Democracy and Participation Flashcards
What is the government?
The activity or system of governing a political unit.
The set of institutions that exercise authority and make the rules of a political unit.
What is the executive?
The branch of government responsible for the implementation of policy.
What is legislature?
The branch of government responsible for passing laws.
What is the judiciary?
The branch of government responsible for interpreting the law and deciding upon legal disputes.
What is elective dictatorship?
Where there is excessive concentration of power in the executive branch of government.
The Westminster Model is a form of government in which Parliament is…
sovereign, the executive and legislature are fused and political power is centralised
In the Westminster Model the constitution is…
uncodified and can be easily amended
The Westminster Model reflects the long-standing British experience of..
strong, centralised government run by disciplined political parties
The Westminster Model is a system of representative democracy ensures that…
government is held accountable through elections
In the Westminster Model the executive and legislature are…
fused, executive is dominant
What are 2 advantages of the Westminister Model?
-Government is accountable to Parliament for its actions and to the people through elections. Parliament can force the resignation of government through collective responsibility.
-The rule of law defends basic civil liberties and ensures that power is not exercised arbitrarily. Ministers and officials aren’t above the law.
What are 2 disadvantages of the Westminster Model?
-There can be elective dictatorship through parliamentary sovereignty, the single-member plurality electoral system and executive dominance of the legislature, so parliament can do whatever it wants
-Power is concentrated at the centre so decisions are not taken close to the people
What is democracy?
A form of government in which the major decisions rest directly or indirectly on the freely given consent of the majority of the adults governed.
What is direct democracy with examples?
Every citizen is able to participate directly in decision-making.
In Athens, they had a random collection with marbles for people in power, they were in power for a month. It was impossible to bribe.
In Switzerland residents gather every spring or 4x a year to vote on Parliament decisions like old age pension plans. Every 4 years people elect the 50,000 signatures within 100 days- referendum voted by public. Creates trust between government and public. Only 2/5 of people participate.
Used in UK
What is indirect/representative democracy?
Citizens elect representatives to make decisions for them. Popular participation in decision-making is limited. These representatives are chosen and removed at election time. The electoral process gives citizens context over government.
Eg. HoC
Used in UK
