key vocab

Question 1

accountability

Answer 1

accepting responsibility for your actions

Question 2

civil liberties

Answer 2

the right to freedom of thought, expression, action and the protection of these rights from the government

Question 3

civil society

Answer 3

when a wide aray of NGOs and non profit organisations have a public presence
—> advocacy groups, charities, religious places of worship

Question 4

common law

Answer 4

the uks law system —> when judges declare the law as derived from customs

Question 5

decentralisation

Answer 5

the shifting of power from one place to another and shifting control from one group to many —> westminister = sovereign but NI, wales and scotland all have their own smaller institutes of power

Question 6

democratic deficit

Answer 6

a flaw in the democratic process where decisions are taken by people who lack legitimacy or the mandate from people
—> HoL

Question 7

direct democracy

Answer 7

when the people vote directly on a law or other political initiatives rather than voting for a representative to vote on their behalf —> refurendums
—> brexit, scottish independance

Question 8

e-democracy

Answer 8

democracy carried out online
—> e-petitions or online campains

Question 9

electoral mandate

Answer 9

authority given to the party or candidate that wins an election by the people

Question 10

elitism

Answer 10

belief that society should be led by the top elite
—> most wealthy and educated members of society

Question 11

formal equality

Answer 11

to live in a fair society, people must be treated with equity

Question 12

hyperpluralism

Answer 12

when so many groups are in power at once that government is unable to function and is rendered useless

Question 13

legitimacy

Answer 13

the rightful use of power in accordance with pre set criteria
—> gov. right to rule after an election or a monarchs succession based on the agreed rules

Question 14

limited government

Answer 14

there should be legal constraints on the power of political authorities especially with respect to individual liberty

Question 15

lobbyists

Answer 15

paid external bodies who are trying to persuade those in power for action
—> demonstrations, writing to an MP, petitions

Question 16

manifesto

Answer 16

actions and programs a political party would like to put into place if they were voted into government

Question 17

participation crisis and example

Answer 17

low voter turnout
—> 2015 general election = 66.1%

Question 18

pluralism

Answer 18

where people of different social classes, religions, races etc are together in society but have their different interests and traditions

Question 19

pluralist democracy

Answer 19

a type of democracy where the government makes decisions as a result of the interplay of various ideas and contrasting arguments from competing groups or organisations

Question 20

promotional group

Answer 20

they represent a shared value, opinion or belief
—> membership open to all
—> often motivated by moral concerns

Question 21

redress of grievances

Answer 21

asking for compensation from the government to right a wrong that has been done
—> thalidimide babies
—>post office scandal

Question 22

representative democracy

Answer 22

when an individual selects a person or party to act on their behalf to exercise political choice
—> electing an MP to represent a constituency

Question 23

sectional group

Answer 23

a group that represents a particular minority to protect the intrests of their members
—> workers, religious groups, the environment

Question 24

suffrage

Answer 24

in England, everyone over the age of 18, unless they are homeless or in prison, has the right to free and fair voting

Question 25

think tanks

Answer 25

a body of experts bought together to collectively focus on one topic
—> offer solutions to politicians on often complicated social, economic or political issues