modern studies

• Democracy


  Where people have a say in how the country is run
• Types of democracy


  • Direct democracy
  • Representative democracy
• Direct democracy


  Citizens assemble to make decisions for themselves rather than a representative doing it for them
• Representative democracy


  Citizens elect a representative to make decisions on their behalf
• Parliamentary sovereignty


  The UK Parliament is the supreme legal authority, it can create change and end any law
• Devolved and reserved powers


  • Devolved - areas in which Scotland can make laws
  • Reserved - only the UK government can make laws
• Prime Minister in 2024

  Rishi Sunak, part of the Conservative party
• Roles of the Prime Minister

  • Oversees the government civil service
  • Represents the UK home and abroad
  • Chair person in cabinet meetings
• Powers of the Prime Minister

  • Appoints members of the government (cabinet members)
  • Appoints peers to the House of Lords
• How individuals can participate in democracy

  • Voting in elections
  • Joining a political party
  • Stand as candidate
  • Contact a representative (speak to them at a surgery)
  • Contact the media
  • Join a pressure group or a trade union
• Roles of the House of Lords

  • To double check or scrutinise laws to make sure they are fair and will work
  • Introduce bills
  • Peers can be appointed to government ministers and some do attend full cabinet meetings
• Reasons for the abolishment of the House of Lords

  • The number of seats isn't fixed
  • The peers aren't voted in by the public
  • Many people think it is outdated, which makes it outdated and not a true representation of democracy
• Arguments against the reform of the House of Lords

  • The peers aren't picked by the public, this can be positive because they make decisions based on what they think is best, not for votes from the public
  • The people that work there get picked because of their intelligence and their past, this means they will be more educated about law
• Reasons why people choose not to join a trade union

  • Self employed or work for a family business
  • Some people's job don't allow them to join a trade union
  • Cost can be too high, especially for low paid jobs
  • Some people think there is no point if they are already happy with everything
• Reasons why a child may be investigated

  • Not attending school
  • Grades are dropping in school
  • Sign of abuse (victim of abuse)
  • Getting into fights
  • Misusing drugs or alcohol
• Roles of the children's hearing system

  • To protect and support vulnerable children
  • To deal with young people that are committing offences
  • To support families
  • To help with young people who are not attending school
  • To stop infants/young people being neglected or abused
  • To protect the rights of the child
  • To work with outside agencies to meet the needs of a child
• Powers of the children's hearing system


  • To investigate any referrals of criminal behaviour
  • Use of a CSO to remove a child from their home
  • To have a child supervised in their home
• Types of court procedures

  • Summary procedure (just a judge)
  • Solemn procedure (a judge and a jury of 15 people)
• Types of sentences


  • Custodial (jail)
  • Non custodial (anything else)
• Types of courts


  • Sheriff court
  • High court
  • Justice of peace
• Opportunities for individuals to participate in politics

  • Voting
  • Contacting an MP
  • Petitions
  • Protesting
• Reasons why some people are less likely to participate in politics (women)

  • Lack of role models
  • Sexism
  • Staying at home with the kids
• Reasons why some people are less likely to participate in politics (BAME)

  • Lack of role models
  • Racism in the workplace
  • Racist voters
• How political parties gain votes

  • TV debates
  • Party broadcasting
  • Social media
  • Canvassing
• How individuals participate in campaigning

  • Canvassing
  • Social media
  • Run community buses to take old people to vote
• How the EU tackles issues

  • Political response
  • Military response
  • Financial response
• How NATO tackles issues

  • Military training
  • Preparing for attacks
  • Sharing information
• How the military tackles issues

  • US drone attacks
  • Bombing campaigns
  • Boots on the ground
• Social causes of terrorism

  • Religion
  • Lack of education
  • Discrimination
  • Extremism, radicalisation
• Economic causes of terrorism

  • Poverty
  • Youth unemployment
• Political causes of terrorism

  • Nationalism
  • Political frustration
• Democracy's influence on the media

  • Radio
  • Social media
  • Television
  • Email
  • Letter
• Rights for people in the UK

  • Right to religion
  • Right to education
  • Right to life
• Disadvantages of FPTP


  • Not proportionally representative
  • Winners can have a small amount of public support
  • Can lead to tactical voting
• Economic factors that can cause crime

  • Greed
  • Poverty
• Social causes of crime

  • Peer pressure
  • Social exclusion
  • Substance abuse
  • Lack of education
• Examples of devolved powers

  • agriculture
  • education
  • environment
  • health and social services
  • housing
  • law and order
  • local government
  • sports
  • tourism
• Examples of reserved powers

  • benefits
  • broadcasting
  • defence
  • employment
  • foreign policy
  • immigration
  • telecommunications
  • trade
• how many prisons in Scotland are their for women?

  one
• what is the labelling theory?


  when a child is labelled to commit a crime, they are more likely to live up to it