Definitons Flashcards
What does devolution mean?
Decentralisation of governmental power
What does participation crisis mean?
Lack of participation in politics, most commonly seen with a low voter turnout
What does liberal democracy mean?
Democracy that protects the liberties or freedoms of the individual e.g. freedom of speech, right to vote
What does civil rights mean?
Rights that are absolute and must be protected by the government through the law e.g. voting rights
What are civil liberties?
Rights and freedoms that cannot be abused e.g. freedom of expression and thought
What does it mean for an electoral system to be proportional?
Allocates seats in a manner that roughly reflects the % of votes gained by a party
What does it mean for an electoral system to focus on plurality?
Having more votes than anyone else means you can win but not have the overall majority
What is a minority government?
Party has a minority but has a plurality of elected seats and has been chosen to form a government
What is a confidence and supply model?
Agreement where 1 party agrees to support another in votes of supply and votes of confidence
What is deference voting?
Giving your vote to benefit someone else- tactical voting
What does co-option mean?
Policies of a smaller party are adopted by a major party to apply to a wider electorate range
What is aspirational voting?
Voting for a party in hopes of being able to move up a social class
What is sovereign authority?
Absolute authority (Parliament) made up of government, people and monarchy is the ‘body’ that has such authority
What are socialist ideas?
Favours nationalisation of public services, large state intervention in social and economical policies and greater equality
What are liberalist ideas?
Favours less state intervention, privatisation of public services
What is bureaucracy?
System of government which most of the important decisions are taken by state officials rather than elected representatives
What is a laissez- faire approach?
Laid back, relaxed- a more right wing approach
What does the chief whip do?
Ensure party members attend parliament and vote they way the party desires
What is microcosm?
A direct, smaller replica of society
What does it mean to be a ‘revolving door’ in terms of sectors?
When people go from public services to private ones, and vice versa
What are conservative views?
Favours privatisation of public services, less state intervention and greater personal autonomy
What is legitimacy?
People give authority to those in power and have the ability to take it away if the government strays from what is acceptable to them
What do pressure groups do?
They seek to influence the government or another authority to change ideas they don’t like or to discontinue something. They aren’t political parties- they seek to influence the elected people
What is constitutional reform?
The way a country is run and the change in government
What is a democratic deficit?
A deficiency in the way that democratic bodies work e.g. lack of accountability
What is PR?
Proportional representation- when the % of votes determines how many seats you get
