Government / public services

to abide by

Meaning; (formal) to accept and act according to a law, an agreement, etc. Example: Motorists who do not abide by the rules of the road should be severely punished.

to adhere to

Meaning: to behave according to a particular law, rule, set of instructions,

Example: Governments which fail to adhere to their election promises generally become unpopular very quickly.

the executive branch

cơ quan hành pháp

the legislative branch

cơ quan lập pháp

the separation of powers

nguyên tắc phân quyền xample: In the USA, the independence of the courts from the government is safeguarded by the separation of powers.

to adopt policies

Meaning: to start to use particular policies

Example: In order to deal with traffic congestion, the government must adopt policies to restrict the use of private cars.

to impose spending cuts on

Meaning: to introduce new rules to spend less money on something

Example: It is essential for the authorities to impose spending cuts on space programs in order to fund health services

to raise taxes on

Meaning: to increase the amount of tax on something

Example: Governments should raise taxes on cigarettes to persuade more people to give up smoking.

to curb public spending on

Meaning: to restrict what the government spends on something

Example: I would argue that it is preferable to curb public spending on building new roads rather than to impose spending cuts on education.

to allocate resources to

Meaning: to make money and materials available to do something

Example: If governments allocate more resources to improving public transport, this will reduce the problem of traffic congestion in cities.

to introduce restrictions on

Meaning: to limit what people can do or what can happen

Example: The government must introduce restrictions on smoking in public places.

to infringe on/upon something

Meaning: to limit somebody's legal rights

Example: Governments must sometimes infringe upon individual freedoms in the wider interests of society.

government priority

Meaning: something which is so important that the government should deal with it first.

Example: In developing countries, spending on health and education should be top government priorities.

to prioritize expenditure on

Meaning: to put the need to spend money on certain things first

Example: I believe that it is important to prioritize expenditure on medical research in order to save lives.

to provide funding for

Meaning: to give money to enable something to be done

Example: Providing funding for health care must be a priority of governments

to be high on the agenda of

Meaning: something which is among the first things in the list of actions to be taken

Example: The rehabilitation of prisoners must be high on the agenda of prison authorities everywhere.

to exert pressure on

Meaning: to use power to influence somebody or something

Example: Environmental organisations should exert pressure on governments to invest in renewable energy projects.

to form a pressure group

Meaning: to organize a group of people who try to influence the government to achieve the action that they want.

Example: Activists in my country have formed a pressure group to persuade the government to close nuclear power stations.

to provide public subsidies for

Meaning: to give government money to reduce the costs of services or to produce goods in order to keep the price low

Example: In order to promote agriculture that is environmentally-friendly, the government should provide public subsidies for organic farmers.

international bodies

Meaning: organizations which operate in many countries

Example: National governments ought to give funds to international bodies, like the Red Cross and the United Nations, to deal with emergency situations.

national and local authorities

Meaning: government organizations acting at a national level or within a smaller, local area

Example: Tackling crime is a responsibility of both national and local authorities.

non-governmental organizations: NGOs

Meaning: a charity or association that is independent of government or business

Example: Individuals could donate money to NGOs to help others in need of food, shelter and medical services.

to campaign for something

Meaning: to take part in a series of activities in order to achieve a specific aim.

Example: People who are concerned about the environment should campaign for stricter controls on pollution.

government decision-making

Meaning: the process of deciding about something official

Example: Pressure groups are sometimes able to influence government decision-making.

to impose an official ban on

Meaning: to say or declare that something is not allowed

Example: Governments ought toimpose an official ban on the use of mobile phones on public transport.

government sponsorship

Meaning: the act of providing financial support by the government

Example: Government sponsorship of the arts is necessary if creative talent is to be encouraged.

a welfare state

Meaning: a taxation system which allows governments to provide for the economic and social well-being of its citizens

Example: In order to eradicate poverty, I believe that a welfare state should be established in all developing countries.

a stopgap measure

Meaning: a policy or action adopted for a short time until some more permanent solution is found

Example: Building more prisons will not solve the problem of rising crime rates, but it is a stopgap measure which the government must take to protect ordinary citizens.

trustworthy

capable of being trusted In most countries, politicians are regarded as untrustworthy and possibly corrupt

paramount

of the greatest importance It is paramount that we find a solution to the problem of Internet piracy

devious

extremely clever in a dishonest way Online criminals today are devious, and use many different methods to deceive their victims

minutiae

small details (pronounced 'my-new-shy') Nobody really understands the minutiae of the new tax code

grievance

an issue which makes people upset or angry for a long time Some towns in the countryside have a grievance with central government because of land reform laws

sensitivity

being alert to the circumstances of a specific group of people Teachers should show sensitivity to students who have language difficulties

to commit an offence/a crime

to do it The President committed murder when he arranged for his opponent to be assassinated

informants

people who tell the police useful information about criminals in their area The police paid the informant for information about who organised the riots

evidence

material presented in court to prove that someone is guilty or innocent The police had a lot of DNA evidence against her, but no witness statements

a trial

the legal procedure of prosecuting someone for a crime A murder trial can last for many weeks and cost millions of Euros to conduct

conviction rates

the percentage of accused people who are convicted of (= found to be guilty of) a crime Conviction rates for burglary are low; only about 30% of trials result in a conviction

a deterrent

something that makes people not want to do something (verb

It deters people from coming into our garden

sentencing

the action of telling a convicted criminal what the punishment is (verb

A fine

money paid as a punishment The fine for speeding in my country is about 200 Euros

community service

punishment by doing manual work for the public Her community service consisted of cleaning the town parks and sweeping litter in the streets

rehabilitation

the process of changing a criminal's character so that he does not commit more crimes (verb

Others say there is no point in trying

an offender

a person who commits an offence The government should provide training for offenders in prison, so that they don't turn to crime again when they leave

tendencies

inclinations due to your character (usually negative) Some young people in cities have tendencies towards graffiti and vandalism

corruption

the crime when an official breaks laws to help people that he knows Corruption is widespread in the police in some developing countries

bribery

the crime of giving money to officials to get something done (verb

to enforce laws

to apply them to people The police are not enforcing the laws about dropping litter in public

They should arrest more people for this

unequitable

unfair or different for different groups It is unequitable to arrest young people for speeding, but not older people

law-abiding

following all the laws in a proper way I am a law-abiding citizen

I never break the speed limit or any other laws

transferable skills

skills that can be used in different situations I have transferable skills which I use in both my professional career and my fund-raising work for charities

lateral thinking

the ability to think creatively and in new ways Facebook and Google are great examples of companies that have grown on lateral thinking

investigative

adjective from 'to investigate'

to transcend a situation

to be bigger or go beyond it The need for reducing financial waste transcends the government - everybody should be spending money more carefully

context

a specific situation Armed police evidently work well in the American context, but would be less effective in a British context

to outweigh

to be more important than The advantages of having a diesel car outweigh the costs

over-familiarity

when an official is too friendly with the public We should discourage over-familiarity between judges and lawyers, because it could lead to corruption

bureaucrat

A career government employee.

civil servant

a person who works for a government

military service

(n) the system in which every adult, or every male adult, in a country has to spend a period of time in the army, navy, or air force (nghĩa vụ quân sự)

Member of Parliament

an elected member of the legislature in a parliamentary system

notion

a conception of or belief about something [ + that ] The show's director rejects the notion that seeing violence on television has a harmful effect on children. vague notion I have only a vague notion of what she does for a living.

old-age pension

money received from the government after retirement

safety net

a set of government programs that protect people who face unfavorable economic conditions The welfare system was set up to provide a safety net for the poor.

social services

government services provided for the benefit of the community, such as education, medical care, and housing/ the department in local government that provides such services The case was referred to social services.

leader of the opposition

leader of the second largest party

lose control of

to not have any power over something He was so angry that he lost control of himself

means-tested

(adj) measured using or given according to a means test (= a test of how much income a person has) : means-tested benefits The means-tested grants of £5 to £40 are paid weekly.

Social Welfare

A nation's system of programs, benefits, and services that help people meet those social, economic, educational, and health needs that are fundamental to the maintenance of society.

Social well-being

A type of well-being that consists of coherence, integration, actualization, contribution, and acceptance by others. Trạng thái an sinh xã hội Social well-being includes family distress, roles and relationships, sexuality/fertility, isolation, finances, work, social support, and fear of relatives' future diagnoses.

miscalculate

to come up with the wrong answer; to miscount He miscalculated badly when he underestimated the response of the international community to the invasion.

misdiagnose

to be wrong about the type of illness or medical condition a patient has She underwent unnecessary surgery because doctors misdiagnosed her with cancer.

misinform

to tell someone information that is not correct: I was told she would be at the meeting, but clearly I was misinformed.

misinterpret

to understand incorrectly My speech has been misinterpreted by the press. When we re-examined the regulations, we realized that we had misinterpreted them.

misjudge

to form an opinion or idea about someone or something that is unfair or wrong: I thought he wasn't going to support me, but I misjudged him. Sophie totally misjudged the situation and behaved inappropriately.

mislead

to cause someone to believe something that is not true: He has admitted misleading the police about his movements on the night of the murder.

mismanage

to organize or control something badly: The restaurant was hopelessly mismanaged by a former rock musician with no business experience.

mistrust

(v) to have doubts about the honesty of someone or be unable to trust something: I've always mistrusted leaders who make too many promises. mistrust noun [ U ] Their mistrust of lawyers remained with them long after the lawsuit was settled.

misunderstand

to think you have understood someone or something when you have not: If you think that these transport problems can be solved by building more roads, you completely misunderstand the nature of the problem. I told him I'd meet him here, but perhaps he misunderstood and went straight to the restaurant.

be misunderstood

If someone is misunderstood, other people do not understand that they have good qualities: In her teens she felt frustrated and misunderstood.

international bodies

Meaning: organizations which operate in many countries

Example: National governments ought to give funds to international bodies, like the Red Cross and the United Nations, to deal with emergency situations.

national and local authorities

Meaning: government organizations acting at a national level or within a smaller, local area

Example: Tackling crime is a responsibility of both national and local authorities.

international bodies