1. legitimacy political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution
2. direct democracy A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representa-
tives
3. Representative A government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle
democracy for the popular vote
4. pluralist democ- a political system where there is more than one center of power. Democracies are
racy by de�nition pluralist as democracies allow freedom of association.
5. democratic when government or government institutions fall short of ful�lling the principles
de�cit of democracy in their practices or operation or where political representatives and
institutions are discredited in the eyes of the public
6. pluralism a condition or system in which two or more states, groups, principles, sources of
authority, etc., coexist.
7. participation cri- fewer people are getting involved in politics. ... The decline in turnout in general
sis elections is a signi�cant indication that the UK is su ering from a participation
crisis as the trend has existed since 1959
8. franchise/ suf- the right to vote in public, political elections
farage
9. think tanks a body of experts providing advice and ideas on speci�c political or economic
problems.
10. lobbyists a person who takes part in an organized attempt to in uence legislators.
11. initiatives a process that enables citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing pro-
posed statutes and, in some states, constitutional amendments on the ballot.
12. petitions
, a formal written request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to
authority in respect of a particular cause. e.g. anything on change.org
13. recall procedure whereby voters can remove an elected o cial from o ce
14. e-democracy Online methods of political participation such as through online petitions on sites
such as change.org
15. access points the places to which pressure groups go to exert in uence. Assuming they have a
choice, it's a good guide to where the real power lies in a political system. The
amount of access points available depends on the type of political system that
operates.
16. compulsory vot- a law that requires all citizens in a particular county to vote and pay a �ne if they
ing don't vote e.g. Australia
17. political apathy indi erence on the part of any citizens with regard to their attitude toward political
activities
18. cause groups organizations whose members care intensely about a single issue or a group of
related issues
19. sectional groups seek to represent the common interests of a particular section of society. As a
result, members of sectional groups are directly and personally concerned with
the outcome of the campaign fought by the group because they usually stand to
gain professionally and/or economically.
20. insider groups pressure groups that are regularly consulted by government departments
21. outsider groups those whose aims do not enjoy the support of the Government. They tend to adopt
media based, high pro�le campaigns to capture public attention.
22. pressure groups collections of people outside government who campaign for changes in society
, 23. old labour (social an uno cial name used to talk about the British Labour Party before it was
democracy) changed by Tony Blair in the 1990s. Old Labour was thought to be more left
wing, and supported the idea of increasing taxes to pay for public services such
as education and health.
24. new labour (third A movement to update Britain 's Labour Party by discarding the traditional Labour
wave) platform calling for state ownership of the means of production. The movement
has been led by Tony Blair, who became prime minister in 1997 after guiding the
Labour Party to victory.
25. one nation con- a form of British political conservatism advocating preservation of established
servatism institutions and traditional principles combined with political democracy, and a
social and economic programme designed to bene�t the common man.
26. new right a political movement made up especially of Protestants, opposed especially to
secular humanism, and concerned with issues especially of church and state,
patriotism, laissez-faire economics, pornography, and abortion.
27. classical liberals a political ideology that values the freedom of individuals — including the
freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and markets — as well as limited
government. It developed in 18th-century Europe and drew on the economic
writings of Adam Smith and the growing notion of social progress.
28. modern liberal a reaction against free-market capitalism, believing this had led to many individ-
uals not being free. Freedom could no longer simply be de�ned as 'being left
alone.
29. party system a concept in comparative political science concerning the system of government
by political parties in a democratic country.
30. left wing the liberal, socialist, or radical section of a political party or system
31. right wing those who support political, social, or economic conservatism
2. direct democracy A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representa-
tives
3. Representative A government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle
democracy for the popular vote
4. pluralist democ- a political system where there is more than one center of power. Democracies are
racy by de�nition pluralist as democracies allow freedom of association.
5. democratic when government or government institutions fall short of ful�lling the principles
de�cit of democracy in their practices or operation or where political representatives and
institutions are discredited in the eyes of the public
6. pluralism a condition or system in which two or more states, groups, principles, sources of
authority, etc., coexist.
7. participation cri- fewer people are getting involved in politics. ... The decline in turnout in general
sis elections is a signi�cant indication that the UK is su ering from a participation
crisis as the trend has existed since 1959
8. franchise/ suf- the right to vote in public, political elections
farage
9. think tanks a body of experts providing advice and ideas on speci�c political or economic
problems.
10. lobbyists a person who takes part in an organized attempt to in uence legislators.
11. initiatives a process that enables citizens to bypass their state legislature by placing pro-
posed statutes and, in some states, constitutional amendments on the ballot.
12. petitions
, a formal written request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to
authority in respect of a particular cause. e.g. anything on change.org
13. recall procedure whereby voters can remove an elected o cial from o ce
14. e-democracy Online methods of political participation such as through online petitions on sites
such as change.org
15. access points the places to which pressure groups go to exert in uence. Assuming they have a
choice, it's a good guide to where the real power lies in a political system. The
amount of access points available depends on the type of political system that
operates.
16. compulsory vot- a law that requires all citizens in a particular county to vote and pay a �ne if they
ing don't vote e.g. Australia
17. political apathy indi erence on the part of any citizens with regard to their attitude toward political
activities
18. cause groups organizations whose members care intensely about a single issue or a group of
related issues
19. sectional groups seek to represent the common interests of a particular section of society. As a
result, members of sectional groups are directly and personally concerned with
the outcome of the campaign fought by the group because they usually stand to
gain professionally and/or economically.
20. insider groups pressure groups that are regularly consulted by government departments
21. outsider groups those whose aims do not enjoy the support of the Government. They tend to adopt
media based, high pro�le campaigns to capture public attention.
22. pressure groups collections of people outside government who campaign for changes in society
, 23. old labour (social an uno cial name used to talk about the British Labour Party before it was
democracy) changed by Tony Blair in the 1990s. Old Labour was thought to be more left
wing, and supported the idea of increasing taxes to pay for public services such
as education and health.
24. new labour (third A movement to update Britain 's Labour Party by discarding the traditional Labour
wave) platform calling for state ownership of the means of production. The movement
has been led by Tony Blair, who became prime minister in 1997 after guiding the
Labour Party to victory.
25. one nation con- a form of British political conservatism advocating preservation of established
servatism institutions and traditional principles combined with political democracy, and a
social and economic programme designed to bene�t the common man.
26. new right a political movement made up especially of Protestants, opposed especially to
secular humanism, and concerned with issues especially of church and state,
patriotism, laissez-faire economics, pornography, and abortion.
27. classical liberals a political ideology that values the freedom of individuals — including the
freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and markets — as well as limited
government. It developed in 18th-century Europe and drew on the economic
writings of Adam Smith and the growing notion of social progress.
28. modern liberal a reaction against free-market capitalism, believing this had led to many individ-
uals not being free. Freedom could no longer simply be de�ned as 'being left
alone.
29. party system a concept in comparative political science concerning the system of government
by political parties in a democratic country.
30. left wing the liberal, socialist, or radical section of a political party or system
31. right wing those who support political, social, or economic conservatism
