Unit 1 AOS 1: Power and Ideas Flashcards
Political System
is the formal and informal political process by which decisions are made concerning the use, production and distribution of resources in any given society.
Formal Politics
The dominant framework when considering the nature of politics and is centered around leading figures/personalities who and can dominate the 24 hour news cycle.
States
States are the dominant structure by which almost the whole world (with few exceptions) is organized. Think of the ‘state’ as a ‘country’.
The state is the central actor in global politics.
Actor
An individual, group or entity that plays a social, political, economic, or cultural role within a particular system. Actors can operate in a domestic setting, and opposition parties, special interest lobby groups all the media.
Social Contract
An understanding, or mutual agreement, between the state and its citizens that the citizen will give us some level of individual freedom in exchange for protection. Including Security, Freedom, Order, Justice, Welfare
Informal Politics
Informal politics is everywhere. Informal politics shapes the way governments work. The gap between the impact of government policies and their stated intentions is often due to informal politics.
the difference between formal and informal politics
While informal politics runs so much of the ‘show’, formal politics
– the more visible sphere of debates in parliament, political parties and campaign speeches, demonstrations etc.– gets most of the headlines. Both kinds of politics are interacting and functionally inseparable
in a political system.
The three levels of the Australian government
Federal, state parliaments and local councils
Representative democracy:
A political system where people vote for other citizens in free and fair elections, to act on their behalf in the legislative branch.
Representative government:
A political system where the legislative and executive functions are carried out by citizens who have been elected to make decisions on behalf of the people.
Constitutional monarchy:
A political system with a hereditary monarch, whose powers are defined by a constitution.
Federalism:
A system of government in which law-making powers and responsibilities are constitutionally divided between essential, national government and a series of state or regional governments. Example: Australia and the USA.
Separation of powers:
The principle that the three branches of government, the legislator, the executive and the judiciary, should be kept independent and act without interference from each other as means of decentralising and preventing abuse of power.
Federal politics - Strategic pursuits
Particularly at a federal level, almost all states frame their national interests around 4 key strategic pursuits:
1. National security
- Economic prosperity
- Regional relationships
- International standing
Glo-calisation
An intertwining of the global and local sphere. The line between local and global has blurred
Power
The ability to make others do what you would have them do
Tangible power
power that you can see, that is physical
Intangible power
power that you cannot see, but can feel the effects of
Can we define power?
The capabilities, mechanisms and resources that an actor has at their disposal
to successfully fulfil their aims.
The capacity of an actor to achieve their aims by influencing, enforcing or
controlling the actions of others
Political power
Refers to the use of a state’s internal political machinery to exert influence over the actions of others.
For example, legislation, executive orders, white papers
Hard power:
An actor’s capacity to use force, in order to coerce others to achieve its aims.
Soft power:
An actor’s capacity to use appeal/attraction, in order to co-opt others to achieve its aims.
Authority:
The basis or source of legitimate political power.
Legitimacy:
Political power that is broadly accepted by the population, usually based on its granting through democratic or transparent means.
Capitalism
An economic system in which a country’s trade, industry and profits are controlled by private companies, instead of by the people who time and labour powers those companies
Capitalists are typically people who have a large amount of capital (money or financial assets), invested in business and who benefit from a capitalist system
Free market - price is dominated by companies
Cons of Capitalism
Benefits the rich, not the worker, Driver of inequality, both social and economic, By nature, is exploitative, Negative impact on the environment, Promotes an individualist culture, Anti-democratic
Communism
- Individual people do not own land, factories or machinery
- This is all owned by the government
- Everyone shares the wealth created by the community
- Communist Manifesto
- No government in a communist society - therefore, there has never been a true communist community
Cons of communism/socialism
- Elimination of the free market
- Prices set by the government
- Often find black markets in order to trade things that the government doesn’t supply
- No incentive to succeed in life
Ideology
A set of views, values and beliefs held in common by a group of people about how the world ideally should be politically organised.
What is a spectrum
Can vary across a continuum. Word was first used to describe the rainbow of colours of visible light after passing through a prism
Political spectrum
A continuum to characterize and classify different political positions in relation to one another. Based on issues of social equality and social hierarchy. At the end of the spectrum are The Lefts and The Rights. n the middle lies the Centrists (moderates)
Alternative terms - left wing
the radical, reforming or socialist section of a political party system. Critics of social hierarchy. Support social equality. Sometimes referred to as “radical”. Sometimes referred to as “progressive”.
