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Study Cards on approach, government, parliamentary

What is the most influential system of classification?

Devised by Aristotle. He held that government could be categorized on the basis of two questions: who rules? and Who benefits from rule?
Six forms of government: tyranny, oligarchy, democracy, monarchy, aristocracy, polity.

Why were the classical definitions of regimes seen as redundant?

Because of the development of modern constitutional systems from the late 18th century onwards.
Growing emphasis on the constitutional and institutional features of political rule.
- Monarchies vs. Republics
- Parliamentary vs presidential government
- Unitary systems vs. Federal systems

What are the four different approaches to classification?

- A constitutional-institutional approach: highlights the differences between codified and uncodified constitutions, parliamentary and presidential systems, and federal and unitary systems.

- A structural-functional approach: concerned with how political systems work in practice, and how they translate 'inputs' into 'ouputs'.

- Economic-ideological approach: the three worlds approach. Paid special attention to a systems level of material development and its broader ideological orientation.

- Used in book: how political, economic and cultural factors interlock in practice.

What are the five regime types in the modern world?

- Western liberal democracies
- illiberal democracies
- East Asian regimes
- Islamic regimes
- Military regimes