Diplomacy & Politics Glossary

An authoritarian regime concentrates power in a single leader or party with limited political freedoms.

A legislature divided into two separate chambers or houses, typically an upper and a lower house, each with distinct powers and responsibilities.

A civil law system is a legal framework based on comprehensive written codes and statutes rather than judicial precedents.

The study and comparison of different forms of authoritarian regimes to understand their structures and behaviors.

The study and analysis of different federal systems around the world to understand variations in power distribution and governance.

The theory that all complex organizations, including democracies, tend to develop oligarchic leadership structures over time.

Levitsky and Ziblatt identified regimes combining authoritarian practices with nominal democratic institutions, undermining genuine competition.

Majoritarian democracy prioritizes the will of the majority in decision-making, often at the expense of minority protections.

The idea that election winners have a public mandate to implement their campaign promises and policy agendas.

A theoretical approach emphasizing the role of institutions in shaping political behavior and outcomes beyond formal rules.

The principle that the legislature has supreme authority over all other government institutions and can make or repeal any law.

An executive branch structure where multiple officials are independently elected rather than a single chief executive.

The process by which policy ideas and programs spread from one government or jurisdiction to others.

A form of government where the executive branch is separate from the legislature, and the president is both head of state and government.

A government system where executive power is divided between a directly elected president and a prime minister accountable to the legislature.

A group of opposition party members who scrutinize and offer alternative policies to the government ministers.

A parliamentary system of government characterized by a sovereign or ceremonial head of state and a prime minister who is accountable to the legislature.

The Westminster system features a parliamentary government where the executive is drawn from and accountable to the legislature.