esay study Flashcards
(88 cards)
0
Q
The British Constitution: an ancient and “organic” constitution
what does it consist of?
A
Acts of Parliament
•Common law
•Conventional practices
–the Magna Carta (1215) and the English Bill of Rights (1689)
1
Q
Challenges to Great Britain?
A
- The U.S. or the EU?
- The modern monarchy
- Immigrants and terrorism
- Regional autonomy
- devolution
- Independence?
- The West Lothian Question
2
Q
3 Main Features of the Westminster Model?
A
- Parliamentary sovereignty
- unitary state
- fusion of powers
- constitutional monarchy
- Parliamentary democracy
- motion of no confidence
- Cabinet government
3
Q
Explain collective responsibility?
Britain
A
s
4
Q
who appoints the cabinet ministers/secretaries that lead each cabinet ministry? and how many are there?
Britain
A
appointed by PM
more than 20 (currently 23)
5
Q
What are the duties of cabinet government?
Britain
A
•serves as check on PM
•supported by vast civil service
•monitored by “shadow cabinet”
collective responsibility
6
Q
Explain the Effects of the Civil Service in Britain?
A
•ready-made policy experts who are politically neutral •allows for smooth transitions •unelected body has significant power •policy change tends to be slow –institutional inertia
7
Q
Explain the British judiciary?
A
–traditionally weak; reformed as of October 2009
8
Q
UK Supreme Court
how many members and how are they chosen?
A
•12 members chosen by selection committee, appointed by Queen on advice of PM
–Life appointment; mandatory retirement at 70 (since 1995)
•Highest court of appeal in Wales, Northern Ireland, and England
•Highest court of civil appeal in Scotland
9
Q
UK Supreme Court
•Cosmetic Changes?
A
- Judicial review of secondary legislation only
* Can be removed by parliament
10
Q
Duties of the House of Commons?
how many members
A
•650 members –pass laws –authorize all tax bills –parliamentary scrutiny •party discipline is enforced
11
Q
Duties of the House of Lords?
how many members?
A
•738 members (peers)
–review and revise legislation
–(within limits)
–host state opening of Parliament
12
Q
Steps in the Election
British
A
- Motion of no confidence OR early elections OR 5 years elapse
- PM goes to the Queen
- Election occurs in 30 days
- Based on election results, the Queen invites party (or coalition) to form government
13
Q
Duties of the Monarch?
Britain
A
•Constitutional Monarch –formal repository of executive power –acts on “advice of ministers” •Duty to preserve power, legitimacy of parliament •Throne Speech –Queen Opens Parliament
14
Q
Conditions for Democracy
A
- Free and fair elections
- Political parties, including opposition parties, are free to organize
- Due process, transparency, and accountability
- Civil/Political rights
- Independent Judiciary
15
Q
The French President?
A
•extremely powerful executive
16
Q
Main Features of French dirigisme?
A
Capitalism with:
- direct investment in economy
- “national champions” of private industry
- nationalizing major industries
17
Q
Costs of dirigisme?
A
•overly centralized economic power bred popular resentment
–Labor unions increased
–May 1968 protests
18
Q
Benefits of dirigisme?
A
modernization
steady (modest) growth
19
Q
The French Social Welfare System: Features?
A
- free university education
- unemployment insurance
- universal health insurance
- one of best systems in the world
- generous pensions at 62
- maternity leave, 35-hour work week, 6 weeks vacation
20
Q
The French Social Welfare System: Results?
A
- broad satisfaction with (and pride in) the program
- comparatively higher rates of unemployment
- slower economic growth, generally
- expensive system
- The opposition
21
Q
The Constitution of the Fifth Republic?
A
A semi-presidential system:
22
Q
What makes it semi-presidential?
•
A
Presence of PM/Government and parliament, with traditional constitutional powers
23
Q
What makes it Presidential?
A
•Legislative and Executive are elected separately and have independent powers
24
Why not call it semi-parliamentary?
•Whenever conflict arises, constitution sides with the President
25
Cohabitation?
•Cohabitation: period in which President and PM represent different parties
»President conducts foreign policy; PM conducts domestic
»Usually leads to contentious politics
»Relatively weakened Presidency
26
Unified government?
•Unified government: period in which President and PM are from the same party
»President becomes very powerful, eclipsing PM
27
President of France?
* Head of state: sole responsibility for foreign affairs
* Appoints PM, approves cabinet
* Presides over meetings of the government (Cabinet and PM)
* Can propose legislation
* Can invoke emergency powers
* May dissolve National Assembly
* Appoints 1/3 of the Constitutional Council
* Propose Constitutional amendments/referenda
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•who???
Appointed by President
•Formally serves at the discretion of the National Assembly
•Informally, during unified government, serves at discretion of President
•Head of government
•In charge of policy, including national defense
•Bureaucracy and administration implements their plans
•no “collective responsibility” and almost no debate
The French Prime Minister and his Cabinet (AKA: the Council of Ministers, the government)
29
•Subnational governments in france?
devolution
30
•The judiciary of France?
Constitutional Council (power of judicial review)
»Staggered nine-year terms
»Roman Law
•State Council
31
The French Parliament 2 parts
| The senate?
–343 members
–Elected by mayors and town councilors
–Blend of PR/MMD-two-ballot plurality
–participates in legislation and must consent, but is inferior to National Assembly
32
The French Parliament 2 parts
| The National Assembly
–577 members, SMD (two-ballot plurality)
–directly elected deputies
–Participates in legislation and must consent; holds parliamentary power over Government
33
Defining the National Assemblies Power
| What (4) defines the national assemblies power?
* Limited constitutional mandate
* no real “power of the purse”
* Government sets agenda, can limit debate
* Vote blocqué
* NA can be dissolved
* Less common, since newly elected president get (presumably friendly) NA elected in two months
* Power to pass no confidence vote limited
34
Trends in French Party Politics?
```
•Emergence of two-party dominant system
–PS and UMP are two main axes
•Less ideological platforms
•Less stable electorate
–increasing popularity of fringe parties/candidates
```
35
far right french party that has garenered recent success?
the national front, like the tea party,
36
aarising from 1945 and lasting until 1979 all
collective consensus
37
of all the countries these countries have the weakest systems of gov
Iran and brazil
brazil is so corupt, military past
iran has vetting process, strong clerical class, guardian council,
38
only two countries we have studied that have not had a military coup
United Kingdom and mexico
39
country has at least 5 coups in last 70 years
turkey
40
SMD-FPP
smd is a winner take all system one member is elected from each district if he secures a plurality of votes
41
term refers to a state that derives a large percentage of revenues from the extraction of natural resources
what is rentier state
42
the revolutionary gaurd
iranian paramilitary unit that serves at the direction of the surpreem leader, protects from the internal and external enimies, and managemes a significant sector of the iranian econonmy
43
the french fith republic was born from a crisis with this french colony
algeria
44
Best explination of the executive power of the 5th republic of france
gaulle thought the president was to week, that the fourth republic wouldn't be able to handle Algerian war, he wanted power, France had a week executive and was divided when it needed to be united.
45
current governing party of france
```
socialist party (ps)
centrist party
```
46
chief causes of mexican weakness of congress
dominance of president, weakness of political parties, term limmits, corrupt clienteles politics
47
list of major iranian political institutions in descending order of power
1. supreme leader, 2. expediency council, 3. the guardian council, the president, the assembly of experts, the majies
48
embraces free trade, weak uniions, foreign investment, monetarism
economic liberalism
49
Totalitarian Regime
a political system in which the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever possible. different from authoritarian system because attempts to control virtually all aspects of the social life including economy, education, art, science, private life and morals of citizens. "The officially proclaimed ideology penetrates into the deepest reaches of societal structure and the totalitarian government seeks to completely control the thoughts and actions of its citizens ."[9]
50
Authoritarian regime
characterized by absolute or blind[4] obedience to authority, as against individual freedom and related to the expectation of unquestioning obedience.
- constraints on political institutions and groups
- basis for legitimacy based on emotion, especially the identification of the regime as a necessary evil to combat "easily recognizable societal problems" such as underdevelopment or insurgency
- neither "intensive nor extensive political mobilization" and constraints on the mass public (such as repressive tactics against opponents and a prohibition of anti-regime activity)
- formally ill-defined" executive power, often shifting or vague.
51
Consolidated Democracy
process by which a new democracy matures, in a way that means it is unlikely to revert to authoritarianism without an external shock.
52
Transitional Democracy
Relatively democratic
- shows signs of incomplete democratic consolidation
- between democracy and other form of government
- Mexico and turkey are good examples, because of corruption, election rigging,
53
Middle level theory
Middle-range theory starts with an empirical phenomenon (as opposed to a broad abstract entity like the social system) and abstracts from it to create general statements that can be verified by data.
54
Coalition government
a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate,
- reducing the dominance of any one party within that coalition.
- reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament.
- might also be created in a time of national difficulty or crisis, for example during wartime, or economic crisis,
- give a government the high degree of perceived political legitimacy, or collective identity it desires while also playing a role in diminishing internal political strife.
55
Keynesian Economics
- interventionist state
- import substitution industrialization
- welfare state
- corporatist state
- collective consensus
56
Interventionist State
action taken by a state to manipulate an economy or society
-economic interventionalism
can include methods such as (sanctions or changing policy of economic rule of law)
-can be used to support economy growth or curb it
57
Import substitution industrialization
a trade and economic policy that advocates replacing foreign imports with domestic production
-based on premise that a country should reduce its foreign dependency through local production of products
58
Welfare State
A concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well being of its citizens.
-based on principles of equality of oppertunity, distribution of wealth, and responsibility to protect those that can not procure a good life
59
Corporatist state
a political culture and a form of corporatism whose adherents hold that the corporate group which is the base of society is the state
-consumer society
60
Collective consensus
a group decision making process that requires the consent of all participants
61
Economic neoliberalism
economic liberalism whose advocates support free tade, open markets, privatization, deregulation and enhancing the role of the private sector in modern society
-Margaret thatcher, Ronald regan,
62
Laissez-faire
economic environment in which transactions between private parties are free from government restrictions, tariffs, and subsidies, with only enough regulations to protect property rights
63
Monetarism
is a school of economic thought that emphasizes the role of government in controlling the amount of money in circulation
-the idea is that the variation of the money supply has an effect on national output in the short run and price level over a longer period of time
64
The "third way" (UK)
Abandoned interventionism
- reduced power of unions
- courted foreign investment
- less draconian welfare reform
- uses surplus to increase spending on social programs, not cut taxes
65
Anticlericalism
opposes the clergy for reasons including their actual or alleged power and influence in all aspects of public and political life and their involvement in the everyday life of the citizen
66
One-party state
type of state that a single political party dominates and has the right to form government, usually based on constitution. all other parties are outlawed or allowed to take only a limited and controlled participation in elections, Iran and Brazil and Mexico have all been like this
67
SMD-FPP
The single winner is the person with the most votes
68
PR
Proportional Representation: a principle applied to voting systems tyo elect an assembly or council to ensure that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportional to the number of votes they received
69
PR-open list (brazil)
voters have at least some influence on the order in which a partys candidates are elected
70
PR-closed list
Allows only active members, party officials, or cusultants to determine the order of its candidates and gives the general voters no influence at all on the position of the candidates placed on the party list.
71
The Iranian Revolution
```
Ruhollah Khomeini
Shari'a
Jurist's Gaurdianship
Imam
Ayatollah
```
72
Ruhollah Khomeini
Was Iranian religious leader and polotician, leader of 1979 iranian revolution that ousted the shah,
- 1st supreme leader of Iran
- regarded highly, only person to be called imam of Iran and grand Ayatollah
- power centered in him during his rule
73
Shari'a
The moral code and religious law of a prophetic religion. Deals with secular law, including crime, politics, and economics, as well as personal maters such as sexual intercourse, hygiene, diet, prayer everyday etiquette and fasting. Used as the law of Iran by the clerical rulling class in order to crackdown and strengthen there authoritarian regime.
74
Jurists Gaurdianship
theory in Shia Islam which holds that Islam gives a Islamic jurist custodianship over people, this has been used by the supreme leader and clerical class to press for greater control over the social and political atmosphere of Iran
75
Imam
an imam is an islamic religious and community leader, who people look to for guidance, Khomeini was regarded as the Imam of Iran or the one to look to for religious and political guidance
76
Ayatollah
tittle given to high ranking clerics who are experts in islamic studies
77
Rentier state
A term in political science and international relations theory used to classify those states which derive all or nearly all of there national revenues from the rent of there natural resources to external clients
78
Guardian Council
12 member council
charged with interpreting the constitutionality of iran, supervising of elections, approval of candidates,
It ensures that law is compatible with the criteria of Islam and the constitution
Continually allows only one interpretation of Islamic values as it disqualifies anyone with reform in mind
79
Laicism
french concept of removing all religious involvement in government
and an absence of government intervention in religious affairs
80
Patrimonial State
Form of government in which all power flows directly from the leader. this constitutes essentially the blending of the public and private sector. These regimes are autocratic or oligarchic and exclude upper and middle classes from power, armies loyal to leader not the nation
ruler treats matters and resources of the state as his personal affairs
81
Abertura
The return to a civilian run government form the brazialin millitary dictatorship.
82
Bureaucratic Rings
a term used by president Cardoso that refers to the highly permeable and fragmented structure of the state beuracracy that allows private interests to make alliances with midlevel bureaucrats officers. by shaping policy these bureaucrats gain the promise of future employment from those who they served
83
The French Revolution
marks the decline of powerful monarchies and churches and the rise of democracy and nationalism
84
Charles de Gaulle
french general and statesman who lead french forces in ww2, founded fifth republic by staging a coup, served as first president of france, created strong presidency
85
amparo
a form of constitutional relief found in the legal systems of various Latin American countries and the Philippines. protects individuals rights, protects all rights not explicitly covered by constitution
86
Vote blocque
i do not know
87
Euroscepticism
body of criticism of the European Union, and opposition to the process of political european integration, people believe it weakens the nation state and gives to much power away from nations to multinational organization
