administration The organized apparatus of the state for the preparation and implementation of legislation and policies, also called bureaucracy.

agenda-setting Controlling the focus of attention by establishing the issues for public discussion.

anarchic order Order resulting from mutual coordination in the absence of a higher authority.

anarchism A stateless society that allows total individual freedom.

anomic group Spontaneously formed interest group with concern over a specific issue.

aristocracy A form of government in which a minority rules under the law.

associational group Formally organized group which articulates the interests of its members over long periods of time.

asymmetrical federalism A federal system of government in which powers are unevenly divided between provinces, i.e. some provinces have greater responsibilities or more autonomy than others.

auction politics A danger in democratic politics in which state power may be "sold" to the highest bidding groups.

auditor general The official of Parliament whose staff audit the expenditures of government departments and who provides an annual report on instances of funds being unlawfully or unwisely spent.

authoritarianism A system of government in which leaders are not subjected to the test of free elections.

authority A form of power based on consensus regarding the right to issue commands and make decisions.

backbencher Members of Parliament on the government side who sit on the backbenches and are not in cabinet, or those similarly distant from shadow cabinet posts in opposition parties.

balance of payments A state's running account of economic transactions (exports and imports) with the rest of the world.

balance of power policy The active prevention of any one state becoming too strong by the major powers in the system.

balance of power The distribution of power in a system such that no one state may overwhelm others.

behavioural revolution The introduction of more empirical analysis into the study of government and politics.

bicameralism A system of government in which the legislature is divided into two chambers, an upper and lower house.

bill A piece of legislation under consideration by a legislative body.

binational state Two nations co-existing within one state.

bipolar An international system in which there are two dominant nation-states. bourgeoisie. A Marxist term referring to those who own the means of production.

bureaucracy A type of administration characterized by specialization, professionalism, and security of tenure.

cabinet solidarity A convention that all cabinet ministers publicly support whatever decisions the cabinet has taken, regardless of their personal views.

caucus A meeting of legislators of any one party to discuss parliamentary strategy and party policy.

central agency. Government agencies such as the PMO, the PCO, the Treasury Board, and the Finance Department that have certain coordinating functions across the whole federal public service.

charismatic authority Authority based on the admiration of personal qualities of an individual.

checks and balances A system of government in which power is divided between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, and these powers check and balance each other.

citizenship Legal membership in a community known as a nation-state.

classical liberalism A liberal ideology entailing a minimal role for government in order to maximize individual freedom.

coalition government A parliamentary government in which the cabinet is composed of members of more than one party.

coalition An alliance between two or more political units in response to opposing forces.

code civil The unique system of civil law used in Quebec.

code of law A comprehensive set of interrelated legal rules.

coercion A form of power based on forced compliance through fear and intimidation.

collective (public) goods Goods and services enjoyed in common and not divisible among individuals.

collective defence An alliance among states against external threats.

collective security A commitment by a number of states to join in an alliance against member states that threaten peace.

Cominform "Communist Information Bureau"; an international communist organization after World War II.

Comintern "Communist International"; also known as the Third International, the communist international organization between the two World Wars.

common law The accumulation of judicial precedents as the basis for court decisions.

communications (mass) media A general term for all modern means of conveying information.

communism A political ideology characterized by a belief in eliminating exploitation through public ownership and central planning of the economy.

comparative politics An area of political study concerned with the relative similarities and differences of political systems.

confederation A federal system of government in which sovereign constituent governments create a central government but balance of power remains with constituent governments.

confidence Support for the government by the majority of the members of parliament.

consent of the governed People's acceptance of the form of government under which they live.

conservationism The attempt to manage natural resources in order to maximize benefits over a long period of time.

conservatism A political ideology generally characterized by a belief in individualism and minimal government intervention in the economy and society; also a belief in the virtue of the status quo and general acceptance of traditional morality.

consociationalism A form of democracy in which harmony in segmented societies is maintained through the distinctive roles of elites and the autonomy of organized interests.

constituency A electoral district with a body of electors who vote for a representative in an elected assembly.

constitution The fundamental rules and principles by which a state is organized.

constitutionalism The belief that governments will defer to the rules and principles enshrined in a constitution and uphold the rule of law.

constructive vote of confidence A system in which the majority in the lower house can bring down the government, but not until that majority approves another government (e.g. in Germany).

contracting out The hiring of private organizations to provide public services.

convention A practice or custom followed in government although not explicitly written in the constitution or in legislation.

corporatism The organization of liberal democracies in such a way that the state is the dominant force in society and the activities of all interests in society are subordinate to that force.

coup d’état A forceful and unconstitutional change of government, often by a faction within the military or the ruling party.

credit Any transaction which brings money into the country (e.g. payments for the export of goods).

Crown corporation Corporations owned by the government that assume a structure similar to a private company and that operate semi-independently of the cabinet.

current accounts surplus A state selling more to the world than it is buying.

custom A generally accepted practice or behaviour developed over time.

customary law Rules of conduct developed over time and enforceable in court.

debit Any transaction which sends money out of the country (e.g. payments for the import of goods).

deep ecology A form of environmentalism holding that nature and the natural order should be valued over individual human happiness.

deficit Occurs when the value of a state's imports is more than the value of its exports.

delegate A representative role in which the individual subordinates his/her views to those of their constituents.

democratic centralism The concentration of power in the leadership of the communist party, which in theory acts in the interests of the people.

department of finance The government department that has overall responsibility for the government's finances and its role in the economy.

deputy minister The Canadian public servant who heads each government department, manages the department, and advises the minister.

deregulation A government policy designed to remove regulations on market activity.

devolution A system of government in which the sovereign central government devolves (delegates) power to regional governments.

despotism An individual ruling through fear without regard to law and not answerable to the people.

dictator In Roman Law, an appointed individual given exceptional powers in times of crisis.

dictatorship of the proletariat A revolutionary seizure of power by the "vanguard" of society, the communist party, which then rules in the name of the working class.

diplomacy A system of formal, regularized communication that allows states to peacefully conduct their business with each other.

direct democracy A system of government based on public decisions made by citizens meeting in an assembly or voting by ballot.

disallowance A power given to the federal government in the Constitution Act, 1867, under which the cabinet can nullify any provincial law, even though it has received royal assent from the lieutenant-governor of the province.

discretion The flexibility afforded government to decide something within the broader framework of rules.

distributive laws Laws designed to distribute public goods and services to individuals in society.

downsizing Reduction of the size and scope of government.

doxa Greek word for an opinion that may be at least partly true but cannot be fully expounded.

Electoral College The body which formally chooses the president of the United States.

elite A small group of people with a disproportionate amount of public decision-making power.

empirical Political analysis based on factual and observable data in contrast to thoughts or ideas.

episteme Greek word for knowledge that can be demonstrated by logical argument from first principles.

equality of opportunity The equalization of life chances for all individuals in society, regardless of economic position.

equality of result The equalization of outcomes of social and economic processes.

equality of right Application of the law in the same way to all.

equality rights A section of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (s. 15) that prohibits governments from discriminating against certain categories of people.

ethnic group A group whose common identity is based on racial, national, or religious association.

executive A small group of elected officials who direct the policy process, and oversee the vast array of departments and agencies of government.

executive federalism A federal process directed by extensive federal-provincial interaction at the level of first ministers, departmental ministers, and deputy ministers.

extractive laws Laws designed to collect taxes from citizens to pay for governing society.

faction An association of individuals organized for the purpose of influencing government actions favourable to their interests, now known as interest groups.

fascism An extreme form of nationalism that played on fears of communism and rejected individual freedom, liberal individualism, democracy, and limitations on the state.

federalism A system of government in which sovereignty is divided between a central government and several provincial or state governments.

feminism The belief that society is disadvantageous to women, systematically depriving them of individual choice, political power, economic opportunity and intellectual recognition.

First International A loose association of socialist parties and labour unions in Western Europe, organized in 1864.

formal–legal institutions Institutions which are explicitly created by a constitution.

fragment theory A theory (proposed by Louis Hartz) which argues that colonial societies such as Canada originated as fragments of the larger European society and that these societies have remained marked throughout their history by the conditions of their origin.

free riders Those who enjoy a collective good without helping to pay for it.

free vote A legislative vote in which members are not required to toe the party line.

free-market environmentalism The view that environmental problems are best solved by property rights and markets.

functions The special activity or purpose structures serve in the political process; for example interest groups to articulate interests.

gerrymander Manipulating constituency boundaries for partisan election purposes. government. A specialized group of individuals, institutions and agencies which make and enforce public decisions.

head of government The person in effective charge of the executive branch of government; the prime minister in a parliamentary system.

head of state An individual who represents the state but does not exercise political power.

human rights Rights thought to belong to all people simply because they are human beings.

ideological party A type of political party which emphasizes ideological purity over the attainment of power.

ideology A system of beliefs and values that explains society and prescribes the role of government.

influence A form of power based on the ability to persuade others to share in a desired objective.

informal institutions Institutions which are an integral part of the political process, but which are not established by a constitution.

initiative The initiation of legislative action on a particular issue by way of a voters' petition.

institutional group Groups which are closely associated with the government and act internally to influence public decisions.

interest (pressure) group Organizations whose members act together to influence public policy in order to promote their common interest.

interest party A political party with a single interest or purpose, such as the Green Party.

international law The body of rules governing the relationships of states with each other.

International Monetary Fund An international organization created to prevent another collapse in the world monetary system through the stabilization of national currencies throughout the world.

international order The combination of major actors, rules, mechanisms and understandings to manage the co-existence and interdependence of states.

international regimes The pattern of regular cooperation governed by implicit and explicit expectations between two or more states.

international relations An area of political study concerned with the interaction of independent states.

intervention In a court case, the presentation of a view on the law without representing one of the parties in the litigation.

item veto The power of an American president or state governor to veto particular components of a bill rather than reject the entire legislation.

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council A British Court that functioned as Canada's final court of appeal until 1949.

judicial activism The willingness and inclination of judges to overturn legislation or executive action.

judicial review The power of the courts to declare legislation unconstitutional (ultra vires).

judiciary The branch of government with the power to resolve legal conflicts that arise between citizens, between citizens and governments, or between levels of government.

junta A Spanish word meaning a group of individuals forming a government, especially after a revolution or coup d'etat.

jurisprudence The philosophy and analysis of law.

justice The virtue of protecting individuals' possessions within the acknowledged rules of conduct.

laissez-faire The non-intervention of the state in the economy.

law Enforceable rules of conduct.

legal positivism A theory holding that law is the command of the sovereign.

legislature A representative assembly responsible for making laws for society.

legislature The branch of government responsible for making laws for society.

legitimacy Belief in the "rightness" of rule.

liberal democracy A system of government characterized by universal adult suffrage, political equality, majority rule and constitutionalism.

liberal feminism The advocacy of equal rights between men and women.

liberalism A theory of international relations stressing the rule of law.

limited government A state restricted in its exercise of power by the constitution and the rule of law.

limited state See limited government.

list system A form of proportional representation in which the elector votes not for individuals but for parties who have lists of candidates running for office.

lobbying An activity of interest groups aimed at influencing governors and the public to achieve a favourable policy decision(s).

logrolling The act of vote-trading among legislators in the process of getting legislation passed.

Magna Carta (Great Charter) A document signed by King John in 1215, conceding that the king is subject to law.

majority government A parliamentary government in which the party in power has over 50 percent of the seats in the legislature.

merit recruitment A system of hiring public servants on the basis of qualifications rather than on party preference or other considerations.

microcosm The idea that a governing body should be a miniature replica of the society it represents.

ministerial responsibility The principle that cabinet ministers are individually responsible to the House of Commons for everything that happens in their department.

ministry The entire group of MPs appointed by the Prime Minister to specific ministerial responsibilities.

minority government A parliamentary government in which the government party has less than 50 percent of the seats in the legislature.

mixed economy An economy based on both private and public (government-controlled) enterprises.

mixed-member-proportional (MPP) Electoral system in which voters cast two ballots, one for a local candidate running in a territorial constituency (first-past-the-post) and the other for a list of candidates put forward by a political party (list system).

modernization The gradual replacement of traditional authority with legal authority.

monarchy Form of government in which a single person rules under the law.

monism Exclusive emphasis on a single principle or interest.

movement party A type of political party which emerges from a political movement, such as a national liberation movement.

multinational state Three or more nations co-existing under one sovereign government.

multiparty system A party system in which there are three or more major contenders for power.

__________________
Regards

Aarwaa

Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.