Term
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Definition
| A system of governing in which there is a close interrelationship between the political executive (prime minister and Cabinet) and Parliament (the legislative or law-making body_. The executive is generally composed of members of the House of Commons (the elected parliamentary body) and must maintain the support of the House of Commons |
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Definition
| A governing system in which the political executive (the prime minister and Cabinet) is accountable to Parliament for its actions based on the principle that the political executive must retain the support of the elected members of Parliament to remain in office. |
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| A largely ceremonial position as the official representative of the state. In a parliamentary system, the head of state is not usually involved in making governing decisions, but has the responsibility to ensure that a legitimate government is in place. |
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| A governing system in which the powers of the monarch are greatly restricted by formal constitutional provisions or "unwritten" constitutional conventions. The monarch is primarily a symbolic figure rather than an active participant in the governing processes. |
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| The person who carries out the duties and responsibilities of the monarch at the national level in Canada. |
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| The person who carries out the duties and responsibilities of the monarch at the provincial level in Canada |
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| The person who heads the executive side of government and is usually responsible for choosing the Cabinet. In Canada, the prime minister is the head of the Canadian government while the heads of provincial government are known as premiers. |
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| The members of the political executive. The Cabinet is led by the prime minister, with many or most Cabinet ministers having the responsibility of heading a government department. |
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| The government formed when the prime minister's party has a majority of the members of the House of Commons; thus, a single party forms the government. |
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| A single party governs, but that party des not have a majority of members in the House of Commonsl thus a minority government needs to gain the support of one or more other parties to pass legislation and to stay in office. |
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Definition
| A government in which two or more political parties jointly govern, sharing the Cabinet positions. |
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| A model of governing that developed in Britain, featuring majority rule, executive dominance, and an adversial relationship between the government party and the opposition parties. |
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| Consensus Model of Democracy |
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Definition
| A model of governing featuring the sharing of governing power and a balance of power between the political executive and Parliament. |
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Definition
| A descriptive term applied to the Canadian parliamentary system (and other countries that follow the Westminster model) because it places considerable power in the hands of the prime minister and Cabinet through their ability to control the House of Commons, particularly in a majority government situation. |
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Definition
| An administrative structure, directly responsible to the Canadian prime minister, that has a key role in coordinating and directing the activities of government and in providing policy advice to the prime minister. |
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Definition
| The office that provides support and political advice to the prime minister. |
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| Prime Ministerial Government |
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Definition
| The view that the prime minister has become the dominant ember of the political executive, rather than the "first among equals" in the Cabinet |
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Definition
| Cabinet ministers who are not responsible for a particular government department. |
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Definition
| A permanent Cabinet committee with its own staff and minister that plays a central role in governing in Canada because of its responsibility for the expenditures and management practices of government. |
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Definition
| The convention in a parliamentary system that each member of the Cabinet is expected to fully support and defend the decisions and actions that the Cabinet takes |
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Definition
| An organization that tries to provide direction and coordination to government. In Canada, the key central agencies are the Privy Council Office, the Prime Minister's Office, the Treasury Board, and the Department of Finance. |
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| Collective Responsibility |
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Definition
| The convention that the Cabinet as a group will defend, explain, and take responsibility for the actions of the government in Parliament. |
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Definition
| The convention that the Cabinet meets behind closed doors, Cabinet documents normally remain secret for a lengthy period of time, and the advice given to the Cabinet is not usually released publicly. |
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Definition
| The elected chamber of Parliament, with each member of the House representing a particular geographical constituency. |
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| The expectation that legislators will vote in accordance with the position that party has adopted in caucus. |
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Definition
| Ordinary members of the House of Commons who are not in the Cabinet. |
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Term
| House of Commons Committees |
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Definition
| Committees composed of government and opposition party members in proportion to their party's strength in the House of Commons; they provide detailed examination of proposed legislation, and often suggest modifications to the proposed legislation. |
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Definition
| The party with the second-highest number of seats in the House of Commons is designated as the official opposition and leads off the questioning or criticism of government every day that the House is sitting. |
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| A motion put forward by the opposition members in a legislation expressing a lack of confidence in the government. If passed, the prime minister is expected to either resign or request that an election be held. |
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| A procedure in a legislative body that cuts off debate if approved by a majority vote. |
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| The use of various delaying tactics by those opposed to the passage of a particular piece of legislation. |
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| The upper chamber of Parliament, appointed on the recommendation of the prime minister. Senators hold their positions until age 75. |
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| A system of governing in which the president and Congress each separately derive their authority from being elected by the people and have a fixed term of office. The president is both head of government and head of state. |
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Definition
| A basic principle of the American presidential system in which each of the three branches of government is able to check the actions of the others so that no individual or institution becomes too powerful. |
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| The legislative branch of the American government |
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| A basic feature of presidential systems in which the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government are separate from each other with each having different personnel and different bases of authority. |
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| A process by which a president and other public officials can be removed from office after being accused of criminal behaviour and convicted by a legislative body. |
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| The lower chamber of the American Congress, elected for a two-year term from districts of of approximately equal population size. |
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| The upper chamber of Congress. Two senators are elected by voters in each state for a six-year term. |
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Definition
| The ability to prevent the passage of a bill. For example, the president of the US has the authority to veto laws passed by Congress, although this veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority in each House of Congress. |
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Definition
| A governmental system in which an elected president shares power with a prime minister and Cabinet, which usually need to retain the support of the elected legislature. |
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Definition
| The sharing of power between the French president and prime minister that occurs when the Assembly is controlled by a party opposed to the president |
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| A course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a given problem or interrelated set of problems. |
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| A perspective based on the assumption that all political actors rationally pursue their own individual interests or preferences. Public policies will generally reflect the choices made by voters. |
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| A perspective that views politics as reflecting the conflicts that result from the way society is organized to produce goods. Public policies in a capitalist society will reflect the unequal power relations between the dominant capitalist forces and subordinate groups. |
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| This perspective views public policies as reflecting, to a considerable extent, the preferences and priorities of those in important positions of authority within various state institutions. |
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| A political system in which the state actively collaborates with selected major interests to set the direction for the political community, particularly in terms of economic and social policies. |
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| The process by which potential problems come to the attention of policy-makers. |
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| Someone who is ready to push a pet policy proposal whenever an opportunity arise. |
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Definition
| Developing and evaluating different courses of action to deal with a problem. |
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Definition
| he governmental and non-governmental actors that participate in the development of policies in a particular policy field. |
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Definition
| An economic technique that determines whether, and to what extent, the benefits of a policy exceed the costs. |
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Definition
| Gaining acceptance of a policy proposal; for example, through formal approval by a legislative body. |
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Definition
| Taking measures to put a policy into effect such as developing rules and regulations and establishing an administrative structure. |
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| Determining the extent to which a policy is achieving its objectives and how it can be made more effective. |
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Definition
| The analysis of the policy process as a continuous cycle of stages with policies continually undergoing modification in response to evaluations of the policy. |
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| Rational-Comprehensive Model of the Policy Process |
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Definition
| A policy-making model that involves established clear goals to deal with a problems, examining all possible alternatives, and choosing the best alternative. The policy is then monitored and evaluated to assess whether the goals have been achieved, and changed if necessary. |
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| Incremental Model of the Policy Process |
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Definition
| A policy-making model that suggests the policy process usually involves making minor changes to existing practices. |
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Term
| Streams and Windows Model of the Policy Process |
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Definition
| A policy-making model that views the policy process as fluid. Changes in the identification of problems, policy proposals, and political circumstances create windows of opportunity in which policy entrepreneurs may successfully push their pet proposals. |
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Definition
| An organization in which people are hired and promoted based on their qualifications and merit, work is organized in terms of specialized positions, detailed rules and procedures are followed by all members of the organization, and there is a hierarchical chain of command so that those at the top can direct and supervise large numbers of people. |
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Term
| Representative Bureaucracy |
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Definition
| A bureaucracy that reflects the characteristics of society, particularly by trying to ensure that all levels of the public service have a proportion of women and various disadvantaged minority groups similar to that of the population as a whole. |
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Definition
| The executive head of a department of government appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the clerk of the Privy Council Office. The deputy minister runs the department with oversight by the Cabinet minister who is the political head of the department. |
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Definition
| The adoption of the practices of private business in the administrative activities of government. |
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Term
| Alternative Service Delivery |
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Definition
| New methods of delivering government programs, such as the establishment of service agencies that have considerable autonomy from the normal departmental structures and rules and establishing partnerships with business, other levels of government, and voluntary organizations to deliver services. |
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Definition
| A measure of per capita income that shows the purchasing power of an income, instead f its worth at current exchange rates. |
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Definition
| Less developed countries. |
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| A term often used to describe Third World countries. |
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| Less developed, poorer countries |
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| The rich, developed countries |
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Definition
| Countries that have not reached the same level of development as the richer, advanced countries |
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| The market value of goods and services produced in a country, excluding transactions with other countries. |
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Definition
| A condition that involves the satisfaction of the basic needs of all of the people as well as the means for them to live fulfilling and productive lives based on the creation of a more diversified, sophisticated, and sustainable economy. |
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| An annual index for most countries, calculated by the United Nations Development Programme and based on literacy and education, life expectancy, and per capita GDP. |
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Definition
| A development model that views the traditional values, practices, and institutions of Third World countries as the basic cause of underdevelopment. To develop, poor countries should change their cultural outlook, social structure, economic organization, and political system based on the model of the advanced Western societies. |
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| International Financial Institution |
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Definition
| An organization that has some ability to affect the global economic system; for example the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. |
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Definition
| A series of policies put together by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank that encourages developing countries to generate more revenue for debt repayment by cutting government expenditures to balance their budgets, selling off government-owned enterprises (privatization), and fully opening their countries to foreign goods and investments. |
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Term
| Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) |
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Definition
| A program administered by international financial institutions, which offer loans at very favourable interest rates to governments facing problems paying their debt if they adopt the programs espoused by the Washington Consensus. |
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Definition
| A development model that views underdevelopment as a result of unequal power relations between the centre (dominant, capitalist countries) and the periphery (poor, dependent countries). |
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| Import Substitution Industrialization |
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Definition
| An economic development model that involves creating an industrial sector by placing tariffs on imported industrial products. |
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Definition
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| Export-Led Industrialization |
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Definition
| A model of economic development with a capitalist system in which government and the biggest businesses work very closely together to develop export industries. Government influences investments, provides incentives for exports, and can decide whether firms are allowed to export products. |
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Definition
| The economic model of export-led industrialization associated with a number of Asian countries. |
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| Official Development Assistance |
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Definition
| Aid to the poorer countries given by the governments of the richer countries. |
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| Non-Governmental Organization |
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Definition
| Private organizations that often deliver public services but independent of government. NGOs have been very active in international development activities. |
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Definition
| The visibility to the public of the governmental decision-making processes. |
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Definition
| Having to be responsible for one's actions and having to accept the consequences of failure to perform as expected. |
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Definition
| Countries with democratic governments that are stable, well accepted by both ordinary citizens and political elites, and unlikely to be overthrown. |
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Definition
| A political leader whose claim to rule is based on some presumed inherent personal qualities. It also implies a government in which all important decisions are made by the leader and according to the leader's wishes. |
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Definition
| Behavioural patterns or established organizations associated with governing. |
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Definition
| A process of change involving abandoning authoritarian government for democratic rule. |
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Definition
| The broad move to democratic government that began in 1974 and still continues. |
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Definition
| The situation in which a country's commitment to democracy is strong and sure, such that democracy is likely to persist. |
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Definition
| An undemocratic government dominated by a single individual. Saddam Hussein's Iraq was a classic example of this kind of system. |
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Definition
| An undemocratic political system that is controlled by one party. The most familiar examples are communist political systems. |
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| An undemocratic government run by the military. |
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Definition
| An undemocratic state run by religious elites. The best contemporary example is Iran. |
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| A democratic transition tht occurs when pacts or agreements among the elites of formerly undemocratic states permit the establishment of democratic government. |
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Definition
| An election that marks the official beginning of a democratic regime. |
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| Procedural Definition of Democracy |
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Definition
| A definition of democracy in terms of procedures and institutions (such as elections) rather than outcomes. |
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Definition
| A situation in which there is not central authority. |
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Definition
| The process whereby a number of different actors (mainly states and international governmental and non-governmental organizations) compete and co-operate to provide a certain degree of order and predictability to relations among states. |
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Definition
| An approach to the study of international politics that assumes that because the international system is anarchic, security is the major preoccupation of states. Peace rests primarily on deterrence, and the possibility of international governance is limited because states are reluctant to put constraints on their sovereignty. |
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Definition
| The goals a state pursues in the conduct of its foreign policy. The term is multi-faceted and besides the quest for power and security, includes goals ranging from the pursuit of economic growth and wealth to the preservation and expansion of national culture. |
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Definition
| A concept referring to both the most important international actors (states and international governmental organizations) and the pattern of interactions among them. The latter depends primarily on how power is distributed among actors. |
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Definition
| A concentration of power in the international system. It could be a state or an alliance. |
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Definition
| A multipolar system is a type of international system containing four or more major powers. |
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Definition
| A situation in which no state is dominant in the global system. |
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Definition
| The dilemma that arises when states need power to feel secure, but their accumulation of power might undermine rather than increase their security if it leads other states to feel that they are in danger and form an alliance to meet the perceived threat. |
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Definition
| A type of international system in which two superpowers compete with one another. The other states in the system fall within the sphere of influence of one or the other of the two superpowers. |
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Definition
| An international system with a single superpower. |
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Term
| International Governmental Organization |
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Definition
| An organization created by states to facilitate co-operation among them |
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Definition
| An international governmental organization representing almost all of the world's states. |
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Term
| Hegemony or Hegemonic System |
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Definition
| A type of unipolar system in which the superpower exercises power primarily through authority, leadership, and persuasion and thus creates a large consensus around its actions. |
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Definition
| An approach to the study of international politics that assumes that increased cultural and social connections as well as economic interdependence are leading to the emergence of a global civil society, in which cooperation, the rule of law, and peace are valued and global governance is spreading both functionally and geographically. |
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| International Non-Governmental Organization |
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Definition
| An international organization whose members are not states but rather representatives of civil society. |
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| International or Global Society |
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Definition
| The idea that the increasing number and importance of international interactions and the rising degree of interdependence is creating a global common identity and leading to the development of a global society |
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Definition
| A set of principles, norms, treaties, and IGOs that regulates international activities in a given issue area. |
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Definition
| The principle that all members of the collectivity of states (or simply a number of them) are jointly responsible for the security of each of them and therefore pledge to intervene on behalf of a member whose security is threatened by the aggressive actions of another state. |
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Definition
| A state in which the meaning and practice of sovereignty have been redefined since tools of governance are shared, foreign and domestic policies have become inextricably intertwined, and security is no longer based on control of borders and deterrence. |
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