military efforts to remain loyal to a regime fail.
This can be due to weak institutions, political cultures not valuing nonmilitary power transfers, and military seeking own interests.
Coups often result in personalist regimes with less institutionalization.

A revolution involves fundamental regime and social change, often from below.
It is much rarer than a coup.
Political outcomes can vary in revolutions, including the possibility of democracy.

A market economy involves individuals and firms exchanging goods and services in a largely free manner.
A command economy is where prices, property, and production are controlled by the state.
Market failures can occur when markets don't perform efficiently due to externalities, imperfect information, or monopolies.

Neoliberalism promotes government balancing its budget and minimizing role in the economy.
It rejects Keynesian policies.
Keynesianism suggests government intervention can manage business cycles through fiscal and monetary policy.

Foreign Direct Investment is investment from abroad in productive activity in another country.
International Capital Flows are movements of capital money across international borders

Universal Entitlements are benefits provided to all citizens, typically funded through general taxation.
Examples include public education.

Means-tested public assistance programs provide benefits to individuals below a specific income level.
Examples include child/family allowances, Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).