Chapter 3: Democratic Political Regimes

Question 1

Democracy

Answer 1

a political system in which the rulers are accountable to that rule

Question 2

Accountabilty

Answer 2

a political mechanism that offers citizens regular and realistic opportunities to remove the rulers from office through peaceful and constitutional means

Question 3

electorate

Answer 3

a group of citizens eligible to participate in the election of government leaders

Question 4

universal suffrage

Answer 4

whering all adult citizens have the right to participate in the electoral process that selects and removes government leaders

Question 5

Unitarism

Answer 5

The constitution grants the central government exclusive and final authority over policy making across the entire national territory

Question 6

Federalism

Answer 6

The constitution grants two or more governments overlapping political authority over the same group of people and same piece of territory

Question 7

Presidential System

Answer 7

A constitutional format in which the executive and legislative branches enjoy both separation of origin and survival

Question 8

Separation of origin

Answer 8

voters directly elect the members of the legislature and also cast a separation ballot directly electing the chief executive, the president

Question 9

Separation of survival

Answer 9

members of both the executive and legislative branches serve for fixed terms of office

Question 10

Parliamentary System

Answer 10

a constitutional format in which the executive and legislative branches have neither separation of origin nor separation of survival

Question 11

Prime Minister

Answer 11

The chief executive in a parliamentary system

Question 12

No- confidence vote

Answer 12

A parliamentary vote which, if successful, terminates the prime minister’s appointment

Question 13

semi-presidential hybrid

Answer 13

A constitutional format in which the president and parliament enjoy separation of origin but only the president enjoys separation of survival

Question 14

Dual executive

Answer 14

In hybrid democratci regimes, an executive branch of government characterized by a devision of authority and responsibility between a president and a prime minister

Question 15

Divided Gov’t

Answer 15

occurs in presidential systems when the president comes from one party but a different party controls the legislative branch

Question 16

judicial review

Answer 16

ability of a high court to invalidate laws the legislative has enacted by declaring them unconstitutional

Question 17

parliamentary supremacy

Answer 17

a principle according to which judges decisions remain subordinate to decisions of the legislative majority

Question 18

Plurality Rule

Answer 18

The candidate who receives the largest share of votes in the district wins, even if that share is less than a majority of 50 percent of +1 of the votes

Question 19

Majority Rule

Answer 19

Requires that candidates obtain a majority of 50 percent +1 of the votes in the district to win

Question 20

Proportional representation

Answer 20

an electoral system that distributes seats portinally to the vote each party receives.

Question 21

Mixed Electoral Rule

Answer 21

Combine a plurality ofmajority electoral rule to elect some members of the national legislature with a PR electoral rule to elect the remainder.