11: Exam Review Flashcards
A society organized through the exercise of political
authority; for Aristotle, rule by the many in the interests of all.
Polity.
The theory that social, and indeed all forms of enquiry, should adhere strictly to the methods of the natural sciences.
Positivism.
A well-established body with a formal role and status; more broadly, a set of rules that ensure regular and predictable behaviour, the ‘rules of the game’.
Institution.
Human interaction, especially communication; disclose or illustrate power relations.
Discourse.
A view of politics that emphasizes the importance of morality and ideals; philosophical idealism implies that ideas are more ‘real’ than the material world.
Idealism.
A private sphere of autonomous groups and associations, independent from state or public authority.
Civil society.
A belief in, or commitment to diversity or multiplicity; or the belief that power in modern societies is widely and evenly distributed.
Pluralism.
The doctrine that earthly rulers are chosen by God and thus wield unchallengeable authority; a defence for monarchical absolutism.
Divine right.
The duty of the citizen towards the state; the basis of the state’s right to rule.
Political obligation.
A Marxist term, denoting the ruling class of a capitalist society, the owners of productive wealth.
Bourgeoisie.
A Marxist term, denoting a class that subsists through the sale of its labour power.
Proletariat.
Legal or moral entitlements to act or be treated in a particular way.
Rights.
A morally justifiable distribution of material rewards.
Social justice.
Change brought about within a system, usually by peaceful and incremental measures.
Reform.
Assent or permission; in politics, usually an agreement to be governed or ruled.
Consent.
A form of democracy that operates at supranational levels of governance and is based on the idea of transnational or global citizenship.
Cosmopolitan democracy.
A form of democracy that favours decentralization and participation, the widest possible dispersal of political power.
Radical democracy.
God-given rights that are fundamental to human beings and are therefore inalienable.
Natural rights.
The genuine interests of a collective body, equivalent to the common good.
Common will.
Answerability; a duty to explain one’s conduct and be open to criticism by others.
Accountability.
A form of democracy that emphasizes the need for discourse and debate to help to define the public interest.
Deliberative democracy.
A group recognized by government as representing the general or collective interests of businesses or workers.
Peak association.
A Marxist term, denoting a class that dominates other classes and society at large.
Ruling class.
The incorporation of national economies into a single ‘borderless’ global economy, through transnational production and capital flows.
Economic globalization.
Cultural and moral resources that help to promote social cohesion, political stability and prosperity.
Social capital.
Newspapers (and, by extension, other media
outlets) that are free from censorship and political interference by government and, usually, are privately owned.
Free press.
A policy or act of control over what can be said, written, published or performed in order to suppress what is considered morally or politically unacceptable.
Censorship.
A person who is vested with formal (and usually
legal) responsibilities for another’s property or affairs.
Trustee.
A person who is chosen to act for another on the basis of clear guidance and instruction; delegates do not think for themselves.
Delegate.
The principle that there is no higher authority than the will of the people.
Popular sovereignty.
The largest number out of a collection of numbers, not necessarily an absolute majority.
Plurality.
An arrangement in a semi-presidential system in which the president works with a government and assembly controlled by a rival party or parties.
Cohabitation.
A style of government that fuses personal leadership with conservative nationalism.
Bonapartism.
The branch of government whose chief function is to make laws, although it is seldom the only body with legislative power.
Legislature.
A government that is answerable or accountable to an elected assembly and, through it, to the people.
Responsible government.
Internal tensions within the governmental system that result from institutional fragmentation.
Checks and balances.
A president-heavy constitutional order in which the presidency is invested with great power and the assembly or parliament operates as a mere ‘rubber stamp’.
Superpresidentialism.
The belief that the world can be understood and explained through the exercise of human reason, based on assumptions about its rational structure.
Rationalism.
The belief that society is made up of a collection of largely self-sufficient individuals who owe little or nothing to one another.
Atomism.
Rule by the talented; the principle that rewards and positions should be distributed on the basis of ability.
Meritocracy.
A system of fair and quitable exchange, in which individuals or groups trade goods and services with one another without profiteering or exploitation.
Mutualism.
A group of people who share a common cultural and historical identity, typically linked to a belief in common descent.
Ethnic group.
Government projects whose only, or primary, purpose is to bring money or jobs to a representative’s district or constituency.
Pork barrel politics.
A constitution in which key constitutional provisions are collected together in a single legal document, popularly known as a ‘written constitution’ or ‘the constitution’.
Codified constitution.
Law that is enacted by the legislature.
Statute law.
A formal agreement between two or more states, on matters of peace, trade or some other aspect of international relations.
Treaty.
Government operating within constraints, usually imposed by law, a constitution or institutional checks and balances.
Limited government.
Rights that mark out a realm of unconstrained action, and thus check the responsibilities of government.
Negative rights.
Rights that make demands of government in terms of the provision of resources and support, and thus extend its responsibilities.
Positive rights.
The constitutional principle that there should be a strict separation between the judiciary and other branches of government.
Judicial independence.
The manipulation of electoral boundaries so as to achieve political advantage for a party or candidate.
Gerrymandering.
Conduct of legal proceedings strictly in accordance with established rules and principles, linked to ensuring a fair trial.
Due process.
Literally, beyond the powers; acts that fall outside the scope of a body’s authority.
Ultra vires.
The phenomenon in which psychological and professional pressures conspire to encourage a group of decision-makers to adopt a unified and coherent position.
Groupthink.
A matter recognized as part of the policy agenda, over which there is public debate or disagreement.
Issue.
A meeting of party members held to nominate election candidates, or to discuss legislative proposals in advance of formal proceedings.
Caucus.
A style of politics in which party ‘bosses’ control a mass organization through patronage and the distribution of favours.
Machine politics.
A relatively stable network of relationships between parties that is structured by their number, size and ideological orientation.
Party system.
A minimum level of electoral support needed for a party to be eligible to win seats.
Threshold.
Political action taken outside the constitutional and legal
framework.
Direct action.
The construction of bodies that represent government, business and the unions, designed to institutionalize group consultation.
Tripartitism.
Government policies designed to regulate or manage
economic life; more broadly, a policy of engagement or involvement.
Interventionism.
A person or group that enjoys collectively provided benefits without needing to pay associated costs, which are shouldered by others.
Free-rider.
Literally, ’rule by the skilled’; government or control by an elite of technical experts.
Technocracy.
The absence of interest in or enthusiasm for things that are generally considered to be interesting.
Apathy.
The participation of citizens in the life of their community, although this may range from formal political participation to wider communal activities or even ‘civic-mindedness’.
Civic engagement.
