Citizenship, Civic Engagement, Ethics, and Governance – Terminology

A set of 35 question-and-answer flashcards covering definitions and key features of citizenship, civic engagement, ethics, democracy, power, and participatory mechanisms such as Consensus Conferences and lobbying.

What is the core definition of citizenship according to Smith (2002)?

A citizen is a person with political rights to participate in processes of popular self-governance, including voting, holding office, serving on juries, and engaging in political debate as free and equal members.

In modern liberal democracies, how is citizenship commonly understood beyond political rights?

As a legal status—being legally recognised as belonging to a particular nation-state (often synonymous with nationality).

What are the three capacities required for democratic citizenship?

Civic literacy (knowing how to act), civic agency (ability to act), and civic participation (experience acting).

Define civic engagement.

Activities in which individuals participate as citizens to influence and improve their community, undertaken reflectively and aimed at shaping the community’s future.

Give two examples of activities that count as civic engagement beyond voting.

Volunteering in a community clean-up (collective action) and participating in a public forum on local housing policy (civic dialogue).

What extra characteristic must volunteering possess to qualify as ‘civic engagement’ under McCartney (2013)?

It must involve reflection on connections to broader social issues and aim to shape the community’s future, not just help specific individuals.

List the three requirements that make a discussion ‘civic dialogue’.

1) Participants meet as free and equal citizens; 2) They address a collective public issue; 3) They adopt a civic-minded approach that respects diverse perspectives.

What is civic agency?

The ability to act to influence one’s community or society out of concern for it and commitment to democratic equity.

Why is a ‘sense of agency’ crucial for civic action?

Because believing that one’s voice matters greatly affects whether one chooses to act at all, regardless of actual opportunities.

Define ethics in its broadest sense.

A system of moral principles guiding judgments of right and wrong; also the field of study examining such principles.

What are two major ethical theories mentioned and their core ideas?

Utilitarianism (weighing consequences to maximise benefits and minimise harms) and natural rights theory (protecting fundamental rights).

How do professional codes relate to ethics?

They formalise agreed ethical principles to guide behaviour of members in professions such as teaching, medicine, or research.

Provide an example of an unwritten everyday ethical norm.

Sending a thank-you email after someone gives their time to help you.

Explain the relationship between ethics and law.

Laws often reflect prevailing ethical principles, but actions can be unethical yet legal or illegal yet not universally considered unethical.

What is ‘civil society’?

The sector separate from market and government where citizens voluntarily associate to deliberate and act as equals, free from money or state power.

Give the literal Greek roots of the word ‘democracy’.

Demos (people) + kratos (power) meaning ‘rule by the people’.

According to Freedom House (1999), what is the minimal institutional requirement of a modern democracy?

Regular, free, and fair elections in which opposition parties can realistically gain or share power.

Distinguish liberal and republican forms of democracy in one sentence.

Liberal democracies prioritise protecting individual rights and rule of law, whereas republican democracies emphasise broad civic participation in governance.

State the ‘all affected’ principle of democracy.

All persons significantly affected by a decision should have a say in making that decision.

Provide Boulding’s (1989) classic definition of power.

Power is the ability to bring about consequences that would not otherwise occur, or ‘the ability to change the future.’

Differentiate ‘power to’, ‘power over’, and ‘power with’.

Power to: shaping one’s own life; Power over: influencing others’ actions; Power with: acting collectively to reach shared aims.

What is agenda-setting power?

The ability to control which issues are considered important, for example by media omitting topics from coverage.

Explain the term stakeholder.

Any person, group, or organisation with an interest in or affected by an organisation, issue, or project, including those able to influence its future.

Define self-determination.

The capacity to access and control resources, decisions, and institutions affecting one’s life, allowing choices aligned with one’s own interests.

What is a Consensus Conference?

A public forum where a panel of citizens questions expert witnesses on a topic and issues recommendations, aiming for informed, transparent deliberation.

Who selects the questions and witnesses in a Consensus Conference?

The citizen panel itself, giving lay participants control over the agenda.

Name two strengths of Consensus Conferences.

1) Open, transparent process with good public outreach; 2) Can generate wider informed debate on complex or controversial issues.

List two weaknesses of Consensus Conferences.

High cost and small panel size that may exclude minority voices.

What is the typical size of a Consensus Conference panel?

Approximately 10–20 citizens chosen to reflect socio-demographic diversity.

Why must panel members lack prior involvement with the topic in a Consensus Conference?

To ensure they participate as lay citizens rather than as specialists with preconceived positions.

Define lobbying.

Any attempt by individuals or private interest groups to influence government decisions, often through sustained campaigns directed at legislators or officials.

Give an example of a corporate and a moral-agenda lobby group.

Corporate: British American Tobacco; Moral agenda: SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation).

What original physical location gave ‘lobbying’ its name?

The lobby outside legislative chambers where advocates sought to influence legislators’ votes.

How can power operate without people realising it (third dimension of power)?

By shaping desires and beliefs through norms or discourse, such as media images influencing self-perception or school curricula shaping historical views.

What Māori term refers to ‘the right way of behaving’ and aligns with ethical concepts?

Tikanga (and the related adjective tika, meaning right, just, lawful, proper).