| Politics |
The process of making collective decisions through power, negotiation, and conflict. |
vs. Policy: Politics decides what should be done; policy defines how. |
| Policy |
A set of decisions, plans, or actions adopted to address specific public issues. |
vs. Governance: Policy is a product; governance is the process. |
| Governance |
The mechanisms, institutions, and practices through which power is exercised and decisions are implemented. |
Includes both state and non-state actors. |
| Government |
The formal institutions through which a society makes and enforces collective decisions. |
A subset of governance; narrower in scope. |
| State |
A political organization with a monopoly on the legitimate use of force within a territory. |
vs. Nation: State is legal/political; nation is cultural/ethnic. |
| Regime |
The set of rules, norms, and institutions that determine how political power is obtained and exercised. |
e.g., democratic, authoritarian, hybrid. |
| Ideology |
A system of beliefs and values about how society should be organized and governed. |
e.g., liberalism, socialism, conservatism. |
| Power |
The capacity to influence others or control resources and decisions. |
Forms: coercive, persuasive, structural. |
| Authority |
Legitimate power recognized as rightful by those subject to it. |
vs. Coercion: Authority is accepted; coercion is imposed. |
| Legitimacy |
The perceived rightfulness of a rule or ruler, which fosters voluntary compliance. |
Sources: legal-rational, traditional, charismatic (Weber). |
| Sovereignty |
Supreme authority within a territory, free from external interference. |
Can be internal (domestic control) or external (recognition). |
| Citizenship |
The legal and political membership in a state, with associated rights and duties. |
May involve civic participation, voting, obligations. |
| Democracy |
A regime where political power is exercised by the people, often through representation. |
Types: direct, representative, deliberative, participatory. |
| Authoritarianism |
A regime characterized by limited political pluralism and concentrated power. |
vs. Totalitarianism: the latter seeks total control over society. |
| Civil Society |
The realm of organized social life outside the state, such as NGOs, unions, associations. |
Plays a key role in democratic accountability. |
| Public Sphere |
The space where citizens engage in debate about public issues. |
Includes media, discourse, civil society actors. |
| Representation |
The activity of making citizens' voices, opinions, and perspectives present in the political process. |
Key to modern democracies. |
| Accountability |
The obligation of political actors to explain and justify their actions to the public or institutions. |
Mechanisms: elections, audits, checks and balances. |