Chapter 5: Democratic Regimes

Referendum

is when the government proposes a specific policy change to voters, at which point a national election is held in which voters cast a "yes "or "no "vote on the question.

Pluralism

is characterized by a large, healthy, and freely organized civil society in which policymaking authorities are influenced by civil society organizations, who themselves are in free competition with each other for the attention of the policymakers.

democratic regimes

political parties nominate candidates for office, organize majority rule, recruit elites to run the government, educate voters, and make participation simpler for the average voter.

Democracy

is rooted in the concept of "majority rule, "but equally important in its definition is the idea that there are a set of fundamental rights of all people, including the minority, which can not be violated no matter what the will of the majority may be.

political system

for choosing and replacing the government through free and fair elections.

Parliamentary systems

give the legislature the power to choose the executive, usually the leader of the majority party.

Civil society

is defined as the aggregate of non- governmental organizations and institutions that manifest the will of the people.

proportional representation system

(PR), there is a large geographic constituency (perhaps even the entire country) that will elect a large number of representatives.

coalition government

occurs when parties "team "together to choose a government (likely a prime minister and cabinet), and compromise with each other on a policy agenda for the legislative session.

Single member district systems

divide the country into many constituencies, each of which will allow one "single member "to represent the constituency in the legislature.

national election

A prime minister comes to power first by earning the role of party leader among his or her fellow party legislators, and then by leading the party to victory in a(n) ________.

Indirect democracy

allows the people to choose representatives to exercise policymaking power.

Executive power

is also wielded by an elected official in a democracy, but the way the executive is chosen can vary greatly from state to state.

Transitional democracies

which are former authoritarian systems attempting to integrate democratic practices into the regime, may also not yet display the full characteristics of liberal democracies, given the resistance to change of the former power elites, or the lack of an established democratic political culture among the people.

Presidential systems

let the voters directly elect the executive. the voters cast a direct vote for a specific candidate to serve as the chief executive, usually, though not always, titled "president ..

Direct democracy

allows the people to vote directly on whether a policy will be enacted or not.

Single member district systems

________ tend to create two- party systems.

Single member district systems

________ give seats only to the candidate with the most votes in each district.

Democracies

allow all people to freely engage in these and other activities, provided they do not violate the rights of other individuals.

Liberal democracies

adhere to these requirements of respecting the rights of the people in addition to holding regular, free, fair, competitive elections. 

**Illiberal democracies**

will hold elections in which the winning candidate is in fact the candidate with the most votes, and does in fact come to wield political power, yet significant restrictions and violations of these rights occur consistently enough that it calls the very democratic legitimacy of the elections into question. 

**transitional democracies**

which are former authoritarian systems attempting to integrate democratic practices into the regime, may also not yet display the full characteristics of liberal democracies, given the resistance to change of the former power elites, or the lack of an established democratic political culture among the people.

**Rule of law**

is a concept that has emerged and evolved gradually over human history, beginning (in Western tradition, at least) with the **Magna Carta** in England in 1215. 

**constitution**

a basic set of laws that define and codify the extent and limitations on the power of the government and each of the state’s institutions

**political party**

is an institution that seeks to gain control of government for the purpose of wielding political power to achieve goals common to its members.

**interest articulation**

in which the group communicates the common interest of its members with relevant policymakers, government officials, and the public at large. 

**Interest aggregation**

which is the combining of the interests of many individuals and groups into a formal policy program.

coalition government

occurs when parties “team” together to choose a government (likely a prime minister and cabinet), and compromise with each other on a policy agenda for the legislative session.

prime minister

comes to power first by earning the role of party leader among his or her fellow party legislators, and then by leading the party to victory in a national election.

**Head of state**

functions involve the ceremonial responsibility of an individual to display the pomp, majesty, power, and might of the state in formal settings, whether they be welcoming foreign dignitaries, presiding over national celebrations, or giving speeches to inspire patriotic loyalty from the people.

**Head of government**

who is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the policies of the state, including overseeing disbursements from the treasury, regulation of industry, and law enforcement.