Table talk.These definitions will help you understand terms used in our World in Focus tables. Communist one-party state: A government based on government ownership of land and businesses. The Communist party Communist party, in China Communist party, in China, ruling party of the world's most populous nation since 1949 and most important Communist party in the world since the disintegration of the USSR in 1991. and its leader typically allow no opposition. Constitutional monarchy constitutional monarchy System of government in which a monarch (see monarchy) shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a purely ceremonial leader. : A king or queen is head of state but has little power. An elected parliament chooses the Prime Minister, who leads the government. Dominant party: A system in which one political party rules. Other parties exist but have little power. Military rule: The leader of a country's armed forces controls the government. One-party dictatorship: A government in which a single political party and its leader have all the power. Parliamentary democracy parliamentary democracy Democratic form of government in which the party (or a coalition of parties) with the greatest representation in the parliament (legislature) forms the government, its leader becoming prime minister or chancellor. : Voters elect the legislature (parliament). A Prime Minister, usually leader of the party with the most seats in parliament, heads the government. Presidential dictatorship: A government in which the President has almost complete power. Presidential-legislative democracy: An elected President leads the government, sharing power with an elected legislature (lawmaking body), and with the courts. Presidential-parliamentary democracy: An elected President is chief executive, and appoints a Prime Minister who leads the government. Traditional chiefs: A body of tribal leaders continues to play a role in constitutional government. Notes to World in Focus Date of origin: The year in which a country won control of its internal and external affairs, or when smaller areas joined to form a larger nation. Political system and head of government: Most countries have both a head of government and a head of state. These tables list only the more powerful of the two. For example, Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state in the United Kingdom, but Tony Blair, the head of government, is listed in the table. Human Development Index (HDI HDI Human Development Index (UNDP yardstick of human welfare) HDI Help Desk Institute HDI Humpty Dumpty Institute (New York, New York) HDI High Density Interconnect ): A number from 0 to 1, based on how a country's people fare in terms of life expectancy Life Expectancy 1. The age until which a person is expected to live. 2. The remaining number of years an individual is expected to live, based on IRS issued life expectancy tables. , adult literacy, and purchasing power Purchasing Power 1. The value of a currency expressed in terms of the amount of goods or services that one unit of money can buy. Purchasing power is important because, all else being equal, inflation decreases the amount of goods or services you'd be able to purchase. 2. (a person's ability to buy food, clothing, and other necessities). The higher the number, the better the rating. Literacy rate: Experts doubt some estimates. NA: Means that the figure was not available. Per capita [Latin, By the heads or polls.] A term used in the Descent and Distribution of the estate of one who dies without a will. It means to share and share alike according to the number of individuals. gross domestic product: This figure is given in U.S. dollars. |
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