The judgement of a Supreme Court on the outcome of a disputed election

A sudden and forcible seizure of government power through illegal and unconstitutional action

The appointment of senior members of the military to the government in a state

The appointment of senior members of the military to the courts in a state

Aristotle criticized popular rule on the grounds that the masses would resent the wealth of the few and too easily fall under the sway of a demagogue

Aristotle criticized popular rule on the grounds that it would lead to the tyranny of the majority

Aristotle believed that a ‘mixed’ constitution would lead to rule by the middle classes who by virtue of education levels would make more effective rulers

Aristotle believed that a mixed constitution would be more effective in providing protection for natural inalienable rights

Plato

Jean Bodin

John Locke

Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu

A theory or practice of government most commonly associated with absolute monarchy

The principle that political authority stems ultimately from the consent of the people; and the rejection of monarchical and dynastic principles

An approach to government which seeks to politicize every aspect of social and personal existence

A system of government which is focused exclusively on the design of political institutions

There was rapid economic growth in all developing ‘third world’ countries during the 1980s so the classification system lost its meaning

The collapse of orthodox communist regimes in the USSR and elsewhere after 1989 meant that the classification system lost its meaning

The rapid decline in economic growth in the ‘capitalist first world’ in the 1980s meant that the classification system lost its meaning

The growth in income inequality across the entire globe in the 1980s meant that the classification system lost its meaning

Francis Fukuyama

Samuel Huntington

Margaret Levi

Helen Milner

East Asian regimes

Military regimes

Western liberal democracies

Western absolutist monarchies

A system of government where the executive is drawn from outside parliament and a proportional electoral system is used to elect members of parliament

A system of government in which the executive is drawn from, and (in theory) is accountable to, parliament

The system of government used in all former colonies of Great Britain

A system of government in which there is one house of parliament and ministers are drawn from outside parliament

A high tolerance for political opposition and widespread opportunities for political participation

Limited tolerance for political opposition and political participation is restricted to elections which often do not meet the benchmark of being ‘free and fair’

They were established during the third wave of democratization and value liberal individualism

They were established during the third wave of democratization and use majoritarian electoral systems

Ireland

Belgium

India

Russia

Australia

Portugal

Ukraine

United Kingdom

A form of democracy that operates through power-sharing and a close association amongst a number of parties or political formations

A form of democracy which results in polarised pluralism, the presence of many pariah parties and a tendency towards single party government

A form of democracy which uses a majoritarian electoral system and has one house of parliament

A form of democracy which uses a majoritarian electoral system and has two houses of parliament, one of which is indirectly elected

1945

1974

1989

1992

The rapid transition from authoritarian regime to transition democracy which took place in many central and Eastern European states after the collapse of the USSR

The rapid rise in political disenchantment and disaffection in mature democracies during the 1990s

The emergence of oil rich states in the Middle East as major centres of economic power in the 1970s

The transition from central planning to laissez faire capitalism advocated by the International Monetary Fund

Hungary

South Korea

New Zealand

Switzerland

A belief in, or practice of, government ‘from above’ in which authority is exercised regardless of political consent

A system of government where individual liberty is prioritized

A system of government which went into decline globally in the early twentieth century

A system of government in which authority rests in a demagogue who rules without regular elections

A set of political norms which emphasises postmodern values and individual freedoms

A system of ethics formulated by Confucius and his disciples that was primarily outlined in The Analects

A set of political ideas which prioritises economic growth over political development and encourages strong government

A political theory which emphasises the role of religion in the modern state

Values which supposedly promote human development through meditation and adherence to tradition ideals

Values which have evolved in response to the rapid economic growth in Asia in the early twenty first century

Values which are avowedly post-colonial and which reject all forms of European norms on liberty and equality

Values that supposedly reflect the history, culture and religious backgrounds of Asian societies

North Korea

Israel

Saudi Arabia

Namibia

Economic under-development

Political institutions have low levels of political legitimacy

The values and goals of the military differ from those of the broader regime

Rapid economic growth which has led to a sharp rise in income inequality

As a system of classification which lists states that share common electoral systems

As a system of classification which divides states into groups or types with common political features

As a theoretical approach to the study of comparative politics

As a system of classification which divides states into groups or types with different political features