Social Science, GLOSSARY UNIT 5

CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY: a system of government in which the king is the head of the state but the parliament chooses the government. The government manages the politics of the state.
CROWN: the part of a constitutional monarchy represented by the king.
ARBITRATOR: a person chosen to decide a dispute or settle differences. In a constitutional monarchy, the king is the arbitrator between governmental institutions.
DECENTRALISED GOVERNMENT: a system of government in which decision-making is devolved to a local level and is therefore closer to the citizens.
MOTION OF NO CONFIDENCE: document that the Cortes Generales passes to force the president to resign.
MINISTERS: government officials that, together with the president, make up the Spanish cabinet
MUNICIPALITY: the most basic administrative body in the Spanish territory.
TOWN COUNCIL: the organisation that governs each municipality in Spain.
MAYOR: person who is in charge of the town council of a municipality.
COUNCILORS: government officials that, together with the mayor, make up the town council.
PROVINCE: an administrative body made up of several municipalities in the Spanish territory.
SELF-GOVERNMENT: a system of government in which a community or region has authority to govern itself without the intervention of any other authority.
STATUTE OF AUTONOMY: a law describing the institutions, laws and responsibilities for each of the autonomous communities in the Spanish territory.
SUBSIDIARITY: the principle of devolving decisions to the lowest practical level so that services are closer to the citizens.
AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY: one of 17 regions that form part of the Spanish territory with its own devolved government.
EXCLUSIVE AUTHORITY: the power of the autonomous communities to pass laws related to town planning, housing, monuments, health care and education.
SHARE AUTHORITY: power of developing the laws passed by the Parliament and adapting them to the different autonomous communities' features.
POST-INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY: a society in which the economy is has undergone a shift from production of goods to the provision of services.
WELL-BEING: the level of satisfaction of a population as measured by education levels, healthcare, life expectancy and consumption.
LIFE EXPECTANCY: the number of years a person or population is expected to live.
ILLITERACY: inability to read or write.
EXTENDED FAMILY: family made up of grandparents, parents and children.
NUCLEAR FAMILY: family made up of parents and children.
SINGLE PARENT FAMILY: family made up of a father or a mother and children.
SAME-SEX MARRIGE: family in which both parents are a same-sex couple.