Unit 2 Vocabulary

Unit 2 AP Comparative Government and Politics terms :)

Institutions

The executive and bureaucracy, the legislature, and the judiciary

Executive

The chief political power in a state, usually a president or prime minister

Bureaucracy

A large set of unelected officials who implement the laws

Legislature

A group of lawmakers that passes laws and represents citizens

Judiciary

The system of courts that interprets the law and applies it to individual cases

Parliamentary system

A system in which the executive and legislature are fused

Prime Minister (PM)

The head of government in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. In a parliamentary system, the PM is a member of the legislature and is selected by the majority party.

Coalition government

When two or more parties agree to work together to form a majority and select a prime minister

Member of Parliament (MP)

A representative in the legislature elected by citizens

Vote of no confidence

In parliamentary systems, a vote by parliament to remove a government (the prime minister and cabinet) from power

Presidential system

A system in which the executive and legislature are elected independently and have separate and independent powers

Separation of powers

A division of power among the major branches of government

Divided government

When one or both houses of the legislature are controlled by a political party other than the party of the president

Semi-presidential system

A system that divides executive power between a directly elected president and a prime minister

Term limit

A restriction on the number of terms the executive may serve

Term of office

A specified number of years that an executive can serve

Impeachment

The process of removing a president from office before the end of his or her term

Cabinet

The heads of major departments, or ministries, in the bureaucracy

Legislative oversight

The power of the legislature to hold cabinet officials and members of bureaucracy accountable for their actions and policies

Unicameral legislature

A legislature with one chamber

Common law

A legal system in which previous written opinions serve as precedent for future cases

Code law

A legal system in which judges follow the law written by the legislature, and previous court decisions do not serve as precedent

Judicial independence

The ability of judges to decide cases according to the law, free of interference from politically powerful officials or other institutions

Civil-service system

A method of staffing the bureaucracy based on competitive testing results, education, and other qualification, rather than patronage

Welfare state

Government programs to benefit the health and well-being of citizens

Parliamentary sovereignty

The principle that parliament's power is supreme and extends over all aspects of the state

Monarch

A hereditary ruler who serves for life

House of Commons

The directly elected lower house of Parliament, which holds most of the policymaking power

House of Lords

The unelected upper house of Parliament, which has the power to suggest amendments to bills and delay legislation

Supreme Court

A high court. In the United Kingdom it cannot overturn acts of Parliament but has the authority to protect civil rights and liberties and rule on cases involving devolution

First-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system

Another term for an SMD plurality system, in which the candidate with the most votes wins the seat in a legislative district. This is also called a winner-take-all system

Referendum

A vote on a policy issue sent by the government to the people

Regulated market economy

An economy in which wages, prices, and production are mostly set by supply and demand, with some regulation, and mostly private control of businesses and natural resources

National Health Service (NHS)

The government-financed and managed health-care system in the United Kingdom

Austerity measures

Raising taxes and/or cutting spending in an effort to reduce the deficit and the national debt