2: State & Nation Flashcards
Lipset noted what five elements are critical for democracy to function?
Economic and material conditions (link between industrial capitalism & parliamentary democracy = political economy).
Legal conditions: meritocratic standards.
Socio-political conditions (compromise as essential condition).
Education to democracy.
Constitutionalism, rule of law (independent & predictable/under & before the law).
What is populism?
What does left populism tend to resist? Right populism?
Political doctrine that supports strong political power of people juxtaposed to power of an elite.
Left: resistance against economic elite.
Right: resistance against intellectual elite.
What is the danger that populism poses?
Sides pulled apart until polarized; society divided, may dehumanize other side as “enemies.”
What is a demagogue?
Speaks through emotion versus thought, conviction to appeal through feelings.
Direct democracy has three main mechanisms. What are they?
Referenda/plebiscites.
Recall.
Citizens’ initiative.
What is a sovereign? What is sovereignty?
Sovereign: literally denotes one who is similar.
Sovereignty: authority to override all other authorities; bundle of powers associated with highest authority of government.
International law denotes sovereignty as what two things?
Means that a state is independent of all other states, possesses the totality of political power within its borders.
Autonomy from outside control in international affairs.
What is individual sovereignty?
No person has moral claim over another, comes from natural law; acts of coercion are suspect.
What is parliamentary sovereignty? How does it work in Canada?
May make/repeal whichever laws chosen; cannot bind successors in any way.
Executive authority of government (Crown) exercised by ministers responsible to Parliament; constitution places all executive authority with Crown.
What is Rousseau’s idea of popular sovereignty? What is a problem with it?
Supreme authority resides in people, cannot be delegated. Laws should be made by people meeting in direct-democratic fashion.
Extremely difficult to attain in commonwealth of any size; kept alive by softening definition.
Popular sovereignty involves trustees and delegates. Define each.
Trustee: trust individual will represent your interests to institution.
Delegate: elect person into institution, follows will letter-to-letter.
Consent over direct rule is a _____ ideal.
Liberal.
States are sovereign when what?
No other political body above them.
“The State” exists under what conditions?
When a sovereign power effectively rules over the population residing within boundaries of a fixed territory.
A state is defined by the joint presence of what three factors?
Population, territory, sovereignty.
