Chapter 1.1 - Democracy and Political Participation

Question 0

Define ‘power’.

Answer 0

Power refers to the ability of an individual or body to force others to do things they might otherwise not do and is normally said to have 3 levels:

1. coercion, which is force, often physical;
2. political power, which involves the use of rewards and sanctions, legal authority and persuasion;
3. influence, which means being able to affect how others act or think without force.

Question 1

Define ‘legitimacy’.

Answer 1

Legitimacy refers to the right of an individual or body to be recognised and to have the right to exercise power.

Question 2

Define ‘authority’.

Answer 2

Authority means the right to exercise power and is said to derive from 3 possible sources:

1. tradition, because power has been exercised for a long time and accepted over the years;
2. elections, because power may be exercised if an individual or body has been elected;
3. charisma, because a person develops authority through the force of their personality and their ability to inspire a following.

Question 3

Define ‘consent’.

Answer 3

Consent refers to evidence that the people give permission to be governed in a particular way/by a particular government, and can be conferred by:

1. free elections;
2. good turnouts in free elections;
3. a distinct lack of popular dissent;
4. clear demonstrations of support for government;
5. an explicit referendum (also a plebiscite) to adopt a particular constitution.

Question 4

Define ‘citizenship’.

Answer 4

Citizenship grants a person the enjoyment of certain rights e.g. to vote, to a fair trial of accused of a crime, and civil liberties e.g. freedom of thought, movement, association, as well as duties e.g. to obey the law, pay taxes and conscription.

Question 5

What do the modern ideas of ‘active citizenship’ and ‘big society’, developed by Labour in the 1990s and Conservatives after 2010 respectively state?

Answer 5

As citizens we also have a duty to be politically active e.g. volunteering for charity work, environmental protection and being socially responsible.

Question 6

Define ‘democracy’.

Answer 6

Democracy is any system of government where the people have access to independent information and are able to influence government decisions. It also implies that government makes itself accountable to the people and has 2 main forms - direct and representative.

Question 7

Identify 8 features of a modern democracy.

Answer 7

1. There is a peaceful transition of power from one government to the next.
2. There are free and fair regular elections.
3. People have open access to independent information, including free press and other media.
4. Government should be accountable to the people and representative institutions.
5. There is a high degree of freedom for individuals and groups.
6. Different politic ideologies and beliefs are tolerated.
7. The rule of law applies - all are equal under the law.
8. Government operates in the broad interests of the people.

Question 8

What is ‘direct democracy’?

Answer 8

In direct democracies people themselves make decisions, usually through referendums and are directly consulted on political decisions (also known as consultative democracy). They may take the initiative in creating political change (i.e. popular action provokes a political decision).

Question 9

What is ‘representative democracy’?

Answer 9

In representative democracies the people elect representatives and do not make most decisions themselves, delegating that power to their representatives. There are political parties representing different political views as well as associations and pressure groups representing different sections of society, interests and causes. There are representative assemblies that express the will of the people and of sections of society.

Question 10

Explain what ‘Burkean’ representation is.

Answer 10

Burkean representation named after the conservative philosopher Edmund Burke, states that elected representatives should use their own judgement rather than slavishly follow the wishes of their constituency or party.

Question 11

Define ‘delegation’.

Answer 11

Delegation is the idea that a representative should follow very closely the wishes of those who have elected them.

Question 12

Define ‘party representation’.

Answer 12

Party representation means that if a representative is a member of a party, they are expected to support and vote for the known policies of that party.

Question 13

Explain how representation operates in the UK.

Answer 13

Representation operates through MPs who represent individual constituents, whole constituencies, sometimes sectional interests or causes and also the national interest. Most MPs, however, represent their party and its electoral manifesto. Parties have a representative function; they represent both sections of society and particular political views. Pressure groups represent interests and causes. The House of Commons as a whole can represent the national interest while the House of Lords is a vehicle for representation as many peers represent sections of society and prominent causes as well as the national interest.