Chapter 10 - Political Challenges to Liberalism Flashcards
Advantages of Democracy
Rights and freedoms, active citizenship, informed public, protects minorities
Disadvantages of Democracy
Inefficient, bureaucratic, run by elite groups, voter apathy
Characteristics of Democracy
Majority rule, citizen participation, limits on dissent, multiple political parties
Dissent
Oppose/disagree
Bureaucratic
the business of running an organization or government
Pre-requisites of Democracy
Reg elections, secret ballot, leadership changes, choice among candidates
Direct Democracy
where citizens participate directly in decision making
Two issues with direct democracy
Time consuming and expensive for a big group of citizens to gather, and individuals are very busy and might not have the time to partake
Inititative
citizens draw up a petition and if enough people sign, it can force a public vote
Referendums and Plebiscites
a direct vote by citizens on a law as opposed to representatives and usually reserved for important decisions
Representative Democracy
citizens elect a candidate to make decisons on their behalf
Non-confidence vote
bills of importance must be passed or executive must step down
What else is a single member constituency called?
First past the post
What is a single member constituency?
where candidates who pass a certain point in the
race with the highest number of votes in each of their ridings win
Riding
an electoral district
Bicameral system
two chambers (HOF and senate)
How is it determined who will be in the senate?
appointed by the governor general by the recommendation of the prime minister
What does the senate do?
act as a sober second thought, offer amendments to bills passed by the HOC
Constitutional monarchy
queen as head of state
Parliamentary
actions associated with the HOC
Periodic elections
holding elections (within every four years)
Civil service
ex. jobs hired (not appointed) to fill roles in govt services
Opposition party
second largest party
Responsible government
the executive must respond to the wishes of the legislative branch
Cabinet ministers
given special responsibilities
Caucus
meeting of all members of a party
Party (cabinet) solidarity
practice of party members to publically support policy
Party whip
responsible for discipline
Partisanship
act of following party policy
Bipartisan
two political parties cooperate on an issue
Non-partisan
joint efforts, not political
Who is apart of the executive branch in Canada?
governor general, prime minister and cabinet
Who is apart of the legislative branch in Canada?
senate and the house of commons
Who is apart of the judicial branch in Canada?
supreme court
Who is apart of the executive branch in America?
president (head of state and govt), vice president and cabinet (staff)
Who is apart of the legislative branch in America?
congress, house of representatives and senate
Who is apart of the judicial branch in America?
supreme court and lower courts
What does the executive branch do in Canada?
develops policies and introduces bills to transform the policies into law
What does the legislative branch do in Canada?
members of the senate and HOC review and pass bills which then become laws
What does the judicial branch do in Canada?
has the final say on laws and helps resolve conflicts related to laws
What makes Canada and America’s democracy different?
Canada has a monarch, but the US is a republic country where there is no king or queen head of state
Republican
president is head of state
Presidential
involving actions and policies outlined by the President
Congressional
act of the House of Representative and the senate combined
Separation of power
having distinct powers for the different branches of govt which as a balance or control
Checks and balances
system designed to prevent any one group in govt from controlling the state
Fixed date elections
elections are held on designated days; the presidential election
Federalism
sharing powers; having a national govt and regional govts w/ their own responsibilites to rule the country
Veto
ability to override a decison
When can a veto be used in democracy in America?
the President can override a congressional bill, and congress can override that veto with a 2/3 vote
Filibuster
deliberate delay of passage of bill through long speeches, etc
Electoral college
voting for President is based on pop. and each state given so many electoral votes if they win the state
How may a judge be removed in the US?
by impeachment by the legislative branch
Enforces laws
executive branch
Makes laws
legislative branch
Interprets laws
judicial branch
Proportional representation
where citizens vote directly for a party, then representatives are assigned based on the amount of popular support gained
First Past The Post
where voters cast a vote for a single candidate, and the candidate with the most votes wins the election (single member constituency)
Pros of FPTP
stable majority govts, majority govts have the ability to ensure laws are efficiently passed, parties focus on many issues for a wide demographic
Pros of proportional representation
greater diversity in govt, less voter apathy, will of citizens more accurately reflected
Who does proportional representation tend to be helpful for?
smaller parties
Who does FPTP tend to be helpful for?
larger parties
Pros of Canada’s demoncracy
majority govts get a lot done
Cons of Canada’s democracy
instability/frequent elections with minority govts, majority govts can wield a lot of political power
Pros of America’s democracy
checks and balances on power of the executive
Cons of America’s democracy
deadlocks between executive and congress, lack of choice between two parties
Gerrymandering
the dividing of a country, province, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts
Lobby groups
special interest groups who wield influence using financial means
Rep by pop
each citizen should have one vote, and each vote should have the same weight to it
Senate Reform in Canada
the senate was designed as a sober second thought to make sure the laws passed by the HOC were just, senates are appointed, not elected
