unit 1 - democracy and participation keywords (copy)

legitimacy

legitimacy

the rightful use of power in accordance with pre-set criteria or widely-held agreements such as government’s right to rule following an election or a monarch's succession based on the agreed rules

democracy

a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives

direct democracy

all individuals express their opinions themselves and not through representatives acting on their behalf

representative democracy

a more modern form of democracy through which an individual selects a person (and/or political party) to act on their behalf to exercise political choice

pluralist democracy

a type of democracy in which a government makes decisions as a result of the interplay of various ideas and contrasting arguments from competing groups and organisations

liberal democracy

a type of democracy which incorporates free and fair elections as well as a belief in the importance of upholding key rights and responsibilities

democratic deficit

a flaw in the democratic process where decisions are taken by people who lack legitimacy, not having been appointed with sufficient democratic input or subject to accountability

participation crisis

a lack of engagement by a significant number of citizens to relate to the political process either by choosing not to vote or join or become members of political parties or to offer themselves for public office

franchise/suffrage

franchise and suffrage both refer to the ability/right to vote in public elections; suffragettes were women campaigning for the right to vote on the same terms as men

think tanks

a body of experts brought together to collectively focus on a certain topic(s) - to investigate and offer solutions to often complicated and seemingly intractable economic, social, or political issues

lobbyists

a lobbyist is paid by clients to try to influence the government and/or MPs and members of the House of Lords to act in their clients’ interests, particularly when legislation is under consideration

examples of widening suffrage in the UK

• 1832 - great reform act

• 1867 - second reform act

• 1884 - third reform act

• 1918 - representation of the people act

• 1928 - equal franchise act

• 1969 - representation of the people act

• 2014 - scotland

social movement

similar to a cause group, but lacking a formal structure , they are usually politically radical and aim to achieve a single objective

human rights

(sometimes known as natural rights) are the rights and liberties that people are automatically entitled