24. What is ‘majority rule’?

Majority rule is a decision rule that selects alternatives which have a majority, that is, more than half the votes. It is the binary decision rule used most often in influential decision-making bodies, including the legislatures of democratic nations.Although it is a binary decision rule, majority rule has become the dominant factor in many modern western democracies, with most elections and referendums being decided by majority rule. It is frequently used in legislatures and other bodies in which alternatives can be considered and amended in a process of deliberation until the final version of a proposal is adopted or rejected by majority rule.

25. Compare equality in socialism and in liberalism

Liberalism

Equality: Individualism implies a belief in foundational equality: that is, the belief that individuals are ‘born equal’, at least in terms of moral worth. This is reflected in a liberal commitment to equal rights and entitlements, notably in the form of legal equality (‘equality before the law’) and political equality (‘one person, one vote; one vote, one value’). However, as individuals do not possess the same levels of talent or willingness to work, liberals do not endorse social equality or an equality of outcome. Rather, they favour equality of opportunity (a ‘level playing field’) that gives all individuals an equal chance to realize their unequal potential.Liberals therefore support the principle of meritocracy, with merit reflecting, crudely, talent plus hard work.

Socialism

Social equality: Equality is the central value of socialism. Socialism is sometimes portrayed as a form of egalitarianism, the belief in the primacy of equality over other values. In particular, socialists emphasize the importance of social equality, an equality of outcome as opposed to equality of opportunity. They believe that a measure of social equality is the essential guarantee of social stability and cohesion, encouraging individuals to identify with their fellow human beings. It also provides the basis for the exercise of legal and political rights. However, socialists disagree about the extent to which social equality can and should be brought about. While Marxists have believed in absolute social equality, brought about by the collectivization of production wealth, social democrats have favoured merely narrowing material inequalities, often being more concerned with equalizing opportunities than outcome

26. What kind of direct democracy practices do you know in your country?

27. How do you understand fair elections?

Fair’ means that all registered political parties have an equal right to contest the elections, campaign for voter support and hold meetings and rallies. This gives them a fair chance to convince voters to vote for them. A fair election is also one in which all voters have an equal opportunity to register, where all votes are counted, and where the announced results reflect the actual vote totals.

28. What forms of globalization do you know? Explain each of them.

Economic globalization reflects the increase in transnational flows of capital and goods, destroying the idea of economic sovereignty.Example: NAFTA, EU, Multinational corporations

Cultural globalization Merging or “watering down” of the world’s cultures e.g. food, entertainment, language, etc.Heavily criticized as destructive of local culture.For example,The Simpsons is shown in over 200 countries in the world.

Political globalization countries are attempting to adopt similar political policies and styles of government in order to facilitate other forms of globalization e.g. move to secular governments, free trade agreements, etc

Financial globalization Interconnection of the world’s financial systems e.g. stock markets.More of a connection between large cities than of nations.Example: What happens in Asian markets affects the North American markets.