AP Comparative Government Comparisons

LegitimacyBritain – huge due to tradition and gradualismRussia – yes, 1993 Constitution, 2000 transition from Yeltsin to PutinChina – stable, military forces legitimacy, but citizens see it as corruptMexico – legitimate through PRI in the early 20th century; legitimacy from the 1910 Revolution and revolutionary leaders (Zapato, Villa, Cardenas)Iran – legitimate through theocracy; 2009 election questioned legitimacyNigeria – no, corruption

Social classesBritain – nobility; Labour Party leadership from labor unionsRussia – nomenklatura (Communist Party chooses who to give jobs to); Putin broke up oligarchsChina – CCP, Politburo; nomenklatura; lots of peasantsMexico – PRI ruled until 2000; huge rich/poor cleavageIran – clerics ruleNigeria – military power; ethnic divisions

ElectionsBritain – FPTP; PM calls general electionRussia – proportional in Duma, FPTP in Federation CouncilChina – no national elections; government approves local candidatesMexico – non-renewable sexenio; combo of FPTP and proportionalIran – Majles, president, Assembly of Religious ExpertsNigeria – FPTP; lots of voter fraud

MilitaryBritain – gov. controlRussia – increasingin strengthChina – People’s Liberation Army; CCP controls itMexico – fights drug wars; mandatory serviceIran – Revolutionary Guards are loyal to shahNigeria – political power

Ethnic conflictBritain – Irish and MuslimsRussia – ChechnyaChina – Buddhists in TibetMexico – Mestizo v. AmerindianIran – Sunni v. Shiite, Persian v. AzariNigeria – three major ethnicities in conflict

Political partiesBritain – Labour (poor, liberal); Conservative (rich, rightist); Liberal Democrats (centrist)Russia – United Russia (Putin); Communist Party (Zyuganov); Liberal Democrats (Zhirinovsky, nationalism); Fair Russia (Mironov)China – CCP dominationMexico – PRI (Calles, centrist, corporatist structure, patron-clientelism); PAN (Calderon, rightist, strong in north); PRD (Obrador, leftist)Iran – parties form around personality; reflects factionalismNigeria – divided by ethnicity

ConstitutionBritain – none; govern by traditionRussia – 1998China – 1982, mentions CCP; unitaryMexico – 1917; federal systemIran – 1979; amended in 1989 to include the Supreme Leader (non-elected)Nigeria – 1999; similar to U.S.

Government structureBritain – unitary, becoming more federal (Welsh Assembly); constitutional monarchy; parliamentary democracyRussia – presidential republic; dual executive; close to unitary; sovereign democracyChina – democratic centralismMexico – presidential republic, powerful presidentIran – unitary, theocratic republicNigeria – presidential republic like U.S.

ModernizationBritain – developedRussia – developed, rapid movement to democracy and free marketChina – move to mixed economy; developing; guanxiMexico – newly developed; legitimate gov., national identityIran – much poverty, newly developed; nuclear technologyNigeria – developing; low GDP per capita

CorruptionBritain – noneRussia – black market, mafiaChina – corruption came with mixed economyMexico – massive voter fraud; drug trade; camarillasIran – corruption, voter fraudNigeria – massive corruption; prebendalism

ReligionBritain – Anglican Church (official)Russia – legal; majority is OrthodoxChina – atheist; persecutes dangerous religious groups (Buddhists, Falon Gong)Mexico – majority is Roman CatholicIran – mostly Shiite; Baha’i persecutedNigeria – north Muslim, south Christian

Social cleavagesBritain – nobility v. working class; noblesse obligeRussia – wealth; oligarchs v. middle class v. lower classChina – urban v. rural; migration to citiesMexico – urban v. rural, north v. south, Mestizo v. Amerindian, rich v poorIran – rich v. poor, reform v. conservative, Sunni v. ShiiteNigeria – ethnicity, religion, language, region

ExecutiveBritain – PM is head of gov, Queen is head of stateRussia – PM is head of gov, president is head of stateChina – premier is head of gov, president is head of stateMexico – president is head of gov and stateIran – president is head of gov, Supreme Leader is head of stateNigeria – president is head of gov and state

LegislativeBritain – House of Commons with all power, House of Lords with no powerRussia – Duma dominates, Federation Council has little powerChina – unicameral; true authority with CCP; CCP standing committeeMexico – bicameral; Chamber of Deputies and SenateIran – unicameral; Majles elected; Guardian Council; Assembly of Religious Experts; Expediency CouncilNigeria – bicameral; House of Representatives and Senate

JudicialBritain – Supreme Court; common lawRussia – Constitutional Court for judicial review, Supreme Court for criminal and civil cases; code lawChina – Supreme People’s Court; code law; recent reforms give more autonomy to courtsMexico – code law; Supreme Court of Justice with theoretical judicial reviewIran – code law; judges must be clerics; appointed by Supreme Leader; sharia (Islamic law) and qanum (Majles non-scared statutes); Supreme Court, Revolutionary Court, Clerical CourtNigeria – common law, tribal law, sharia law; Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, Sharia Court

EconomyBritain – mixed; Thatcher privatization; Blair’s third way; oil is NOT importantRussia – command to market; weak since it depends on oil pricesChina – command to mixedMexico – mixed; relies on U.S.; WTO, NAFTA; PEMEXIran – mixed; small-level private enterprisesNigeria – mixed; parastatals, patron-client relations; huge oil business

Civil society – how citizens organize and define themselves and their interestsInformal politics – the impact that beliefs, values, and actions of ordinary citizens have on policy-makingCo-optation – means a regime uses to get support from citizensPatron-clientelism – the state provides benefits/favors to a single person or small group in return for public supportSocial capital – reciprocity and trust that exists among citizens and between citizens and the stateLiberal (substantive) democracy – competitive elections, civil liberties, rule of law, judiciary neutrality, open civil society, civilian control of the militaryIlliberal (procedural) democracy – just competitive electionsTechnocrats – military officers and civilian bureaucratsTransmission belts – interest groups have no autonomy from the state; authoritarianCorporatism – state and interest group autonomy mixedInterest group pluralism – autonomy in the interest groups; democratic