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28 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Democracy
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a political system in which political power is exercised either directly or indirectly by the people
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Liberal Democracy
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A political system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty and emphasizes individual freedom and civil rights
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Direct Democracy
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Democracy that allows the public to participate directly in government decision making
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Indirect Democracy/Republicanism
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Democracy in which representatives of the public are responsible for government decision making
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Rule of Law
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A system in which all individuals and groups, including those in government, are subject to the law, irrespective of of their power or authority
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Suffrage
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the right to vote
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Electoral Systems
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A set of rules that decide how votes are cast, counted, and translated into seats in a legislature
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First past the post (FPTP)
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The electoral system in which individual candidates compete in single-member districts; voters choose between candidates and the candidate with the largest share of the votes wins
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Proportional Representation (PR)
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An electoral system in which political parties compete in multi-member districts; voters choose between parties, and the seats in the district are awarded proportionally according to the results of the vote
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Multi-member District
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An electoral district with more than one seat.
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Single member districts
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An electoral district with one seat
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Mixed (Electoral) System (FPTP & PR)
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An electoral system that uses a combination of FPTP and PR
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Referendum
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A national vote called by government to address a specific proposal, often a change to the Constitution
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Initiative
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A national vote called by members of the public to address a specific proposal
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Plebiscites
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a nonbinding vote called by a government in which the voters express an opinion for or against a proposal
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Separation of Powers
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The clear division of power between the different branches of government and the provision that specific branches may check the power of other branches
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Head of State
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The executive role that symbolizes and represents the people both nationally and internationally
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Head of Government
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The executive role that deals with the everyday tasks of running the state, such as formulating and executing policy
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Presidential System
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A political system in which the roles of head of state and head of government are combined in one executive individual
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Prime Ministerial System
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A political system in which the roles of head of state and head of government are assigned to separate executive individuals
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Bicameral System
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A political system in which the legislature comprises two houses
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Unicameral system
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A political system in which the legislature comprises one house
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Constitutional Court
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The highest judicial body in the political system that decides whether laws and policies violate the Constituition
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Judicial Review
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The mechanism by which courts can review the actions of government and overturn those that violate the Constitution
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Civil Rights
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Individual rights that are created by the Constitution and the political regime
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Advanced Democracy
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A country with institutionalized democracy and a high level of economic development
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Integration
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The process by which states pool their sovereignty, surrendering some individual powers in order to gain shared political, economic, or societal benefits
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Devolution
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A process in which political power is "sent down" to lower levels of state and government
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