Kerala +2 Political Science flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Negative liberty

Freedom understood as the absence of external interference or coercion; associated with Isaiah Berlin and classical liberalism, where the individual is free when no one prevents action.

Veil of ignorance

Rawlsian device: principles of justice chosen by rational parties unaware of their social position, talents, or conception of the good, ensuring impartiality of choice.

Basic structure doctrine

Judicial principle from Kesavananda Bharati (1973) holding that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution so as to destroy its essential features.

Objectives Resolution

Resolution moved by Nehru on 13 December 1946 in the Constituent Assembly, setting out the aims of the Constitution and later reflected in the Preamble.

Money Bill

Bill defined in Article 110 dealing only with taxation, borrowing, or Consolidated Fund matters; introduced only in Lok Sabha and certified by the Speaker.

Collective responsibility

Constitutional convention that the Council of Ministers is jointly answerable to the Lok Sabha; loss of confidence requires the entire ministry to resign.

Article 356

Provision allowing President's Rule in a state when constitutional machinery fails; its misuse was restricted by the Supreme Court in S.R. Bommai (1994).

Finance Commission

Constitutional body under Article 280, constituted every five years, recommending distribution of central taxes between Union and states and grants-in-aid.

Gram Sabha

Body under Article 243A comprising all registered voters of a village; exercises deliberative and oversight functions over the gram panchayat.

Eleventh Schedule

List of 29 subjects added by the 73rd Amendment, devolved to panchayats including agriculture, education, health, and rural housing.

Anti-defection law

Tenth Schedule (52nd Amendment 1985) disqualifying legislators who voluntarily leave their party or vote against the party whip; Speaker decides.

NOTA

None of the Above option on Indian ballots introduced in 2013 after a Supreme Court ruling; it records rejection but does not cancel the election.

Duverger's law

Comparative politics proposition that single-member plurality electoral systems tend to produce two-party systems, while proportional representation favours multiparty systems.

Semi-presidential system

System combining a directly elected president with a prime minister and cabinet responsible to parliament; exemplified by France's Fifth Republic since 1958.

Collective security

Principle that aggression against one state is treated as aggression against all, with members obligated to respond collectively; embodied in UN Charter Chapter VII.

Panchsheel

Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence signed by India and China in 1954, covering sovereignty, non-aggression, non-interference, equality, and peaceful settlement.

Paris Agreement

2015 climate treaty under UNFCCC requiring nationally determined contributions, aiming to keep warming well below 2°C and pursue 1.5°C.

Sustainable Development Goals

Seventeen global goals adopted by the UN in 2015 with a 2030 target, covering poverty, health, education, climate, and institutions, replacing the MDGs.

Kerala model

Development pattern noted for high human development indicators such as literacy and life expectancy relative to low per capita income, supported by public action and remittances.

People's Plan Campaign

Kerala's 1996 decentralisation initiative devolving a substantial share of plan funds to local bodies and promoting participatory planning and social auditing.

Difference principle

Rawlsian rule that social and economic inequalities are justified only if they benefit the least advantaged members of society.

Directive Principles

Part IV (Articles 36-51) guidelines for state policy aimed at social and economic democracy; non-justiciable but fundamental in governance.

Judicial review

Power of courts to examine laws and executive actions for conformity with the Constitution, derived from Articles 13, 32, 226 and related provisions.

GST Council

Body created by the 101st Amendment under Article 279A, comprising Union and state finance ministers, recommending rates and GST implementation.

District Planning Committee

Article 243ZD body consolidating plans prepared by panchayats and municipalities at district level into a draft district development plan.

Model Code of Conduct

Non-statutory ECI guidelines regulating campaign behaviour, government announcements, and use of state resources from election announcement until results.

Lijphart typology

Classification of democracies into majoritarian (Westminster) and consensus models, distinguished by executive type, party system, federalism, and judicial review.

Constructivism

IR theory holding that state interests and identities are shaped by social interaction and norms rather than fixed by material structure alone.

Common But Differentiated Responsibilities

UNFCCC principle that developed states bear greater climate obligations due to historical emissions and greater capacity, while developing states act according to capacity.

Kerala Legislative Assembly

Unicameral state legislature with 140 members elected by first-past-the-post; Kerala sends 20 members to the Lok Sabha and 9 to the Rajya Sabha.

Temple Entry Proclamation

1936 Travancore proclamation opening Hindu temples to all castes, a landmark in Kerala's social reform movement led by Sree Narayana Guru and others.

Fundamental Duties

Article 51A list of eleven civic obligations added by the 42nd Amendment 1976 on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee.

Rajya Sabha

Upper house with maximum strength 250, indirectly elected by state MLAs and Union Territories; permanent house not subject to dissolution.