PUB 1501 (Questions and Answers A+ Graded 100% Verified)

PUB 1501 (Questions and Answers A+ Graded 100% Verified) Possible Examination Questions for PUB1501 1. Explain what is meant by the concept “state”? .  To describe a state you need to describe concept of a state, usually has its own territory, population, government and sovereignty. It is an political organized community that is under one government. 2. Describe in detail the meaning of the following concepts: • Citizenship.- Citizenship is that persons status or relationship to a nation or state. For example a South African citizen is a person who enjoys citizenship in South Africa, either by birth or naturalization. • Community.- People who are grouped together because of a shared or strong communal interest. The condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interest in common. • Government.- The word government comes from the Latin word called; gubername, wgich basically means to serve. It might also refer to the collection of people and institutions that make and enforces the laws more specifically to national government. There are two forms of Government; Democratic and Nondemocratic governance. • Form of government- There are different forms of government, which is referred by the actions of the government. Two broad categories may be distinguished, namely democratic forms of government and nondemocratic forms of government. Democratic forms of government are characterised by the principles of popular sovereignty, political equality, equality of the people, consultation with the people and majority government. Nondemocratic forms of government include dictatorships, totalitarianism and perfect totalitarianism. They are characterised by the fact that the principles present in democracies are absent to varying degrees. • Public administration- Public Administration is about providing for the needs (poverty,security) of society, satisfying the needs of society within the borders of a specific state by the provision of certain public services by the authorities at all spheres of government. 3. Explain how the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa can be regarded as a contemporary example of a social contract.  Social contract is an agreement between government on one hand and the society and the individual on another. Each party has rights and obligations to fulfil.  All three of these constitutions (the Constitution of the Union of South Africa 1909, and the Constitutions of the Republic of South Africa 1993 and 1996) were the outcome of a process of negotiations during which there were attempts to create opportunities for “negotiated agreements between conflicting parties to curb damage to each other’s interests”. The 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa; the final constitution was drawn up by the Constitutional Assembly, in other words the body was made up of the democratically elected representatives of all the people of South Africa. Society also became involved, more than 248 500 petitions and 1500 individual sumbissions on various aspects of the Constitution were received from members of the public. The 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa may be rightfully regarded as representatives of the values of the broad South African society.  Social contract is an agreement between the Statement, Government and/or the Citizens. An example in 1994, the Rulling Party before going to National and Provincial Government Elections made promises to the electorate through the Manifesto, the following were promised; Education, decent housing, basic human rights and accessible justice.  Some of these were really delivered on.  Thus we can therefor say that, the Constitution of RSA it is a Social Contract as for an example you cannot kill another person, should you do such, you will be dealt with in terms of authorities discharging their work, the police will arrest you and the person aggrieved will be vindicated through Government Agencies. 4. Describe how technology influences the needs of society.  Technology has increased productivity with regards to manufacturing which leads to profits, it has also introduced a new type of criminal activities, such as cyber bullying and identity theft. As technology advances there is greater need for the government to protect new technology threats. The collection of knowledge or skills available in society for industry. This technology therefor makes specific demands on the authorities. 5. Provide a definition of a social contract and name the three philosophers who are regarded to be leading thinkers on the social contract.  Social contract is an agreement between government on one hand and the society and the individual on another. Each party has rights and obligations to fulfil. The use of the concept of “social contract” brings to mind in particular the theories of three prominent philosophers namely; Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, from the period beginning in the mid-17th century up to the mid-18th century (Whittle 1995:5) 6. Briefly differentiate between individual services and collective services.  Individual services- The private sector is primarily responsible for providing individual services. Individual services are characterised by the following factors:  The recipient of such a service pays for it.  The service is exhaustible, in other words it gets less as it is being used.  The government is primarily responsible for collective services. Collective services are characterised by the following factors:  The recipient of such a service does not necessarily pay for specific service.  It is not exhaustible. It does not become depleted as it is being used. 7. Analyse the possible influence of epidemics such as HIV and AIDS on the demand for specific public services.  Epidemics and diseases influence the milieu of South African Society. South Africa has the highest incidence of HIV and AIDS, brining immense pressure to welfare services, because breadwinners are lost, children are put on the street and families disintegrate. Economy suffers because funeral attendances rise and sick leave is put in more often. Public services are shaped and needed. 8. What is meant by “milieu of a society”?  The environment or sphere that surrounds society and which has an outgoing influence on the society. It consists of forces that shape the needs of society and what the society looks like. The sphere that surrounds society such as technology, epidemics, diseases, policies and ideologies. 9. It is common knowledge that individuals do not exist on their own. However, individuals within society need to experience “the good life” in order for the whole of society to experience “the good life”. • Describe the concept “the good life”.  The good life as Plato said is to be free of any higher authority on earth, only having the laws of nature to obey. When we are living a life of natural perfection. That the state provides services to tend to our needs at all time and we are never in distress. The good life can be viewed as an individual or group issue. • Describe the reasons why “the good life” is viewed as an individual issue.  As an individual issue the good life can be viewed as; to be free, freedom of movement, work, own property and be safe and free from crime. • Who is responsible for protecting “the good life” in a specific state? Motivate your answer.  It is probably that institution which has the necessary authority and the ability to provide the protection and help that is needed; in other words, the particular government or authority. The government has the authority to act in order to protect and promote the interests, property, rights and freedoms of the state, society and its individual members. • Explain how “development” is linked to “the good life”. Support your answer with applicable examples.  Development is linked to the Good Life because, development is aimed in particular at achieving the “good life”. Development can be defined as the rising of economic and social standards because this promotes changes and growth in these areas, it is beneficial to the structure of society, therefore the population will receive a higher quality of life. An example is: Education standard is increased, and students receive quality tuition, it produces more educated people and more people to graduate, study and receive jobs easier. This aims for the good life for these prospective students. 10. What is the difference between a unitary state and a federal state, and where does South Africa fit in?  Unitary State- a sovereign state governed as a single entity. The central government is supreme and the administrative divisions exercise only powers that the central government has delegated to them. Britain is said to be an example of a unitary state where the sovereignty is held by the central authority (Dale 2011:2).  Federal State- a political entity characterised by a union of partially self- governing states or regions under a central government. The United States of America is an example of a unitary state.  An analysis of the 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa shows that South Africa is probably a federal state with strong unitary characteristics. In other words, South Africa has a strong central government, but also provincial and local authorities.