...Increasing the Current Approval Rating For Congress In today’s society, our approval ratings for Congress are extremely low. According to Congressional Performance, Congress’ current approval rating started off as 16% in the year of 2015, and it is now at 18%. Although this is an increase, many of today’s Americans are not satisfied with congress and their ideas, how they handle the different situations we are in, or how they run our country. The amount of dissatisfaction with the government stems from the fact that there are officials in congress who are appointed versus being elected, public opinion is not being surveyed enough, and also, voter turnout also has depreciated significantly due to these things. According to You Can’t Vote Everyone in Congress Out. So, What Can You Do, 60 percent of those polled would “replace almost every member in the house, including from their own state,” in the next election if they could. This is due to the fact that many of the officials in the government are appointed, and those that aren’t appointed, vote and select other officials or judges into high positions that have to do with citizen’s daily lives. This does not demonstrate accurate representation of the people because although the people appointed into congress are usually appointed by an official the people voted for, it is not a direct relationship which lessens the amount of approval for those members. Voter turnout is constantly fluctuating in America from year to...
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...The Irish Electoral system of PR-STV is Fundamentally Flawed and should be replaced by the Single Member Plurality System In today’s environment of political apathy and scepticism it is particularly important that we scrutinise our political policies and procedures, so as to bolster a confidence of our countries governance in its people. Electoral systems are perhaps one of the most important aspects of the political process as they are the people’s main mechanism for having their voices heard. The main challenge for any political system is to strive to assist in creating a government that is an accurate representation of its citizen’s desires and future hopes for its political direction while ensuring stable governance. This essay will discuss the Irish electoral system of Proportionate Representation through the Single Transferable Vote (PRSTV) and whether a Single Member Plurality (SMP) system is a viable and worthwhile alternative. By first giving a brief history of the Irish electoral system as well as an explanation of how both systems operate. Then laying out some of these electoral systems advantages as well as disadvantages. Dáil Éireann and its members, Teachtai Dála (TDs) have been elected by the PRSTV electoral system since Irish independence in 1922. There are two main reasons for this. In the early 1900s a period in which Ireland was going through great political change PRSTV had historical support by the nationalist movement, which had the biggest political...
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...Corruption Schemes Anaesha M. Whitaker Corruption Schemes What is corruption? The most common definition of corruption in the economic literature is literature is the misuse of public office for private gain. While private gain is typically interpreted in terms of monetary benefit, it can potentially include non-monetary benefits such as improved chances of re-election and helping friends or members of their social or ethnic networks obtain public resources. The usual interpretation of misuse is the use of office for illegal purposes, impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle, inducement to wrong or improper or unlawful means, but it is occasionally construed more broadly as the mis-allocation of public resources in ways that enhance the official's private returns. Recent years have also seen an explosion of empirical research on corruption measurement. The research conducted for this paper, which has developed and used both subjective guides which are based on perceptions of corruption and objective measures of illegal activity. The following topics will be discussed throughout this paper: Corruption Schemes Today; Corruption Schemes Tomorrow; Investigations of Corruption Schemes; and Detection and Prevention of Corruption Schemes. The research conducted throughout this paper focuses on the topics above. Corruption Schemes Today Corruption Schemes today are heavily engulfed in politics. “CHICAGO — Corruption has tainted...
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...Democracy in America Today Pos/110 October 16, 2011 Final Project: Democracy in America Since the beginning of American Democracy it has been morphed from the founder’s format. With all its changes, it still functions as a well-constructed form of democracy that supports our nation. American democracy has both strengths and weaknesses. Government spending or over-spending is a core issue facing our nation in these economically troubled times. There are many points to be addressed regarding American government today. Adjustments within American democracy have caused us to land in our current situation of economic uncertainty. Some of these developments have actually had a negative impact on democracy and the people of America. Some have enabled us to have vast achievements within our government. Our ability to take care of ourselves and continue to achieve greatness has been diminished by some of these changes. We will always face challenges and issues in our country, but we need to be able to see these problems and move forward in a positive way. The commonality between all American’s with regard to their views on democracy is that the very status of that democracy impacts every citizen of America. There are distinct views of democracy and the issues facing American government. “Democracy is the means to select any policy maker and government, in which the policy would then represent the citizens’ preferences” (Edwards, Wattenberg, & Lineberry...
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...controversies and grievances on a national scale because of the twin problems of mass violence and fraud that have become central elements of the history of elections and of the electoral process in the country (Gberie, 2011). Despite the marked improvement in the conduct of the 2011 elections, the process was not free from malpractices and violence (National Democratic Institute, 2012). Thus over the years, electoral processes in the history of Nigeria’s democratic governance have continued to be marred by extraordinary display of rigging, dodgy, “do or die” affair, ballot snatching at gun points, violence and acrimony, thuggery, boycotts, threats and criminal manipulations of voters' list, brazen falsification of election results, the use of security agencies against political opponents and the intimidation of voters (Bekoe, 2011). Despite the vital place that election holds in democracy in this 21st century, the organization of free and fair elections remains a real challenge for new democracies in West Africa, particularly Nigeria (Reynolds, 2009; Hounkpe & Gueye, 2010). The political process leading to democratic governance has been misconstrued by...
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...Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 The Filipino Youth and Media in Recent Philippine History The Marcos Regime: Youth in the Streets The 1986 People Power: The Culmination of Protests The Post-1986 Youth: Disengaged or Disillusioned? People Power II: The Rise of GenTxt Postscript 2001: ‘People Power Fatigue?’ Media and Technology: Expanding Youth Spaces 1.2 Research Objectives and Questions 1.3 Case Studies Philippine Educational Theater Organization (PETA) Dakila RockEd Philippines 1.5 Methodology 1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study Chapter 2 Analytical Framework 2.1 Youth, Citizenship and Popular Culture Conceptualizing Youth and Generation Democractic Participation and Citizenship Popular Culture: Arts, Media and the Youth Chapter 3 Art against Apathy, Media for...
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...History * The early inhabitants * The early colonial period * The British colonial era * The mineral revolution * The Anglo-Boer/South African War (October 1899 – May 1902) and its aftermath * Segregation * Apartheid * The end of apartheid * The First Decade of Freedom * Into the Second Decade of FreedomThe early inhabitantsThe discovery of the skull of a Taung child in 1924; discoveries of hominid fossils at Sterkfontein caves, a world heritage site; and the ground-breaking work done at Blombos Cave in the southern Cape, have all put South Africa at the forefront of palaeontological research into the origins of humanity. Modern humans have lived in the region for over 100 000 years.The latest discovery is a new species of hominid, Australopithecus sediba, almost two million years old. It was discovered in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, 40 kilometres from Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010. The small, mobile bands of Stone-Age hunter- gatherers, who created a wealth of rock art, were the ancestors of the Khoikhoi and San of historical times. The Khoikhoin and San (the "Hottentots" and "Bushmen" of early European terminology), although collectively known as the Khoisan, are often thought of as distinct peoples.The former were those who, some 2 000 years ago, adopted a pastoralist lifestyle herding sheep and, later, cattle. Whereas the hunter-gatherers adapted to local environments and were scattered across the subcontinent, the herders sought out...
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...Democracy index 2010 Democracy in retreat A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit www.eiu.com Democracy index 2010 Democracy in retreat The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Index of Democracy 2010 Democracy in retreat This is the third edition of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s democracy index. It reflects the situation as of November 2010. The first edition, published in The Economist’s The World in 2007, measured the state of democracy in September 2006 and the second edition covered the situation towards the end of 2008. The index provides a snapshot of the state of democracy worldwide for 165 independent states and two territories—this covers almost the entire population of the world and the vast majority of the world’s independent states (micro states are excluded). The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Index of Democracy is based on five categories: electoral process and pluralism; civil liberties; the functioning of government; political participation; and political culture. Countries are placed within one of four types of regimes: full democracies; flawed democracies; hybrid regimes; and authoritarian regimes. Free and fair elections and civil liberties are necessary conditions for democracy, but they are unlikely to be sufficient for a full and consolidated democracy if unaccompanied by transparent and at least minimally efficient government, sufficient political participation and a supportive democratic political culture. It is not easy to...
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...Civil rights Movement Truman Harry Truman is not a name usually associated with America's Civil Rights movement if only because the main 'points' happened after his presidency - Montgomery, Little Rock, Birmingham, the careers of Martin Luther Kingand Stokely Carmichael. However, some very important civil rights issues were covered in his presidency. Truman’s ancestors had owned slaves. His first recollection of African Americans was a household servants within his family - and he did not come from a prosperous family. While he was dating his future wife Bess, she claimed that he told her that he felt that one person was as good as any other as long as they were not black. He also criticised the Chinese in America, the Jews - to whom he referred to as "Kikes" and the Italians in America who he called "wops". Hence, Truman’s background produced what one would have expected and the young Truman would have had the same views as most other youths in Independence. When he got involved in politics at an early age, he did what any aspiring politician did in the South, he paid $10 to join the KKK. Public office changed Truman. Why? Did he feel that America could not claim to be the democratic capital of the world while African Americans were treated thus? Or were his motives political? The African American population was big enough to have some political clout. Was he out to fish for their votes with his adoption of the civil rights cause? Truman and civil rights legislation: Before...
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...Edexcel AS Politics Edexcel AS Politics ExamBuster 2009 Introduction to Unit 1- People and Politics Understanding the Examination and Exam Technique Choosing your questions In this unit you are presented with four questions. They are of equal value and each question covers one of the four sections of the specification. These are: Democracy and political participation Party policies and ideas Elections Pressure groups There is no significance to the order in which questions appear. Each question is divided into three sections (a), (b) and (c). When choosing which questions to do, the following principles are recommended: It is almost certain that you will be better off choosing your strongest question to do first. You should choose questions on the basis of how well you can answer the section (c) part. The (c) part carries 25 of the 40 marks available for the whole answer. Do not choose a question simply because you can do part (a) especially well. The (a) question is only worth 5 marks. It would be illogical to choose your strongest (a) part if you cannot do well on section (c). If you cannot decide between several (c) parts, i.e. you can do more than one equally well, make your choice on the basis of part (b) which carries 10 marks. But remember, it is the (c) parts that will determine most what your overall mark will be. So, when you first look at the exam paper, look at the (c) sections first. Assessment Objectives Each question is divided into three sections,...
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...Intro To Sociology Unit one- -Sociology is the scientific study of social relations, behaviors, and arrangements. Sociology is one of the social sciences -Socialization is a life-long learning process, which inc. the process by which infants become adults -Auguste Comte was the first person to use the term sociology in 1838, He was a French Philosopher -The early sociologist were concerned with the study of moral statistic, and the first among these was Suicide rates -Emile Durkheim studied the relationship between suicide and social forces, he held that behavior should not be considered an individualistic matter, but in a broader social context. He argued that there is a link between the degree of social integration and suicide. He believed the greater the autonomy or Independence of a category of people, the higher the suicide rate. He came up with the term Anomie, which is a floundering, or loss of purpose and direction people experience during periods of extreme social change. -Max Weber's theory was that social behavior can only be understood when the meanings of the people's actions are known, it is necessary to understand the attitudes, feelings, and beliefs. He called this Verstehen, a German word for understanding. -Karl Marx focused on the struggle between social classes of people. Marx called owners of the means of production the bourgeoisie and the non-owners the proletariat. Marx believed that a social class was determined...
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...Corruption Sanchit Avasti Roll no. 03 TYBMM Introduction of corruption What is Corruption? In philosophical, theological, or moral discussions, Corruption is spiritual or moral impurity or deviation from an ideal. In economy, Corruption is payment for services or material which the recipient is not due, under law. Corruption means the state of being bad and dishonest, especially in matters concerning money. It creates a very impact to the country's education, occupation, living style and mostly the humanity. Corruption affects all regions of the world and all levels of society, but the impact is greatest in developing countries. Every year, developing countries lose USD 50 million to 100 million through corrupt acts Corruption undermines political, social and economic stability and damages trust in institutions and authorities. It also fuels transnational crime. Terrorists and organized criminals are aided in their illegal activities by the complicity of corrupt public officials. Types of Corruption Corruption became a sway all over the world now-a-days. It can be categorized in three types. There are three broad classifications of corruption, which are however not mutually exclusive: Petty and Grand corruption: Petty Corruption: • Practiced on a smaller scale. Defined as the use of public office for private benefit in the course of delivering a pubic service. Usually involves relatively small amounts of money, including bribery (grease money or speed...
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...cover next page > title author publisher isbn10 | asin print isbn13 ebook isbn13 language subject publication date lcc ddc subject : : : : : : : : : : : cover next page > < previous page page_i next page > Page i 1100 Words You Need to Know Fourth Edition Murray Bromberg Principal Emeritus Andrew Jackson High School, Queens, New York Melvin Gordon Reading Specialist New York City Schools . . . Invest fifteen minutes a day for forty-six weeks in order to master 920 new words and almost 200 useful idioms < previous page page_i next page > < previous page page_ii next page > Page ii © Copyright 2000 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. Prior edition © Copyright 1993, 1987, 1971 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat, microfilm, xerography, or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the copyright owner. All inquiries should be addressed to: Barron's Educational Series, Inc. 250 Wireless Boulevard Hauppauge, NY 11788 http://www.barronseduc.com Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 00-030344 International Standard Book Number 0-7641-1365-8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bromberg, Murray. 1100 words you need to know / Murray Bromberg, Melvin Gordon. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-7641-1365-8 1. Vocabulary. I. Title: Eleven hundred words you need...
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...observation; and both are divided into many specialized fields. (5-7) 4. c Generalization is one of the goals of scientific inquiry. It involves going beyond individual cases by making statements that apply to broader groups or situations. (7) 5. b The Industrial Revolution, imperialism, and the development of the scientific method all contributed to the development of sociology. The fourth influence was the political revolutions in America and France — there was no political revolution in Britain at that time. (8-9) 6. d Positivism is the application of the scientific approach to the social world. (9) 7. d Of the four statements, the one that best reflects Herbert Spencer’s views on charity is “The poor are the weakest members of society and if society intervenes to help them, it is interrupting the natural process of social evolution.” While many contemporaries of Spencer’s were appalled by his views, the wealthy industrialists found them attractive. (10) 8. b The proletariat is the large group of workers who are exploited by the small group of capitalists who own the means of production, according to Karl Marx. (11) 9. a Durkheim believed that social factors, patterns of behavior that characterize a social group, explain many types of behavior, including suicide...
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...Theories of Communication – MCM 511 VU LESSON 01 COMMUNICATION Defining communication Communication is seen as central to our everyday ideas about what makes life worth living. It is not surprising that academicians have attempted to unravel the secrets of the communication process. In this section of the study we will examine the theorizing and theories of this discipline of communication. To understand communication theory we need to understand the nature of communication. Nature of communication People define terms in different ways, and those differences in definition can have a profound impact on the extent to which we understand each other and the way we move forward with both academic and everyday pursuits. Given the variety of ways in which words are used and understood, we are often ill-served to search for the single, so-called correct definition of a term. In other words, it is better to evaluate definition in terms of their utility rather than in terms of their correctness. So we should not assume that there is always a single right way to define a concept. There is a great deal of variation in the definitions. Some are very abstract and some are extremely specific. Few definitions are cited below. Communication is the process by which an individual (the communicator) transmits stimuli (usually verbal) to modify the behavior of other individuals (the audience). (Hovland Janis and Kelly in 1953) Communication is the process by which we understand others and in turn...
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