PSC 150 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Liberal Democracy, Proportional Representation, Mixed Electoral System
21 Apr 2016
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Democracy: political power exercised either directly or indirectly through participation, competition, and liberty. Liberal democracy: a political system that promotes participation, competition, and liberty. Executive: the branch that carries out the laws and policies of a state; comprises two distinct roles: Head of state: symbolizes and represents the people, both nationally and internationally, embodying and articulating the goals of the regime. Heads of state are usually referred to as prime ministers. Head of government: deals with the everyday tasks of running the state. A country may combine the two roles of head of state and head of government (e. g. - the. Legislature: the body in which national politics is considered and debated. Can be traced back to predemocratic england and other european states. Rule of law: the sovereignty of law over the people and elected officials. Constitutional court: ensures that legislation is compatible with the constitution. Concrete review: courts can consider the constitutionality of legislation when a specific court case.
