GCE A/L Political Science key terms

The supreme and final authority of a state to make and enforce laws within its territory, and to act independently in external affairs without subordination to another power.

The general belief among those subject to a political order that its rulers hold power rightfully. It is distinct from mere obedience secured by force or habit.

The recognised right to give commands and expect compliance, as opposed to power, which is the capacity to secure compliance whether or not that right is accepted.

Securing compliance through threatened or actual force or deprivation. It differs from persuasion and from authority, which rests on acceptance of a right to rule.

Weber's criterion of the modern state: the successful claim to the exclusive right to use physical force within a given territory, with other bodies using force only as its agents.

A political organisation claiming supreme authority over a defined territory and population, possessing centralised institutions that make, enforce and adjudicate binding rules for that territory.

A community whose members believe they share a common identity, history, language or culture, and who typically claim a right to self-government in a territory they regard as their own.

A political doctrine holding that the nation is the primary unit of political loyalty and that each nation should govern itself, often within a state of its own.

The principle that a people has the right to determine its own political status and pursue its own economic, social and cultural development, commonly invoked in decolonisation and secession claims.

The principle that public power must be exercised according to known, general rules applied equally, so that rulers too are answerable to law rather than acting arbitrarily.

The division of governing functions among legislative, executive and judicial institutions, each checking the others, so that no single body holds unchecked power.

Institutional arrangements letting each branch of government limit or supervise the others, such as vetoes, confidence votes and judicial review, to prevent concentration of power.

The power of courts to examine laws, executive acts or administrative decisions against a higher legal standard, such as a constitution, and to declare them invalid if inconsistent.

The doctrine that a constitution is the highest law, so that legislation inconsistent with it is invalid and courts may strike it down, in contrast to parliamentary sovereignty.

The doctrine that the legislature holds final legal authority, may make or unmake any law, and that its enactments cannot be overridden by courts or earlier parliaments.

A system dividing governing authority between a central government and constituent units, each with constitutionally protected powers, so that neither can unilaterally abolish the other.

The transfer of specified powers from a central government to regional or local bodies by statute, where the centre retains ultimate legal authority and may alter the arrangement.

A state in which one central government holds supreme authority and any regional or local bodies exercise only powers delegated to them, which can be withdrawn or reshaped.

The principle that decisions should be taken at the lowest level of authority competent to handle them, with higher levels acting only where lower levels cannot act effectively.

A legislature composed of two chambers, typically with different bases of representation and sometimes different powers, intended to provide a second look at legislation.

The process by which elected or appointed persons act on behalf of others in decision-making, whether as delegates bound by instructions or as trustees exercising independent judgement.

The rules converting votes into seats, such as first-past-the-post, proportional representation or mixed systems, which strongly shape party competition and government formation.

An electoral family allocating seats roughly in proportion to vote shares, usually through multi-member districts or party lists, aiming to mirror electoral support in the legislature.

A plurality system in which the candidate with the most votes in a single-member district wins, regardless of whether that total is an absolute majority.

An administration formed by two or more parties sharing ministerial office, typically because no single party commands a legislative majority.

The stable pattern of parties competing in a political system, described by their number, ideological distance and the way governments are typically formed.

The sphere of voluntary associations, movements and media lying between the state and family, which can voice interests, check power and build civic skills.

An organised body seeking to influence public policy for its members or a cause without itself contesting elections to govern, often through lobbying and campaigning.

The view that power in a society is dispersed among many competing groups, so policy results from bargaining and adjustment rather than from a single ruling elite.

The argument that, whatever the formal constitution, a small cohesive minority holds decisive power in most societies, and that ordinary citizens largely respond to elite choices.

A tradition in international politics holding that states pursue power and security in an anarchic system, and that national interest and balance of power explain their behaviour better than law or morality.

In international relations, the view that cooperation, institutions, trade and domestic politics can mitigate anarchy, making peaceful change and mutual gains possible among states.

In international relations, the absence of a central authority above states, so that each must rely on its own resources for security rather than on a common enforcer.

A condition in which no state or alliance is strong enough to dominate others, maintained by countervailing power, alliances and shifts of alignment rather than by law.

The arrangement in which states agree that aggression against one member will be treated as aggression against all, to be met by collective response, as in the UN Charter system.

A deliberate course of action, or decision not to act, adopted by government bodies to address a public problem, including the goals, instruments and resources involved.

A model describing policy-making as stages such as agenda-setting, formulation, adoption, implementation and evaluation, useful for tracing how issues become programmes and are then revised.

A form of organisation marked by hierarchical authority, written rules, defined jurisdictions and salaried officials, characteristic of modern public administration and praised for predictability but criticised for rigidity.

A reform approach applying private-sector techniques to public services, stressing performance targets, contracting out, managerial autonomy and customer orientation rather than rule-bound administration.

A standard for judging how public affairs are managed, emphasising accountability, transparency, participation, responsiveness, rule of law and effectiveness of institutions.

A pattern of politics in which politicians exchange material benefits, jobs or favours for electoral support, making loyalty personal rather than programmatic.

The allocation of public posts, contracts or benefits on the basis of political loyalty or personal connection rather than merit, often used to build and reward support networks.

The abuse of entrusted public power for private gain, including bribery, embezzlement, nepotism and influence peddling, which undermines accountability and the rule of law.

The argument that poorer countries remain underdeveloped because their economies are structurally tied to richer ones as suppliers of raw materials and markets for finished goods, draining surplus outward.

The view that development follows a path from traditional to modern society through industrialisation, urbanisation, education and institutional change, often modelled on Western experience.

A set of policy conditions, such as liberalisation, privatisation and fiscal restraint, attached to loans by international financial institutions, often criticised for social costs.

The networks, norms of reciprocity and trust that enable people to cooperate, argued to improve collective action, institutional performance and democratic stability.