PRESIDO Wiki

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35 game guides and 73 political terminology entries. Each page has its own URL and related reading.

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Political terminology

  • Accountability

    The obligation to explain decisions, accept scrutiny and answer for results or misuse of authority.

  • Acting president

    A person temporarily performing presidential duties while the principal office holder is unavailable.

  • Administration

    The executive organisation that manages government work; the word can also mean the running of an organisation.

  • Approval rating

    An estimate or measure of support for an office holder or institution.

  • Appropriation

    An authorised allocation of public money for specified purposes.

  • Audit

    A structured examination of records, spending or performance against defined standards.

  • Bicameralism

    A legislative structure with two chambers.

  • Bill

    A proposed law considered by a legislative body before enactment.

  • Budget

    A plan for income, expenditure and financing over a period.

  • Budget deficit

    The amount by which expenditure exceeds revenue over a defined period.

  • Cabinet

    A group of senior ministers responsible for executive policy areas.

  • Campaign

    Organised activity intended to win support for an election or a public cause.

  • Campaign funds

    Resources set aside for organised election activity.

  • Capital

    A term that can mean productive assets, financing resources, a seat of government or political influence, depending on context.

  • Central bank

    An institution responsible for a country’s monetary system and functions such as currency issuance or monetary policy.

  • Checks and balances

    Arrangements through which different institutions constrain, review or counter one another’s powers.

  • Civil service

    The professional administrative workforce carrying out public-sector functions.

  • Coalition

    An alliance between groups that cooperate for a shared objective while retaining distinct interests.

  • Competence

    The ability or capacity to perform a role effectively.

  • Constituency

    A represented electoral area, or a group whose interests an institution serves.

  • Constitution

    The foundational framework of a political system, including institutions, powers and rights.

  • Corruption

    The misuse of entrusted power for private advantage.

  • Debt servicing

    Payments made to meet interest and repayment obligations on borrowed money.

  • Delegation

    Assigning authority or responsibility to another person while retaining an accountability relationship.

  • Delivery

    The practical execution of a promised policy or service.

  • Democracy

    A political system in which public authority is grounded in participation and accountability to the people.

  • Diplomacy

    The management of relations and negotiation between states or other international actors.

  • ECOWAS

    The Economic Community of West African States, a regional cooperation and integration organisation.

  • Electoral mandate

    The authority and political support claimed from an election outcome.

  • Eligibility

    Meeting the conditions necessary for a specified action or result.

  • Entitlement

    A recognised right to access a particular feature or product.

  • Executive

    The branch or function concerned with implementing laws and administering government.

  • Exchange rate

    The price of one currency expressed in another currency.

  • Federalism

    A political arrangement dividing governmental authority between a central level and constituent units.

  • Fiscal policy

    Government choices about spending, taxation and financing that influence the economy.

  • Governance Index

    PRESIDO’s weighted measure of recorded country outcomes.

  • Government stability

    In the game, the capacity of the governing system to remain coherent under pressure.

  • Gross domestic product

    The value of goods and services produced within an economy over a period.

  • Economic growth

    An increase in economic output over time.

  • House of Representatives

    The name used for a representative legislative chamber in several political systems.

  • Implementation

    Putting a decision, programme or law into effect.

  • Inflation

    An increase in the general price level over time, reducing the purchasing power of a given amount of money.

  • Institutional trust

    Confidence that institutions will act reliably and appropriately.

  • Interest rate

    The rate charged or paid for the use of borrowed or saved money over time.

  • Jurisdiction

    The scope within which an institution or office has authority to act.

  • Legislature

    A lawmaking body that also undertakes representation and scrutiny of government.

  • Living standards

    The material conditions affecting people’s daily lives, including income, access and affordability.

  • Loyalty

    Support or allegiance to a person, institution or group.

  • Mandate

    Authority or support to carry out a responsibility, often associated with an election or a defined term of office.

  • Manifesto

    A published statement of an organisation’s goals and intended programme.

  • Monetary policy

    Central-bank measures influencing monetary conditions, often to manage prices and economic activity.

  • Opposition

    Political parties or groups outside the governing leadership that contest or scrutinise it.

  • Oversight

    The scrutiny of an institution’s decisions, spending or performance by an authorised body.

  • Party unity

    The level of cohesion among members or factions of a political party.

  • Policy

    A deliberate course of action to address an objective or problem.

  • Political capital

    The influence, goodwill and support available to pursue political objectives.

  • Portfolio

    A defined collection of responsibilities assigned to an office holder.

  • Poverty

    Deprivation of resources needed for an adequate standard of living, measured in different ways.

  • Procurement

    The process of purchasing goods, works or services for an organisation.

  • Provisional ranking

    A visible ranking whose eligibility or record is not yet complete.

  • Public debt

    Borrowing obligations owed by the public sector.

  • Budget reallocation

    Redirecting an existing resource allocation from one purpose to another.

  • Regional integration

    Cooperation that connects neighbouring economies or institutions through shared arrangements.

  • Revenue

    Income received by an organisation or government, including receipts such as taxes or fees.

  • Senate

    A legislative chamber that is often the upper house in a bicameral system.

  • Separation of powers

    A division of governmental functions among institutions to avoid concentrating every power in one body.

  • Stakeholder

    A person or group affected by, or able to influence, a decision.

  • Subsidy

    Financial support intended to reduce a cost or support an activity.

  • Taxation

    The raising of public revenue through compulsory levies according to the applicable system.

  • Tenure

    The period for which an office is held or a role continues.

  • Transparency

    Making relevant decisions, processes and information visible for scrutiny.

  • Unemployment

    The condition of people seeking work but not having employment, subject to the definition used.

  • Veto

    An authority to reject or stop a proposed decision, subject to a particular institutional system.