National Assembly Grade 8 Civil Service flashcards
National Assembly Grade 8 Civil Service · 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.
- Rigid Constitution
- A constitution whose amendment requires a special procedure distinct from ordinary lawmaking, such as supermajorities or ratification by subnational units, making change deliberately harder.
- Basic Structure Doctrine
- Principle holding that certain core constitutional features cannot be destroyed even by formal amendment, enforced by courts reviewing constitutional amendments for validity.
- Separation of Powers
- Allocation of law-making, implementation, and adjudication to distinct organs with mutual checks, preventing concentration of authority in a single institution.
- Parliamentary Quorum
- The minimum number of members whose presence is required before the chamber may validly transact business, usually a fixed fraction of total membership rather than of those present.
- Closure Motion
- A procedural motion that ends debate on the question immediately and forces a vote, used to overcome filibustering or prolonged discussion.
- Committee Stage
- The legislative phase in which a bill is examined line by line, witnesses may be heard, and detailed amendments are proposed before the plenary vote.
- Second Reading
- The plenary debate on a bill's general principle and policy merits, preceding detailed amendment; rejection here usually ends the bill's progress.
- Standing Committee
- A permanent parliamentary body organized by policy area that scrutinizes bills, oversees the executive, and reports to the plenary chamber.
- Parliamentary Immunity
- Protection of members comprising non-liability for words spoken and votes cast in the chamber, plus limited inviolability against arrest during sessions.
- Motion of No Confidence
- A formal motion by which the legislature expresses loss of confidence in the government or a minister, potentially triggering resignation or dissolution.
- Interpellation
- A formal question to a minister requiring an oral answer and debate, used as a parliamentary oversight instrument on government conduct.
- Ultra Vires
- Latin for beyond the powers; describes an administrative act or regulation exceeding the authority conferred by the enabling statute, and therefore void.
- Proportionality Test
- Review standard asking whether an administrative measure is suitable, necessary, and balanced, used where fundamental rights are restricted.
- Reasoned Decision
- Requirement that administrative authorities state the legal and factual grounds for a decision, enabling effective review and preventing arbitrary action.
- Administrative Silence
- Failure of an authority to decide within the statutory period, treated by law either as implied rejection or implied approval depending on the governing statute.
- Conflict of Interest
- A situation where an official's private interest could improperly influence official decisions, requiring declaration and recusal from the matter.
- Cooling-Off Period
- A post-employment restriction barring former officials from lobbying or representing private interests before their former agency for a defined time.
- Whistleblower Protection
- Legal safeguards for persons reporting wrongdoing, including confidential channels, immunity from retaliation, and independent investigation of the disclosure.
- Asset Declaration
- A periodic statement of an official's income, assets, and liabilities, used to detect unexplained wealth and conflicts of interest.
- Annuity Principle
- Budget rule that appropriations authorize spending for a single fiscal year only; unspent funds lapse unless carry-over is expressly authorized.
- Universality Principle
- Budget rule that all revenues and expenditures appear gross in the budget; netting receipts against spending is generally prohibited.
- Supreme Audit Institution
- The independent body that audits legality and regularity of public spending and reports findings to parliament, feeding the discharge procedure.
- Fiscal Rule
- A numerical constraint on budget policy such as a deficit ceiling or debt brake, sometimes with an escape clause requiring formal justification.
- Performance Budgeting
- Budgeting approach linking appropriations to measurable outputs and outcomes rather than to inputs alone, supporting accountability for results.
- Soft Law
- Non-binding instruments such as declarations, recommendations, and guidelines that shape conduct without creating enforceable legal obligations.
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Seventeen UN goals with 169 targets for the 2030 horizon, covering poverty, health, climate, institutions, and partnerships, monitored through national reporting.
- Contrapositive
- The logically equivalent form of a conditional: from 'if P then Q' follows 'if not Q then not P', unlike the converse 'if Q then P'.
- Affirming the Consequent
- A formal fallacy inferring P from 'if P then Q' and Q; the conditional guarantees only that Q follows P, not the reverse.
- Percentage Points
- The arithmetic difference between two percentages; a change from 4% to 6% is 2 percentage points but a 50 percent relative increase.
- Dangling Modifier
- An introductory participle or phrase that fails to refer to the subject of the main clause, producing ambiguity or unintended meaning in a sentence.
- Parallel Structure
- Grammatical principle that items in a list or comparison share the same form, such as all nouns, all infinitives, or all gerunds.
- Savings Clause
- A transitional provision preserving rights, obligations, or proceedings accrued under a repealed law and specifying which version governs them.