Politics key topic 1 key words

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  • Created by: 11rsims
  • Created on: 03-06-17 18:20
Politics
is concerned with developing a knowledge and understanding the government and society. it is about the struggle for power and influence between different competing groups
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Democracy
defined as people power, from the word demos meaning people and kratia meaning rule of, Lincoln said "government of the people,by the people and for the people", representative and direct democracy
2 of 68
Political culture
the ideas, beliefs attitudes that shape political behaviour within a given area, it hows the way that citizens view the political system, in the 50's and 60's there was homogenity, consensus and deference
3 of 68
Equality
people should be treated equally and be given equal oppurtunities as long as there are no grounds for treating them differently, (equal pay act 1970-human rights act 19980
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Authoritarian Regime
Strong central control and direction, usually in non-democratic countries. There may be elections but restricted to centrally chosen party list or campaigning is made difficult for those who have an alternative view
5 of 68
Legitimacy
The legal right or authority to exercise power, a government claims legitimacy as a result of the mandate it secures at a general election
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Power and authority
Power is the ability to make things happen and authority is the ability to direct people or groups to achieve goals
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Mandate
the right of the governing party to pursue the policies it sets out in its general election manifesto, the doctorine of the mandate gives the governing party the authority to pursue its policies but doesnt require it to do so
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Legitimate system of Government
A system of Government in which the authority of the government is widely accepted by those who are subject to it
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Participation
This is the engagement of the population in forms of political action- eg. voting in a general election
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Non-electoral participation
other forms of participation outsid of casting a vote in an election
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Direct democracy
citizens themselves assemble to debate and decide issues of public importance
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Representative democracy
the people elect representatives that make decisions on there behalf
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Elitism
a recognition that society should be governed by an elite or small group
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Pluralism
it means rule of the many and relates to a society in which there are diverse and competing centres of power which seek to exert influence upon the government
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Electorate
Refers to all qualified voters
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Franchise
it is the right to vote for representatives in a legislative body (it exempts those under 18 leading members of the royal family, prisoners,mentally ill) acts such as the 1918 and 1969 representation og the people act extended the Franchise
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Differential turnout
Where the national turnout figure recorded at a given election masks differences in turnout by constituancy or by region
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Absteiners
classified as those who do not vote,this may be due to involuntary reasons or personal choice
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Devolved assemblies
National parliaments in scotland, national assembly in wales and assembly in Northern Ireland
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Alienation
the feeling of feeling seperate from others or the rest of society
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capitalism
"free enterpise" economic systems where the means of mass production is privately owned and operated for profit
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Communism
a theory of social organisation where all property is owned by the community and each person recieves according to their ability and needs, a higher form of socialism
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Post materialist age
people are less concerned about their marerial needs which i available to the majority and is more concerned with quality of life issues
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Initiative
an individual or group may propose legislature by securing the signatures of a required number of qualified voters
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Referendum
a vote of the people on a single issue of public policy-proposed law or policy, change to constitution
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Recall vote
enables a certain number of voters to demand a vote on whether an elected official should be removed from office
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opinion polls
designed to find out the voting intentions or attitudes of members of the public
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Focus group
small groups of people whose views are probed on a range of issues
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Direct action
political action outside the constitutional and legal framework
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Anti-globalisation
refers to the political outlook of those social movements that protest against global trade agreements and the impact they have on the worlds poorest people, environment or prospects for international peace
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40:30:30 society
a society where 40% have secure employment and are well off, 30% are in insecure employment, 30% are jobless and marginalised
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power report 2006
an inquiry in to the state of political participation in the UK
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social capital
refers to the connections between individuals, the social network and the trustworthiness that arise from them
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socialisation
the instilling of political attitudes and values via agencies such as family, upbringing,education and the media
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Social class
the hierarchal distinctions between individuals or group within a society, division of people with similar characteristics
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Psephologists
specialists in the study of elections and voting behaviour
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Partisan alignment
Long-term alligence of voters to a political party
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partisan d-alignment
the breakdown of a long term alligence to a party
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Class alignment
relates to the strong association of membership of a social class with support for a political party
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Class de-alignment
relates to the breakdown of a social class support for a particualr voting
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Instrumental voting
is a one off asessment off the parties policies and reputation, based on their past performance as well as judgement about their ability to deliver what they promise
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Ideology
a system of assumptions, beliefs and values about public issues that are a part of a comprehensive vision for society, help us to choose what form of political action hould be taken in particular circumstances
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Ethnic group
relates to people who share a common sense of identity due to kinship,culture,religion or skin colour
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Mass media
organisations involved in publishing, broadcasting ot other forms of political communication that channel information to the electorate
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Sleaze
the various financial and sexual scandals that have occured under recent governments
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Middle England
The political middle ground often seen as being occupied by rhe middle and working classes of England, those who want to better themselves
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Demographic change
changes that relate to the size and distribution of the population
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embourgeoisement
the tendency of better-off working people with aspirations to become more like the mddle classes in their social outlook and political behaviour
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volatility
significant changes in voting habits which made voting less predictiable, it shows a shift of voter support between parties
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Core vote
voters who feel a strong attatchement to a party and vote for them every election
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floating vote
someones whos vote is likely to change between elections
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Tabloids
newspapers that convey information in a sensational style with bold headlines (the sun, the daily star, the mirror)
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broadsheets
large quality newspapers that present news and info in greater depth with greater analysis (the guidian, the independent)
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photo oppurtunites
these are carefully managed staged events where the leading is set against a particular background
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Bandwagon effect
opinion polls make voters back the winning side
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boomerang effect
opinion polls make voters support the "under dog"
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political consultants
political advisors being increasingly used by parties over the past 30 years, they specialise in some aspect of the election (campaigning, fundraising, media)
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spin doctors
specialist party consultants whose task it is to change the way the public percieves an issue
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tactical voting
they dont vote for their favoured candidate but one that has more chance of winning to avoid a candidate they dont like coming in to power
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apathy
a state of passivity or indiference towards political institutions and there associated processes
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hapathy
voters may abstain from voting as a result of happiness with the way they are being governed
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canvassing
local party activists go from door to door to assess the strength of support and win over floating voters
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e-democracy
the use of the internet to encourage greater political participation
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citizens juries
a panel of citizens convened to hear evidence and deliver their verdict on a governemt proposal or a specific policy area
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citizens assemblies
it looks to involve a representative cross-section of the population in the policy-making process
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rational choice model
an approach to the study of politics that focuses on the actions of rational individuals who pursue their own interests
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valence issues
a policy isser on which the main parties are in broad agreement, parties adopt a similar position
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Democracy

Back

defined as people power, from the word demos meaning people and kratia meaning rule of, Lincoln said "government of the people,by the people and for the people", representative and direct democracy

Card 3

Front

Political culture

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Equality

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Authoritarian Regime

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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