VCE Politics flashcards
VCE Politics · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Power
- The capacity of an actor to influence outcomes or the behaviour of others, exercised through coercion, inducement, persuasion or agenda-setting.
- Legitimacy
- The acceptance by relevant audiences that an actor's authority or action is rightful, which makes compliance more likely without coercion.
- Sovereignty
- The principle that a state has supreme authority within its territory and independence from external interference in its domestic affairs.
- Hard power
- The use of military force or economic pressure such as sanctions to compel another actor to change behaviour.
- Soft power
- Influence achieved through attraction, including culture, values, diplomacy and reputation, rather than coercion or payment.
- National interest
- The goals a state pursues in foreign policy, commonly security, economic prosperity and international standing, used to justify action.
- Multilateralism
- Cooperation among three or more states through institutions and rules, as distinct from bilateral or unilateral action.
- Intergovernmental organisation
- An institution created by agreement among states, such as the United Nations, whose members are states rather than individuals.
- Non-state actor
- An entity that is not a state but influences global politics, including NGOs, transnational corporations, terrorist groups and international media.
- Security Council veto
- The power of the five permanent members to block substantive Security Council resolutions, limiting collective action on some conflicts.
- Global governance
- The formal and informal rules, institutions and processes through which collective problems are managed in the absence of world government.
- Interdependence
- A condition in which actors rely on one another, so that actions in one state affect outcomes in others.
- Realism
- A perspective holding that states pursue power and security in an anarchic system and that cooperation is limited and fragile.
- Liberalism
- A perspective emphasising that institutions, trade and shared norms can enable cooperation and reduce conflict among states.
- Constructivism
- A perspective arguing that actors' identities and interests are shaped by ideas, norms and social interaction rather than fixed material conditions.
- Globalisation
- The intensification of cross-border flows of goods, capital, people, information and ideas, increasing connections and shared vulnerabilities.
- Democracy
- A system in which political power derives from the people through free and fair elections, with rule of law and protected rights.
- Accountability
- The obligation of decision-makers to answer for their actions to those affected, with mechanisms allowing scrutiny and consequences.
- Representation
- The process by which elected or appointed actors act on behalf of a constituency or interest in decision-making forums.
- Federal division of powers
- The allocation of legislative authority between the Commonwealth and the states under the Australian Constitution, including exclusive and concurrent powers.
- Common good
- The shared interests and conditions that benefit a political community as a whole, used to evaluate policy and power.
- Global challenge
- A problem that crosses borders and exceeds any single state's capacity to solve, requiring coordinated responses.
- Climate regime
- The framework of agreements and institutions, including the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, addressing global climate change.
- Human rights
- Entitlements held by all people by virtue of humanity, codified in instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Command word
- The instruction in a question, such as evaluate or analyse, that determines the depth and type of response required.
- Contention
- The central position or judgement an essay defends, stated early and sustained through the argument.
- Evaluation
- Weighing evidence against criteria to reach a supported judgement about effectiveness, legitimacy or significance.
- Examination specification
- The official VCAA document setting out the examination format, sections, question types and marks for the study.
- Examiner report
- A VCAA publication after each examination that describes performance and common errors to guide future study.
- Study design
- The accredited VCAA curriculum document specifying content, outcomes and assessment for each VCE study and its accreditation period.
- Satisfactory completion
- The outcome awarded when a student demonstrates the outcomes for a unit, with results recorded on the VCE certificate.
- Reading time
- The period before writing when students read the paper and plan; no writing is permitted during this time.