Political system (underrepresentation, Participation)) Flashcards
Explain in detail why some groups of people are poorly represented in the government of world power you have studied
P- One reason women are poorly represented in the US government is because they may have young children or teenagers:
E- Most people would not be able to commute daily to Washington D.C. therefore would have to be away from their family during the week. They may also have to spend weekend attending events and campaigning so won’t see their family much.
E-Women only make up just under 28% of Congress despite making up 51% of the population.
P- the cost of running for election
E- To be elected to the House of Representatives or Congress requires a sophisticated and coordinated election campaign which will cost a lot of money. It can cost millions of dollars to run for President which many ethnic minorities cannot afford due to lack of personal wealth or sponsorship from rich donors.
E- Donald Trump donated $66m of his own money to his campaign and used his jet and resorts for campaign rallies in 2016.
Describe in detail two ways in which citizens from a world power you have studied can participate in politics (Participation)
P- Joining an interest group and publishing their cause.
E- An interest group is a group of individuals who try to put pressure on the government to change the law or introduce a new law.
E- For example, the National Rifle Association is an interest group which protects the right of US citizens to own guns and has approximately 5.5 million members.
P- Another way citizens in the USA can participate in politics is by protesting.
E-US citizens can congregate peacefully to show their approval or disproval of an issue. They hope to get those in powers to support their cause.
E-For example, in June 2020 there was nationwide protests for the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd while being arrested by police in Minneapolis.
Explain in detail why some groups of people in the world power you have studied are more likely to participate in politics than others (Paticipation)
P- One reason why some people are more likely to participate in politics than others in the USA is because they are better educated.
E- All of the Senators and 94% of members of the House of Representatives have a Batchelor’s degree.
E- This may put people with a poor education off standing for election because they feel they won’t be able to debate with people who have a better education.
P- Another reason why some people are more likely to participate in politics than others in the USA is because they are wealthier.
E-Standing for election and running a successful campaign costs a lot of money and minorities are more likely to live in poverty compared to whites.
E- Trump donated $66 million of his own money to his presidential election campaign and used his jet and resorts for campaign rallies.
Explain in detail, two reasons why some groups of people in the world power you have studied are less likely to participate in politics than others (Participate)
P-Another reason why some people are less likely to participate in politics than others in the USA is because of language barriers.
E-Hispanics may struggle to understand English as it is not their first language.
E-English is the language of politics in the USA therefore they will be unable to understand the political debates on television or campaign leaflets and therefore may not vote as a result.
P- A third reason why some people are less likely to participate in politics than others in the USA is because of lack of role models.
E- There are very few ethnic minorities in Congress and a lack of minority candidates may discourage people from voting as they don’t want to vote for white candidates.
E- For example, just over 26% of Congress members are from an ethnic minority background but ethnic minorities make up 43% of the US population.
