...‘Relationships between pressure groups and democracy – functional representation, pluralism and pluralist democracy, elitism, criticism of pressure groups.’ 1. Define pressure groups: a group of like-minded individuals that aim to influence the government, public or both 2. What are the two types of pressure groups? Insider; who work with the government, and outsiders; who work against the government 3. How do pressure groups promote democracy? They campaign on behalf of the people. They are consulted by government and try to influence policies to help their section of society. They allow a form of participation and hold marches 4. How do pressure groups limit democracy? They can cause tyranny of majority and suppresses majority’s views 5. Using examples, how far are the criticisms true of UK political system? RSPB, more members than the top 3 parties – undermines representative democracy. Class war, never get into power or have influence – arguable waste of time 6. Define democracy: government chosen for and by the people 7. What is functional representation? The function of associations, usually PG’s, which represent specific sections of society, based on occupation, age, etc. 8. Give an example of functional representation: marches, strikes 9. Describe the differences between elitist system and the pluralist system: pluralism – open access to information and elitist – unlikely to be neutral, favour donors and groups supporting their agenda ...
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...organic bodies and technologies in society by conducting an intersectional analysis. Specifically, Nguyen utilizes a narrative about Karma, a mutant who was a Vietnamese war refugee with the ability to “seize control of other peoples mind and bodies” (Nguyen 38). Nguyen, also of Vietnamese descent, use this first-personal narrative to not only relate herself to Karma, but to also humanize the subject at hand. Nguyen exhorts that being a cyborg or mutant is considered to be the ‘other’ in society. She claims that al though these mutants were brought together to fight evil mutants, these “New Mutants are nonetheless viewed with fear and suspicion by the non-mutant population” (Nguyen 374). These cyborgs and mutants are characterized as outsiders because their bodies are subjected to specific stereotypes that do not fit in the overwhelmingly “normal” society. Nguyen continues to say, “in these science fictions mutant bodies and cyborg bodies are analogized as minoritarian bodies, subjected and subjugated…” (377). Relating back to class discussion, these bodies are actually constructing the space around them. Since these mutants are so different and are being put in a space where they are considered to be the “other,” a majority believes it is there duty to remove them from that space. Even with their unique powers and experiences, they are considered to be the inferior class, and unfortunately in Karmas case, “her genetic mutation does now allow [her] unusual access to freedoms”...
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...the Constitution. They did not trust the people to solve the major problems the nation had so they wanted a strong central government to counter that. The Constitution implemented a check and balance system so that one branch isn't too powerful compared to the others. As long as Congress had power, the federalist were happy. The anti-federalist were the exact opposite. They valued the Articles of Confederation because it gave the states the most power. It prevented the central government from taking control just as they wanted and it is also the reason why the anti-federalist disliked the Constitution. They believed the Constitution would make the nation turn into a tyranny like the British empire which is why they preferred the Articles of Confederation because it is what originally gave them the freedom of tyranny. They opposed having one government having all the power because they feared for the worst. 2. The reason why the political parties started to emerge during the Washington Administration was because of the struggle to ratify the federal Constitution of 1787. The anti-federalist , which were lead by Thomas Jefferson, wanted states' rights over centralized power while the federalist, lead by Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong central government. Washington ended up losing the trust of Jefferson and the anti-federalist party when he issued the Neutrality Proclamation in May. He also lost the trust of the federalist when he decided to take a neutral stance when it came...
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...“The wealthier and closer the pressure group is to the government the more successful they are” A. How far do you agree? Pressure groups are organizations, which attempt to influence the government from outside, this means that they do not put candidates up for election and instead act as a bridge between the people and government. The are many different types of pressure groups ranging from wealthy insider groups like the B.M.A. to less wealthy outsider groups like Amnesty International. The wealthier and closer the pressure group is to the government the more successful they are. The success of the British Medical Association (B.M.A.) suggests that the wealthier and closer the pressure group is to the government the more successful they are. The B.M.A. is a voluntary association that speaks up for the interests of doctors at home and abroad, provides a range of services for its members and engages in scientific research. These activities involve lobbying not only the British government but also the European Union as well. The B.M.A. is undoubtedly one of the most influential and effective pressure groups as they have great influence over the policies of the British government regarding the health care system in matters such as the pay and training of doctors, the work of GP’s and hospitals, and the quality and quantity of medical facilities. This supports the view that the wealthier and closer the pressure group is to the government the more successful they are...
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...Adams is comparable to the character from “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Atticus Finch. They seem as though they were cut from the same cloth. They are comparable in terms of wanting to send their children out into the world using the tools that they have been given. Mrs. Adams and Mr. Finch had the mindset that they should give their children the tools they need and send them out on their own to use those tools. They both wanted their children to go out on their own. They both wanted their children to put their shoes in the shoes of others; Mr. Finch wanted his children to put themselves in the shoes of those less fortunate and those who were seen as “outsiders.” Mrs. Adams wanted her son to put himself in the shoes of his father. Although they had different intentions, they both had good ones. Mr. Finch wanted his children to learn life lessons while Mrs. Adams envisioned her son becoming a smart, hardworking, successful diplomat like her husband, John...
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...Part I Israe’sl axial age was drawing to a close for many reasons in the 5th century. One reason was Jerusalem had become a small an undistinguished city in the corner of the Persian Empire. An axial age commonly occurs in a region that is usually a leader in change and growth. (296.) Second Israel and Judah had suffered greatly from tyranny of the Imperial powers. These powers brought along with them a hint of broader horizons and a bigger and more powerful world. (291.) In addition the exiled survivors were returning and were no longer in the vanguard of current endeavors. They lived discreetly and their struggle for survival had become more important than the vision for new religious beliefs. The belief that Yahweh would return to open the gates for all outsiders and foreigners to offer sacrifices to him was no longer. (292.) Ezra was excluding his own people by telling them they could not associate with the am ha-aretz and take foreign wives. They were the foreigners who settled in Cannan after the Babylonian war, and also the Israelites and Judahites who had not been deported to Babylon. (293.) Ezra held a meeting with all the members of the Golah and told them anybody who refused to attend would be cast out of the community and their property would be confiscated. Ezra did this because he wanted the Torah to be known as the law of the land. Part II In Athens during the 5th century people were becoming uncertain of their future especially...
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...maintain a peaceful society, as people can channel their emotions in a non-violent way. Types of Pressure Group Insider: a pressure group that has strong links with decision makers and are regularly consulted on areas of policy. They are so called because they work inside the political system through MPs, peers and committees. They may have this access because they are deemed to be relatively moderate by the government, who want to be seen as ‘listeners of the people’ and down to earth. Example: (The Confederation of BritishIndustry (CBI.) This group is regularly consulted by the government and produce reports on how businesses are operating, performing and their attitudes towards new issues such as business taxation.) Outsider: a pressure...
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...After escaping the horrific incidents that took place in Iraq, my family made it to the scorching hot desert of Rafha, Saudi Arabia. I remember asking my mom about their time in Rafha and I remember her distinctly telling me, “It was empty, nothing but sand and tents for us to live in but for the time being it was safety”. I can’t even begin to fathom what they endured during Saddam’s tyranny or in that burning Saudi desert, but if it wasn’t for their sacrifices I wouldn’t be here writing this paper. After being in Rafha for approximately eight months, my parents finally left and flew to California on August 3, 1992 to start a new life. They said being in a different country was one of the hardest things they had to overcome. Speaking a different language, having different cultural backgrounds, and being a migrant was terrifying to a lot of the “outsiders”. My dad said he was working 3 jobs at one point to provide for my family and I. Receiving citizenship in 1997 didn’t make their lives any easier in America but they said it gave them a sense of security and a chance to give their kids a shot at a better life. The...
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...The Balkan Third War Psy The Balkan Third War The Balkan War, or rather the third war in the area, was started by a capitalist with a splash of a Hitler ego, who knew how to be charismatic and smooze his way into a presidency (Amanpour, 2008). Once he was in power he opened the gates of hell onto a region which suffered greatly under his reign. Within the powder-keg region of the former Yugoslavia, Bosnia, and Croatia, Slobodan Milosevic knew how to get what he wanted (Watson, 2012). With these areas constantly at odds with each other, this man manipulated armies and militia to practically wipe out whole ethnic groups and/or drive neighbor against neighbor. When the people lost faith in their bloodthirsty leader, three to five years had really taken its toll on the people of these countries, and they are still trying to recover. The Conformity with the Devil When the charismatic Yugoslav Gorbachev (Amanpour, 2008) or so Slobodan Milosevic was coined, became president, he stood to become a Serbian savior (Amanpour, 2008). Milosevic knew only greed, and with his new position of power he played each ethnic group against each other. Because of the past conflicts in this region of Serbs, Muslims, Albanians, Croatians and Bosnians (Watson, 2012), Milosevic knew what to say to the Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian army’s to become kill squads to do unspeakable genocide within their countries and cultural regions. He knew how to reach the prejudice in the Serbian armies...
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...PROJECT IN QUALITY Nikolas Bellosillo TC303 INTRODUCTION This book review is for our QUALITY subject with our professor Mr. R. Romero. The book is entitled Built to Last: Successful habits of Visionary companies By Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, published by HarperCollins Publishers. Built to Last is a blueprint for building organizations that will endure long into the twenty-first century. "This is not a book about charismatic visionary leaders. It is not about visionary product concepts or visionary products or visionary market insights. Nor is it about just having a corporate vision. This is a book about something far more important, enduring, and substantial. This is a book about visionary companies." So write Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in this groundbreaking book that shatters myths, provides new insights, and gives practical guidance to those who would like to build landmark companies that stand the test of time. Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Collins and Porras took eighteen truly exceptional and long-lasting companies -- they have an average age of nearly one hundred years and have outperformed the general stock market by a factor of fifteen since 1926 -- and studied each company in direct comparison to one of its top competitors. They examined the companies from their very beginnings to the present day -- as start-ups, as midsize companies, and as large corporations...
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...Soccer, slaughter “[Rahim] …the man next to me cheered loudly. Suddenly this young bearded fellow who was patrolling the aisles, eighteen years old at most by the look of the butt of his Kalashnikov. ‘Do that again and I’ll cut out your tongue, you old donkey!’… I was sitting there, blood gushing down my face, apologizing to that son of a dog” (209). Under the brutal control of the Russians, the people of Afghanistan thought the arrival of the American-funded Taliban, under the guise of democracy, was their chance to go back to the peaceful days where there was no fear that one might suddenly disappear and never return (211). Little did the citizens know that a totalitarian dictatorship initiated the darkest day when “They won’t let you be human” (209). In all the inhumane executions the Taliban committed, the most well-known were the ones completed in the Ghazi Stadium. The stadium is located in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, and was built in 1923 as a multi-functional stadium. After Taliban invasion, the officials shot down the stadium and turned it into an execution ground. In a news article published by The Epoch Times, the black-turbaned Taliban (black is the colour of war or surrendering ego in Islam; Taliban claimed themselves as Mujahideen, soldiers of God) would ask the convicts to kneel before the goalposts; then, the so-called felons who had disobey God’s word (283) would be stoned or shot dead. While spectators shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest)...
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...To what extent do pressure groups undermine democracy? Pressure groups can play an important part in the way policies and proposals are brought into action in the UK government. As well as providing a vehicle for the peoples’ views they also have the potential to undermine the democracy of a government. Firstly, to clarify the definition of a pressure group, it is a formal or informal association whose purpose is to put forward the views and interests of a specific part of society, typically operating on a small range of issues. They aim to influence the decisions made by government. Secondly, democracy (from dēmos kratos - Greek for rule by the people) can take many different forms and is harder to define. Full democracy is understood as the fair representation in government of all citizens. In a democratic government the people vote in order to represent their views on an issue. Pressure groups have been seen to undermine this system of government in many ways but the also can enhance democracy in many ways. Some aspects of pressure groups are considered to undermine the nature of democracy. Disproportionate influence is an issue that many argue subverts democracy. This is where some pressure groups have more political influence than their issue may warrant. Some sectional groups appear to have a larger influence in government than others with a larger demographic. This is considered to be undemocratic, as it is not fair in the way it represents the people disproportionately...
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...Many scholars argue (Quibria, 2003, Portes 1998, Durlauf) that the majority of studies are explaining social capital approaches to exaggerate its useful aspects. Quibria, (2003 p.) explained “leads to circuitous reasoning”—and overstatement of the advantages of social capital. Though, social capital has its advantages, however, the same ties that benefit members of a group can result in negative outcomes such as the exclusion of outsiders, excessive claims by insiders, restrictions of individual freedoms, and perpetuation of backwards norms etc. (Quibria, 2003, Eriksson, 2011). Social capital as a function (Coleman, 1988) can establish chances for network members; though, this is normally supported on religion, ethnicity, language, and career....
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...The best leaders: -challenge the process - inspire a shared vision. -enable others to act. -model the way. -Encourage the heart Vision- a mental image of a possible and desirable future state of the organization. Leaders have five important potential sources of power in organizations: -Legitimate Power: leader has the right, or the authority, to tell others what to do. -Reward Power: leader influences others because she controls valued rewards. -Coercive Power: leader has control over punishments. -Referent Power: leader has personal characteristics that appeal to others. -Expert Power: leader has certain expertise or knowledge. Traits of a Leader: -Drive -Leadership motivation -Integrity -Self-confidence -Knowledge of the business The Leadership Grid | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Charismatic leader- a person who is dominant, self-confident, convinced of the moral righteousness of his or her beliefs, and able to arouse a sense of excitement and adventure in followers. Transformational leader- a leader who motivates people to transcend their personal interests for the good of the group. Transactional leaders- leaders who manage through transactions, using their legitimate, reward, and coercive powers...
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...Christina Penh Mr. Jobs AP American History 2012 Summer Assignment The American Revolution: A History by Gordon S. Wood Many people mistake the American Revolution for the American War of Independence, but Gordon S. Wood saw it as something more: it was a complete change in the political structure of America. The American Revolution: A History provides a great swift account of the conflicts and motivations of the period from 1760 to 1790. According to Wood his main points, are: “How the Revolution came about, what its character was, and what its consequences were” as “the questions this brief history seeks to answer”(Wood, xxv). He tries to focus more on the important details instead of trying to argue whether or not the consequences of the Revolution were good or bad. The story is told clearly and is a great overview of the historical, political, and intellectual ideas and events that make up this fascinating time in our country’s history. It is detailed and goes in-depth, exploring all aspects of the Revolution. It includes maps, a time-line and quotes from colonists and people who were there. In order to explain his reasoning, he demonstrates how the United States was impacted by the radical revolution, transitioning from English colonies to an independent republic. This is why his book is organized into seven chapters: Origins, American Resistance, Revolution, Constitution-Making and War, Republicanism, Republican Society, and the Federal Constitution. Only fourteen...
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