Governing StatesSection 3

Governing States

O National governments can be classified as democratic, autocratic, or anocratic.O A democracy is a country in which citizens

elect leaders and can run for office.O An autocracy is a country that is run according

to the interests of the ruler rather than the people.

O An anocracy is a country that is not fully democratic or fully autocratic, but rather a mix of the two.

National Scale: Regime Types

O Democracies and autocracies differ in three essential elements:

1. Selection of LeadersO Democracies: Institutions and procedures=citizens

can express effective preferences O Autocracies: Leaders=defined (usually hereditary)

rules of succession from within the political elite.2. Citizen ParticipationO Democracies: Institutionalized constraints on the

exercise of power by the executive.O Autocracies: Citizens’ participation restricted or

suppressed.3. Checks and Balances:O Democracies: Guarantee civil liberties to all citizens.O Autocracies: No checks from legislative, judicial, or civil

society institutions.

The number of autocracies has declined sharply since the late

1990s.

Forms of GovernmentO Unitary – highly centralized

government where the capital city serves as a focus of power.

O Federal – a government where the state is organized into territories, which have control over government policies and funds.

Nigeria’s Federal Government – Allows states within the state to determine

whether to have Shari’a Laws

O Shari’a Laws

O Legal systems based on traditional Islamic laws

The U.S. Federal Government – Allows states within the state to determine “moral” laws such as death penalty, access to alcohol, and concealed

weapons.

O Minnesota’s concealed

weapons law

O Requires the posting of signs such as this on buildings that do not allow concealed weapons.

Electoral GeographyO Boundaries separating legislative districts

within the U.S. and other countries are redrawn periodically to ensure each has about the same population.O 435 districts of the U.S. House of Representatives are

redrawn every 10 years, following the Census Bureau’s release of the official population figures.

O **Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefits the party in power is called gerrymandering.

O Gerrymandering takes three forms:1. Wasted vote spreads opposition supporters across

many districts but in the minority.2. Excess vote concentrates opposition supported

into a few districts.3. Stacked vote links distant areas of like-minded

voters through oddly shaped boundaries.

O U.S. Supreme Court ruled gerrymandering illegal in 1985 but did not require dismantling of existing oddly shaped districts.

WASTED VOTE GERRY MANDERING

O Spreads opposition supporters across many districts as a minority.

O If the Blue Party controls the redistricting process

O Creating four districts with a slender majority of Blue Party voters and one district (#1) with a strong majority of Red Party voters.

EXCESS VOTE GERRY MANDERING

O Concentrates opposition supporters into a few districts.

O If the Red Party controls the redistricting process,

O Creating four districts with a slender majority of Red Party voters and one district (#3) with an overwhelming majority of Blue Party voters.

STACKED VOTE GERRY MANDERING

O Links distant areas of like-minded voters through oddly shaped boundaries.

O Red Party controls redistricting and creates five oddly shaped districts, four with a slender majority of Red Party voters and one (#3) with an overwhelming majority of Blue Party voters.

Cold War Competition and Alliances

O Division of world into military alliances resulted from the emergence of two superpowers- U.S. and Soviet Union.

O Military Cooperation in EuropeO NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

O 16 democratic states, including the U.S., Canada, and 14 other European states.

O Warsaw PactO Military agreement among Communist Eastern

European countries to defend each other in case of attack.

O NATO and Warsaw Pact were designed to maintain a bipolar balance of power in Europe.O NATO’s Objective: prevent the spread of

communism by the Soviet Union.O Warsaw Pact Objective: Provide the Soviet

Union a buffer of allied states between it and Germany to discourage a third German invasion of the Soviet Union in the 20th century.

O Disbanded once Europe was no longer dominated by military confrontation between two blocs.

Economic Alliances in Europe

O European Union (EU)O Formed: 1958O Members: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg,

the Netherlands, & West GermanyO Purpose: Heal Western Europe’s scars from WWII

O Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON)O Formed: 1949O Members: 7 Eastern European Communist states

from the Warsaw Pact plus Cuba, Mongolia, and Vietnam.

O Purpose: Promote trade and sharing of natural resources

SupranationalismO Define: Method of decision-making in

multi-national political communities, wherein power is transferred or delegated to an authority by governments of member states.

O Example: European Union, NATO, Warsaw Pact, OPEC, Arab League.

Changes resulting from supranationalism.

O Larger Markets-tradeO Greater international

competition(economy)O Open BordersO Common CurrencyO Common policies

Devolution –Movement of power from the central government to regional governments within the state.

What causes devolutionary movements?

Ethnocultural forcesEconomic forcesSpatial forces

Ethnocultural Devolutionary Movements

Eastern Europe-Devolutionary forces since the fall of communism

Ethnocultural Devolutionary Movements

Scotland -Rise in independence movement is coupled with:

- European Union

- Scotland’s oil resources

Spatial Devolutionary Movements

Honolulu, Hawai’iA history apart from the United States, and a desire to live apart in order to keep traditions alive.

Changes resulting for Devolution

O Formations of new states an governments

O More power to regionsO Influence of religionO Political instabilityO Economic instabilityO Mass Migration

Case Study: North Korea

O Is it democracy or autocracy?