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COUNTRY OVERVIEW OF (Official Name of Country): _______________________________________________________________________________
Reminder: While you may find SOME of this information in the text, please remember that your text is outdated and you will
need to consult other sources for the most recent, accurate information.
Country Basics
Capital
Population
Key Geographic Features
(location/region, size, etc)
Official language(s)
Major Religion(s)
Political System
(democratic, authoritarian, semiauthoritarian)
Federal or Unitary?
(include # of subunits, examples of
devolution if applicable)
Presidential or Parliamentary or
Mixed?
Constitution
(when written?, provide description of
history behind its writing, identify 3
unique features)
Basis of Government’s Legitimacy
(identify sources of legitimacy)
Prevailing Economic
Model/System
(identify capitalist, socialist, etc;
identify major economic policies
government has adopted)
Major Economic
Industries/Businesses
(identify state-owned industries,
foreign-own industries, etc)
Currency
GDP per capita (PPP)
Human Development Index (HDI)
Key Historical Events
(identify at least 3 key events and
briefly explain how the events shaped
the current government – revolutions
for example)
Key Political Leaders and Their
Policies
(identify and describe at least 3 recent
key political leaders and their policies)
Executive
Current Head of State
(title and name of individual,
means by which chosen for position,
frequency of elections, length of term,
powers and duties)
Current Head of Government
(title and name of individual, means
by which chosen for position,
frequency of elections, length of term,
powers and duties)
Limits/Checks on Power of
Executive
Cabinet Overview
(describe how one becomes a member
of cabinet along with its duties &
functions; identify key cabinet
positions)
Bureaucracy Overview
(include basic info along with
functions, training, recruitment and
degree of partisanship)
Presence of Women in Executive
Positions
(you may identify specific individuals
as evidence, if applicable)
Legislature
Unicameral or Bicameral?
Name of House(s)
(identify lower house and upper house
for bicameral legislatures and number
of seats in each)
National Legislative Electoral
System/Length of Term
(single member district/plurality,
multi-member district/proportional,
or mixed; for bicameral legislatures,
describe system and frequency and
length of term for both houses)
Duties and Powers of Legislature
Limits/Checks on Power of
Legislature
Identify # of Women in Legislature
(separate for bicameral legislatures;
use stats from a recent parliamentary
election; please cite source)
Dominant Political Party in
Current Legislature
(use lower house for bicameral
legislatures)
Leading Opposition Party in
Current Legislature
(use lower house for bicameral
legislatures)
Judiciary
Basis of Judiciary: Customary Law,
Civil Law or Religious Law?
Organizational Structure of
Judiciary and Name of Highest
Court
Powers & Duties of Judiciary
(include degree of judiciary’s
independence from other branches)
Political Culture/Other
Persistent Social Cleavages and
Consequences/Conflicts
(identify categories of social cleavages
such as class, ethnicity, religion,
language, etc. and explain specific
examples)
Political Socialization
(describe attitudes towards
government and identify/list processes
by which citizens learn about politics)
Citizen Participation
(identify and explain processes by
which citizens participate in politics)
Types of Elections
(election of public officials,
referendum, initiative)
Interest Group System
(identify pluralist or corporatist)
Political Recruitment/Succession
(explain nature and means of political
recruitment, include role of political
elites)
Level/Influence of Corruption
(see CPI)
Globalization & Impact on
Economic/Political Development
and/or Society
(offer specific examples)
Influence of Non-Governmental
Organizations [NGOs]
(assess the ability of NGOS to operate
and identify specific NGOs and their
corresponding causes/objectives)
Supranational Organizations
(identify supranational organization
country is a part of and its impact on
its sovereignty)
Degree of Media
Independence/Freedom of Press
Other
(use this space to include any
additional significant information
about this country)
Current Public Policy Challenges
List and describe three (3) current public policy challenges facing this country in the past 5 years.
Topic
Explanation of Why It Is a Public Policy Challenge
Political Party System Spectrum
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Identify at least three (3) major political parties for this country.
According to its political orientation, place each party in its approximate spot on the political spectrum.
Under the party name, identify the current leader of the party.
Finally––under the name of the leader––list in bulleted form the major ideas (political platform) for the corresponding
party.1
L
1
China is a one-party state ruled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As a result, other political parties are neither legal nor tolerated.
R