Comparative Government and Politics - Democratic Rule

Question 1

what is a democracy

Answer 1

a political system in which government is baed on a fair and open mandate from all qualified citizens of a state

Question 2

what is democratisation

Answer 2

the process by which states build the institutions and processes needed to become stable democracies

Question 3

what is direct democracy

Answer 3

a system of government in which all members of the community take part in making the decisions that affect the community

Question 4

what is e-democracy

Answer 4

a form of democratic expression through which all those with an interest in a problem or an issue can express themselves via the internet or social media, thereby participating in the shaping of government decisions

Question 5

what is a liberal democracy

Answer 5

a form of indirect democracy in which the scope of democracy is limited by constitutional protection of individual rights, including freedom of assembly, property, religion and speech. Free, fair and regular election based on a near universal right to vote

Question 6

what is representative democracy

Answer 6

a system of government in which members of a community elect people to represent their interests and to make decisions affecting the community

Question 7

what is unanimity

Answer 7

everyone agrees, or at least acquiesces

Question 8

what is a consensus

Answer 8

no one disagrees

Question 9

what is concurrent majority

Answer 9

more than one majority required: for example, most voters and most regions of a country

Question 10

what is an absolute majority

Answer 10

more than half of those entitled to vote

Question 11

what is a simple majority

Answer 11

more than half of those voting

Question 12

what is a qualified majority

Answer 12

more than simple majority: typically, two thirds

Question 13

what is a blocking majority

Answer 13

a minority is bale to prevent a proposal from passing

Question 14

what is a weighted majority

Answer 14

a majority after adjusted votes for differences in voting power: for example, shareholders may have one vote per share

Question 15

what is plurality

Answer 15

the largest number of votes but not necessarily a majority

Question 16

what is limited government

Answer 16

a belief that guarantees must be made for citizens by placing limits on the powers and reach of government

Question 17

what is liberalism

Answer 17

a belief in the supreme value of the individual, who is seen to have natural rights that exist independently of government, and who must therefore be protected from too much government

Question 18

what are civil liberties

Answer 18

the rights that citizens have relative to government, and that should not be restricted by government

Question 19

what is structural violence

Answer 19

a term used to describe the social and economic oppression built into a system of government

Question 20

what are checks and balances

Answer 20

an arrangement in which government institutions are given powers that counter-balance one another, obliging them to work together in order to govern and make decisions

Question 21

what does modern mean

Answer 21

a term used to characterise a state with an industrial or post-industrial economy, affluence, specialised occupations, social mobility, and an urban and educated population

Question 22

what is modernisation

Answer 22

the process of acquiring the attributes of a modern society, or one reflecting contemporary ideas, institutions and norms

Question 23

what is huntington’s wave of democracy

Answer 23

a group of transitions from non-democratic to democratic political systems that occurs within a specified period of time and that significantly outnumbers transitions in the opposite direction during that period

Question 24

when was the first wave of democracy

Answer 24

1828 - 1926 in Britain, France and US

Question 25

when was the second wave of democracy

Answer 25

1943-62 in India, Israel, Japan and West Germany

Question 26

When was the third wave of democracy

Answer 26

1974-91 in Southern and Eastern Europe, Latin America and parts of Africa

Question 27

what is a political regime

Answer 27

although, strictly speaking, this has the same meaning as the term political system, it is typically used pejoratively to refer to authoritarian political systems

Question 28

what caused the third wave of democracy

Answer 28

• the ending of right wing dictatorship in Greece, Portugal and Spain
• the retreat of the military in Latin America
• the collapse of communism

Question 29

what is liberalisation

Answer 29

initiation of the reform sequence, usually as a result of recognition by authoritarian rulers that change is inevitable

Question 30

what is a transition

Answer 30

where arrangements are made for the new system of government

Question 31

what is consolidation

Answer 31

widespread acceptance of the new system, supported by evidence that it works

Question 32

what happens in the deepening stage of democracy

Answer 32

democracy evolves from the superficial to the substantial

Question 33

what is end of history

Answer 33

the idea that a political economic, or social system has developed to such an extent that it represents the culmination of the evolutionary process

Question 34

what is populism

Answer 34

a political programme or movement based on championing the rights and interests of the people in the face of the ruling elite