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86 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
agency loss
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discrepancy between what citizens would like in an ideal agent and how agents actually are
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agenda control
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capacity to set the choices available to others
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agent
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someone who makes and implements decisions on behalf of someone else
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authority
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the right to make and implement a decision
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bargaining
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a form of negotiation in which two or more parties disagree propose exchanges and concessions to find a course of acceptable collective action
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cabinet
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formal group of presidential advisers who head the major departments and agencies of the federal government. chosen by president and approved by the senate
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coalition
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an alliance of unlike-minded people or groups to achieve the same common purpose such as lobbying, legislating, or campaigning for the election of public officials
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collective action
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an action taken by a group of like-minded individuals to achieve a common goal
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collective goods
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goods that are collectively produced and freely available to achieve a common goal
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command
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the authority of one actor to dictate the actions of another
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compromise
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settlement in which each side concedes some of its preferences in order to secure others
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conformity costs
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the difference between what a person would ideally prefer and what the group with which the person makes collective decisions actually does. individuals pay conformity costs whenever collective decisions produce policy outcomes that do not best serve their interests
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consitution
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a document outlining the formal rules and institutions of government and the limits placed on its powers
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coordination
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the act of organizing a group to achieve a common goal.
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delegation
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the act of one person or body authorizing another person or body to perform an action on its behalf
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direct democracy
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a system of government in which citizens make policy decisions by voting on legislative themselves w/o representatives
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externalities
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public goods or bads generated as a byproduct of private activity: pollution caused by private cars
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focal point
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focus identified by participants when coordinating their energies to achieve a common purpose
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free-rider problem
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a situation in which individuals can reieve the benefits from a collective activity whether or not they helped to pay for it, leaving them with no incentive to contribute
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government
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the institutions and procedures through which people are ruled
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initiative
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an approach to direct democracy in which a proposal is placed on an election ballot when the requisite number of registered voters have signed petitions
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institution
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an organization that manages potential conflicts between political rivals hleps them to find mutually acceptable solutions and makes and enforces the societies collective agreements. ex) congress, presidency and supreme court
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majority rule
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the principle that decisions should reflect the preferences of more than half of those voting. one of the fundamentals of democracy
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office
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subdivision of some government departments that confers on its occupants specific authority and responsibilities
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parliamentary government
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a form of government in which the chief executives is chosen by the majority party or by a coalition of parties in the legislature
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plurality
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a vote in which the winning candidate recieves the greatest number of votes over 50 %
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politician
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elected professional who specializes in providing compelling reasons for people with different values and interests to disagree on the goals that action is intended to achieve
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politics
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the process by which indivduals and groups reach agreement on a common course of action even as they continue to disagree on the goals that action is intended to achieve
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power
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an officeholder's actual influence with other officeholders, and, as a consequence, over the government's actions
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preferences
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individual's choices, reflecting economic situation, religious values, ethnic identity, or other valued interests
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principal
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an individual with the authority to make some decision. this authority may be delegated to an agent who is supposed to act on the principal's behalf
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prisoner's dilemma
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a situation which two or more actors cannot agree to cooperate for fear that the other will find its interest best served by reneging on an agreement
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private goods
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benefits or services over which the owner has full control of their use
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privitization
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prevent a common resource from being over-exploited by trying to benefit of its consumption to its cost
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public goods
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goods that are collectively produced and freely available for anyone's consumption
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referendum
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an approach to direct democracy in which a state legislature proposes a change to the state's laws or constitution in which all the voters subsequently vote on
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representative government
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a political system in which citizens select government officials, who acting as their agents, deliberate and commit to the citizenry to a course of collective action
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republic
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a form of democracy in which power is vested in elected representatives
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separation of powers
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the distribution of government powers among several political institutions. three branches in us: legislative, executive, and judicial
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simple majority
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a majority of 50 % plus 1
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supermajority
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a majority larger than a simple 51% majority, which is required for extraordinary legislative actions such as amending the constitutions or certain congressional procedures
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tragedy of the commons
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a situation in which group members overexploit a common resource, causing its destruction
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transaction costs
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the costs of doing political business reflected in the time and effort required to compare preferences and negotiate compromises in making collective decisions
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tyranny
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a form of government in which the ruling power exploits its authority and permits little popular control
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veto
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the formal power of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of congress. a veto can be overridden by a 2/3rd vote in each house
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zero sum
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issues for which mutual gains through cooperation are not possible
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antifederalists
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a loosely organized group (never a formal political party) that opposed ratification of the constitution, which the group believed would jeopardize individuals freedom and states rights. after ratification, the efforts of the antifeds led to adoption of the first 10 amendments, the bill of rights
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articles of confederation
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the compact among the thirteen original states that formed the basis of the first national government of the us from 1777-1789, when it was supplanted by the constitution
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bicameral legislature
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a legislature composed of two houses or chambers
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bill of rights
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the first 10 amendments to the us constitution
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checks and balances
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a constitutional mechanism giving each branch some oversight and control of the other branches
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commerce clause
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the clause in article 1, section 8, of the constitution which gives congress the the authority to regulate commerce between other nations among states
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confederation
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a political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers they expressly delegate to a central government
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declaration of independence
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the document drafted by thomas jefferson and adopted by the second continental congress on july 4, 1776 declaring the independence of the 13 colonies from great britain
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electoral college
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a body of electors in each state, chosen by voters, who formally elect the president and vice president of the us. each state's number is equal to its representatives in congress. an absolute majority of the total electoral vote is required to elect a president and vice president
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faction
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a group of people sharing a common interest who are opposed to other groups whit competing interests. .. any group with interests contrary to the general interests of society
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federalists
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name given to two related, but not identical, groups in the late 18th century american politics. first group supported ratifying the constitution. the second group dominated national politics during the washington and adams administratives
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great compromise
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the agreement between the large and small states at the constitutional convention that decided selection and composition of congress
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home rule
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power given by states to a locality to enact legislation and manage its own affairs locally. also applies to Britain's administration of the american colonies
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judicial review
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the authority of the court to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional and therefore invalid
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logroll
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the result of legislative vote trading
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nationalist
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constitutional reformers led by james madison and alexander hamiltion who sought to replace the articles of confederation
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necessary and proper clause
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the last clause of article 1, section 8. grants congress authority to make all laws that are necessary and proper and execute those laws
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new jersey plan
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new jersey delegate william patterson's proposal for reforming the articles of confederation. favored by delegates who supported state's rights
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pluralism
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a theory descrbing a political system in which all significant social interests freely compete with one another for influence over the governments policy decisions
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popular sovereignty
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citizens delegation of authority to their agents in government, with the ability to rescind that authority
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shay's rebellion
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uprising of 1786 led by daniel shays to protest the state's high taxes and aggressive debt collection policies. demonstrated the a of c's inability to keep peace and stimulated interest in strengthening the national government leading to the Philadelphia convention
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state's rights
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safeguards against a too-powerful national government that were favored by one group of delegates to the constitutional convention. supported retaining those features of the a of cs that guarded states prerogatives
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supremacy clause
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a clause declaring the national laws are supreme law of the land and take precedence over any laws adopted by states or local governments
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take care clause
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a clause instructing president to take care that laws be faithfully executed
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matching grant
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a grant of money given to the state government for which the federal government provides matching funds, usually between $ 1-2 fore every dollar the state spends in some area
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virginia plan
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constitutional blueprint drafted by james madison that sought to reform the a of cs
-introduced at constitutional convention -proposed tripartite national gov but provided popularly elected legislature that would dominate national decision making |
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block grant
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a broad grant of money given by the federal government to a state government. specifies a general area in which the funds may be spent but leaves it to the state to allocate specifics
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cutthroat competition
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competition among states that involves adopting policies that each state would prefer to avoid
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dual federalism
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a system of goverment in which the federal goverment and state government each have mutually exclusive spheres of action
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elastic clause
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allows congress to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing of power
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enumerated powers
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the explicit powers given to congress by the constitution ... include powers of taxation , coinage of money, regulation of commerce, and provision for the national defense
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externality
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public goods or bads generated as a byproduct of private activity
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federalism
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a system of government in which power is divided between a central goverment and a several regional governments
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grant-in-aids
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funds given by congress to state or local governments for a specific purpose
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nationalization
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shifting to the national government responsibilities traditionally exercised by the states
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preemption legislation
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laws passed by congress to override or preempt state or local policies
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race to the bottom
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when states race to provide a minimum level of services or regulation
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shared federalism
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a system in which that national and state governments share in providing citizens with a set of goods
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tenth amendment
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offers the most explicit endorsement of federalism to be found in the consitution
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unitary government
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a system of government in which a single government hold the power to govern the nation
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