Indigenous Health Essay -- Transcultural Theory, Culture

INTRODUCTION Indigenous health is a vital tool in health care today. The case study is about an indigenous lady who is from a remote community. This case study will define culture shock, transcultural theory. Finally it will states the recommendations that can be acquired to improve the current indigenous health care issue as it can be noted that the indigenous health tends has been deteoriating. Culture shock Culture is all about an individual knowledge based on belief ,art,morals customs.Therefore culture shock occurs when people have different values and beliefs and are not tolerant of each others differences(Eckermann,Dowd,Chong,Nixon,Gray and Johnson,2006.).The separation of important people in our lives such as family, friends and colleagues that we would often talk to at times in our certainity can affect our physical social emotional and mental health(Eckermann,Dowd,Chong,Nixon,Gray and Johnson,2006.).Jenny in this case has to fly to a hospital in a town to give birth,she is separated from her husband and her kids,another example of culture shock is when Isabel is fed through Naso-gastric tube whereas Jenny is used to breast feeding. Indigenous dispossession Germov,(2009) stated that the invasion and subsequent settlement of Australia by the British was declared to be terra nullius which means an unoccupied land. â€Å"The term reveals the ethnocentric belief that the indigenous occupants of the continent had no claim to the land,because they did not exploit it as Europeans would,† (Germov, 2009,p.160).Indigenous Australia were nomads and search for food from one place to another.According to Germov (2009)however,after the British people began cultivating the land for ... ...s health has been an issue since past and is still an issue upto now. In conclusion appropriate action needs to be taken in order to help indigenous Australians to improve the health of individuals thereby making the society a better place for all. REFERENCES Crisp, J., & Taylor, C. (Eds.). (2009). Chapter 8, Potter & Perry's Fundamentals of nursing (3rd ed.). Sydney: Mosby. Eckermann, A., Dowd,T., Chong, E., Nixon, L., Gray, R., & Johnson, S.(2006). Binan Goonj: Bridging cultures in Aboriginal health. (2nd ed.). Sydney: Churchill Livingston Germov, J. (2009). Second opinion: An introduction to health sociology (4th ed.). Victoria: Oxford University Press. Willis, K. & Elmer, S. (2007). Society, culture and health: An introduction to sociology for nurses. Victoria, Australia: Oxford University Press.

Ka :: essays research papers

Karma Paper The concepts of Varna and karma are each closely related to the eastern civilization religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. Varna and karma go hand in hand with each other to explain themselves, as does karma with the doctrine of reincarnation. The complicated explanation of all of these concepts follows. In order to understand the concept of karma, one must first understand the term varna. An appropriate definition would be the rise of class system, which the Hindus adhere to. An English translation of Varna, however, means color. There are four social classes that break down the class system otherwise known as varna. Beginning with the highest class, there is the Brahmins or priests, followed by the ruling Kshatriyas, the Vaisyas (common people), and finally the Shudras (servants). The Brahmins said that if one was a member of any of the first three classes to be extremely careful to avoid the Shudras. Now that we have somewhat of an understanding of varna, the concept of karma can be more easily explained. Karma simply stated is that the way one lives his or her life now determines destiny or fate. In other words, the consequences of one’s actions in this life will determine what they do or become in the next life. Therefore, karma is what made one who he or she is in the present life due to the actions the person portrayed in his or her previous life. Karma is the cause of one’s destiny in the future life, and is what caused a person to be who he or she is today. Now we will explain the relationship between varna and karma. Let’s imagine the following situation. There are two people living in the Vaisyas class of commoners. One of them does only good deeds, has good thoughts, and portrays an all around good sense of well being. The other person commits crimes, has bad thoughts, and portrays an over all sense of evil or no good. The first person will perhaps become a member of the Kshatriya class, moving up on the wheel of samsara. The other person will most likely become a Shudra in the next life. So, perhaps in their most recent previous lives’, the first person was a good person of the Shudra class, and samsara declared that he or she rise in class; and the second person may have been a bad person of the Kshatriya class, therefore he or she declined in class.

Reproductive Health Bill Essay

* House Bill # 4244 ─ An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and For Other Purposes * Senate Bill # 2378 ─ An Act Providing For a National Policy on Reproductive Health and Population and Development While there is general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is great debate on its key proposal that the Philippine government and the private sector will fund and undertake widespread distribution of family planning devices such ascondoms, birth control pills (BCPs) and IUDs, as the government continues to disseminate information on their use through all health care centers. On October 2012, a revised version of the same bill was presently re-named to Responsible Parenthood Act and was filed in theHouse of Representatives as a result of re-introducing the bill under a different impression after overwhelming opposition in the country, especially from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines[2][3]. The bill is highly divisive, with experts, academics, religious institutions, and major political figures supporting and opposing it, often criticizing the government and each other in the process. Debates and rallies proposing and opposing the bills, with tens of thousands of opposition particularly those endorsed by the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church and various other conservative groups, have been happening nationwide. Bill content [edit]Sections Philippine Population Density Map. Darker areas mean more population. The basic content of the Consolidated Reproductive Health Bill is divided into the following sections. 1. Title 2. Declaration of Policy 3. Guiding Principles 4. Definition of Terms 5. Midwives for Skilled Attendance 6. Emergency Obstetric Care 7. Access to Family Planning 8. Maternal and Newborn Health Care in Crisis Situations 9. Maternal Death Review 10. Family Planning Supplies as Essential Medicines 11. Procurement and Distribution of Family Planning Supplies 12. Integration of Family Planning and Responsible Parenthood Component in Anti-Poverty Programs 13. Roles of Local Government in Family Planning Programs 14. Benefits for Serious and Life-Threatening Reproductive Health Conditions 15. Mobile Health Care Service 16. Mandatory Age-Appropriate Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education 17. Additional Duty of the Local Population Officer 18. Certificate of Compliance 19. Capability Building of Barangay Health Workers 20. Ideal Family Size 21. Employers’ Responsibilities 22. Pro Bono Services for Indigent Women 23. Sexual And Reproductive Health Programs For Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) 24. Right to Reproductive Health Care Information 25. Implementing Mechanisms 26. Reporting Requirements 27. Congressional Oversight Committee 28. Prohibited Acts 29. Penalties 30. Appropriations 31. Implementing Rules and Regulations 32. Separability Clause 33. Repealing Clause 34. Effectivity Summary of major provisions The bill mandates the government to â€Å"promote, without bias, all effective natural and modern methods of family planning that are medically safe and legal.†[12] Although abortion is recognized as illegal and punishable by law, the bill states that â€Å"the government shall ensure that all women needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner.†[12] The bill calls for a â€Å"multi-dimensional approach† integrates a component of family planning and responsible parenthood into all government anti-poverty programs.[12] Under the bill, age-appropriate reproductive health and sexuality education is required from grade five to fourth year high school using â€Å"life-skills and other approaches.†[12] The bill also mandates the Department of Labor and Employment to guarantee the reproductive health rights of its female employees. Companies with less than 200 workers are required to enter into partnership with health care providers in their area for the delivery of reproductive health services.[12] Employers with more than 200 employees shall provide reproductive health services to all employees in their own respective health facilities. Those with less than 200 workers shall enter into partnerships with health professionals for the delivery of reproductive health services. Employers shall inform employees of the availability of family planning services. They are also obliged to monitor pregnant working employees among their workforce and ensure they are provided paid half-day prenatal medical leaves for each month of the pregnancy period that they are employed.[12] The national government and local governments will ensure the availability of reproductive health care services, including family planning and prenatal care.[12] Any person or public official who prohibits or restricts the delivery of legal and medically safe reproductive health care services will be meted penalty by imprisonment or a fine.—————- Maternal health and deaths Birthing services are key to solving maternal deaths Maternal deaths in the Philippines, according to the WHO, is at 5.7 per day,[50] not 10-11 deaths a day, as per the proponents who repeated these numbers â€Å"to drive home the point.†[51][52] The proponents state that RH will mean: (1) Information and access to natural and modern family planning (2) Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition (3) Promotion of breast feeding (4) Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications (5) Adolescent and youth health (6) Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and STDs (7) Elimination of violence against women (8) Counseling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health (9) Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers (10) Male involvement and participation in RH; (11) Prevention and treatment of infertility and (12) RH education for the youth.[citation needed] The Department of Health states that family planning can reduce maternal mortality by about 32 percent.[17] The bill is â€Å"meant to prevent maternal deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth,† said Clara Padilla of Engender Rights. She reported that â€Å"Daily, there are 11 women dying while giving birth in the Philippines. These preventable deaths could have been avoided if more Filipino women have access to reproductive health information and healthcare.†[citation needed] Regarding these figures, Francisco Tatad of the International Right to Life Federation and former Senator wrote that â€Å"If correct, experience has shown (as in Gattaran, Cagayan and Sorsogon, Sorsogon) that the incidence of maternal death arising from such complications could be fully mitigated and brought down to zero simply by providing adequate basic and emergency obstetrics care and skilled medical personnel and services,† without any need for a law on the distribution of contraceptives.[11] The key to solving maternal deaths, according to the Senate Policy Brief on reproductive health, is the establishment of birthing centers.[7] The Philippine Medical Association or PMA stated in their Position Paper that the goal of reducing the rise of maternal and child deaths â€Å"could be attained by improving maternal and child health care without the necessity of distributing contraceptives. The millions of funds intended for the contraceptive devices may just well be applied in improving the skills of our health workers in reducing maternal and child mortality in the Philippines.†[53] Magna Carta for Women of 2009 There have been comparisons made with the 2009 Law called the Magna Carta for Women and the RH Bill. The Magna Carta for Women contains the following provisions in Section 17 and 19:[54][55] * Prenatal and postnatal care * Information regarding all types of family planning methods * Access to family planning methods as long as they are ethically and medically safe * Sex education * Obstetric and gynecological care regarding pregnancy complications and the prevention of AIDS, HIV, STD, and the like * Spouses have the right to decide to space their children The Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Magna Carta directs the Commission on Women under the Office of the President to oversee that the provisions are implemented by the Department of Health, the Department of Local Governments, the Commission of Human Rights, the Department of Education, Department of Social Welfare, Department of Labor, the Commission on High Education. In the IRR, it also states that in order for the law to be successful, the government should tie up with all LGUs so that midwives, doctors, birthing facilities should be put in place to take care of the health needs of all to ensure that we minimize maternal and child deaths. Because of these provisions, Senator Majority Floor Leader Tito Sotto said that the RH Bill is redundant. Family planning Catholic Church: A large family is a sign of God’s blessings (CCC2373) The Catholic Church teaches the necessity of responsible parenthood and correct family planning (one child at a time depending on one’s circumstances), while at the same time teaching that Every birth is a gift from God; every new life, a blessing.[57] The RH bill intends to help couples to have government funded access to artificial contraception methods as well.[citation needed] Access One of the main concerns of the proponents is the perceived lack of access to family planning devices such as contraceptives and sterilization. The bill intends to provide universal access through government funding, complementing thus private sector initiatives for family planning services, such as those offered by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) which supports the Family Planning Organizations of the Philippines and the 97 organizations of the Philippine NGO Council.[citation needed] The opposition argues that â€Å"Access to contraceptives is free and unrestricted† and that the proposed law is pushing an open door.[11] They say that these family planning items are available to the citizens and many local government units and NGOs provide these for free. Congressman Teddyboy Locsin argued, echoed by a Business Mirror editorial, that the poor can afford condoms since they can pay for other items such as cellphone load. Opponents also argue that Philippine government is not a welfare state, and taxpayers are not bound to provide for all the wants and desires of its citizenry, including their vanity needs, promiscuous actions and needs artificially created by elitist, imperialist and eugenicist forces; nor should taxpayers pay for drugs that are objectively dangerous (carcinogenic) and immoral. They argue that the Philippines should give priority to providing access to medicines that treat real diseases.[11][23] Birth control pill The UP School of Economics argues, in contrast, that there is lack of access especially for poor people, because contraceptive use is extremely low among them and â€Å"Among the poorest families, 22% of married women of reproductive age express a desire to avoid pregnancies but are still not using any family planning method.†[13] They say that lack of access leads to a number of serious problems which demand attention: (1) â€Å"too many and too closely-spaced children raises the risk of illness and premature deaths (for mother and child alike),† (2) â€Å"the health risks associated with mistimed and unwanted pregnancies are higher for adolescent mothers, as they are more likely to have complications during labor,† (3) women who have mistimed pregnancies are â€Å"constrained to rely more on public education and health services and other publicly provided goods and services,† further complicating limited public resources, (4) families are not able to ach ieve their desired family size. Thus the UP economists â€Å"strongly and unequivocally support† the thrust of the bill to enable â€Å"couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information and means to carry out their decisions.†[13] Proponents argue that government-funded access is the key to breaking the inter-generational poverty that many people are trapped in. Abortion Abortifacient issue According to the RH bill, one of its components is â€Å"prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications.† It provides that â€Å"the government shall ensure that all women needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner.† It also states that â€Å"abortion remains a crime and is punishable,† as the Constitution declares that â€Å"the State shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception.†[66] Opposing the bill, the Faculty of Medicine of the catholic University of Santo Tomas, the Philippine Nurses Association (with at least 368,589 members), the Bioethics Society of the Philippines, Catholic Physicians’ Guild of the Philippines stated that â€Å"the antiabortion stance of the bill is contradicted by the promotion of contraceptive agents (IUD and hormonal contraceptives) which actually act after fertilizati on and are potentially abortifacient agents.†[67] Opposition refers to a 2000 study of a scientific journal of the American Medical Association, in which a meta-analysis of 94 studies provides evidence that when a common birth control pill fails to prevent ovulation, â€Å"postfertilization effects are operative to prevent clinically recognized pregnancy.†[24] They also point to the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (2005), which concluded that the IUD brings about the â€Å"destruction of the early embryo,†[25] thus is deemed to kill five-day old babies.[68] The position of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) â€Å"is founded strongly on the principle that ‘life or conception begins at fertilization’ at that moment where there is fusion or union of the sperm and the egg and thus a human person or human being already does exist at the moment of fertilization.† The PMA condemns abortifacients that â€Å"destroys the fertilized egg or the embryo† and â€Å"abhors any procedure †¦ or medication that will interrupt any stage of fertilization and prevents its normal, physiological, uninterrupted growth to adulthood†.[53] Jo Imbong, founder of the Abay Pamilya Foundation, reported that â€Å"Lagman said in a House hearing that the bill would protect human life ‘from implantation,'†[69] and not from fertilization, noting at the same time that the Records of the Constitutional Commission state that â€Å"Human life begins at fertilization.†[69][70] After referring to many standard textbooks of medicine and human embryology to affirm this as true,[71] the anti-RH bill citizens argue that the human embryo already has the complete genetic code and is thus a distinct human life beginning its own new life cycle. They say that the embryo is an individual, self-coordinated and self-organizing subject belonging to th e species homo sapiens: a human being by nature and thus a person equally worthy of respect.[26] 5-day old human embryo called a blastocyst, which comprises 70–100 cells. [edit]Contraception and abortion relationship Proponents argue that research by the Guttmacher Institute, involved in advancing international reproductive health, reveals that the use of contraceptives can reduce abortion rates by 85%. Proponents such as 14 Ateneo de Manila University professors, argued thus: â€Å"Studies show that the majority of women who go for an abortion are married or in a consensual union (91%), the mother of three or more children (57%), and poor (68%) (Juarez, Cabigon, and Singh 2005). For these women, terminating a pregnancy is an anguished choice they make in the face of severe constraints. When women who had attempted an abortion were asked their reasons for doing so, their top three responses were: they could not afford the economic cost of raising another child (72%); their pregnancy occurred too soon after the last one (57%); and they already have enough children (54%). One in ten women (13%) who had attempted an abortion revealed that this was because her pregnancy resulted from forced sex (ibi d.).

Branding essay

Branding essay Branding essay Branding essayThe contemporary business environment stimulate companies to conduct more aggressive business strategies oriented on the creation of the attractive brand, while branding has become a part of the marketing strategy of many companies. In actuality, companies cannot ignore their branding policy, if they want to maintain a successful competitive position because customers often view brand as the determinant factor that influences their decisions. As a result, the brand popularity can determine the overall success of the company in the market. At this point, it is possible to refer to the case of Natural Kitchen, the company operating in restaurant and food industry. At the moment, the company considers the possibility of the accelerated brand development to enhance its competitive position and attract new customers. The shift toward the intensive implementation of the new branding strategy has become the result of tightening competition in the industry and increased demands from the part of customers, who look for reputable and reliable brands. In such a situation, the creation of the popular and attractive brand by Natural Kitchen can put the company in an advantageous position compared to its rivals. This is why Natural Kitchen should focus on the further development of its branding strategy and create a popular and attractive brand to maintain its competitive position through the attraction of customers and developing their loyalty to the brand.Background and industry contextNatural Kitchen is the company operating in the food and restaurant industry. Natural Kitchen has the main shop in Marylebone High Street, with a further two in Holborn Tower Hill. In addition, the company has its cafà © and restaurant business. The company focuses on the development of its food â€Å"to go† or â€Å"eat in† which offer a large selection of seasonal salads, quiches, soups, sandwiches, cakes and sweets, etc. These are complemented by freshly made juices, smoothies, milkshakes, teas coffees. The company also offers catering which provides full catering and events services as well as personal catering. Moreover, the company has its own chef and butchers which sell a wide range of high quality free range organic meats.In such a way, the company focuses on the diversification of its products offering a variety of food products that are attractive for customers. The current situation in the market is quite challenging for the business development of Natural Kitchen but still the company has good opportunities for the further business development on the condition of keeping customers interested in the brand of the company and its products (Mohrman, 2008). Today, customers are interested in healthy food products and Natural Kitchen can offer them such products. However, supplying healthy products means that they have to be seasonal wherever possible. Moreover, they should be organic that means that they should be supplied by far mers, who implement the organic farming which does not admit the use of chemicals and other elements which may be dangerous for the environment or human health. Instead, they use natural elements only that makes their products organic and, therefore, healthy, safe, and environment friendly.Another trend in the food industry is the free range of products. The elimination of fiscal barriers stimulates the fast development of free trade internationally. As a result, new products enter the UK food market and customers have virtually no limits on purchasing any product which they want and can buy in the food market today. At the same time, the quality of food products becomes prior to their quantity because customers grow more and more concerned about their health that means that the food they eat should be healthy too. In such a situation, the food industry faces back to basics trends, when the industry returns back towards simpler food. Alternatively, some companies introduce â€Å"ne w† superfoods which are supposed to be safe and healthy.CompetitorsAt the moment, the competition in the food industry of the UK grows tighter because customers grow more and more concerned about their health, while food is crucial for the health of customers. As a result, they prefer healthy food to conventional food supplied by the industrial farming and companies selling those products. In such a situation, Natural Kitchen and its rivals take a very prospective and attractive niche in the food market. To meet the growing demand, many companies enter the healthy food market that tightens the competition in the industry. In actuality, Daylesford Organic is one of the major rivals of Natural Kitchen. The company operates successfully and holds a strong position in the UK market being of the major powers that threaten to the position of Natural Kitchen as the leader of the organic, healthy food industry. At the same time, other healthy take-away places also create a strong riva lry which Natural Kitchen has to deal with to maintain its successful marketing performance.Rationale for the brand’s evolutionIn the time of the tightening competition and new business opportunities, the company has to develop its brand and implement its aggressive, new branding policy to realize its full potential and take a stronger position in the highly competitive market. In such a situation, the brand evolution is essential to maintain the successful business development of Natural Kitchen. Otherwise, the company will steadily lose its position in the market and eventually the company may become unable to compete successfully, if it fails to enhance its brand over and over again.At the moment the company faces a number of threats, among which the emergence of many healthy alternatives is one of the main challenges to the current position of Natural Kitchen that requires the evolution of its brand and enhancement of its position in the market. In addition, the company f aces internal problems. For instance, the Cafà © Restaurant is very noisy from the â€Å"kitchen†. Therefore, customers feel uncomfortable because the noise from the kitchen interferes into the communication and makes them feel tired soon, when they enter the Cafà © Restaurant. Furthermore, the Cafà © Restaurant should be at the same floor to create a better atmosphere. The creation of a warm, family-like atmosphere can help the company to attract more customers and develop the customer loyalty, if the company creates the image of the cafà © restaurant that is oriented on families. Therefore, children will develop the tradition of attending the cafà © and restaurant and may continue attending it in their adult life. Another problem the company faces at the moment is no hot food to takeaway. In such a way, customers, who may be willing to buy hot food to takeaway, may feel disappointed because the company cannot offer such products at the moment. In fact, the company has to stand out and differentiate its products and services from those of rivals and branding can help the company to create the new public image of the company that may attract more customers.In actuality, the company has a number of opportunities, which the new brand strategy can help to implement and give the company a strategic competitive advantage. At the moment, the company can expand in the UK nationwide to become one of the leaders in the industry. In a long-run perspective, the company can expand to other countries and operate internationally. In this regard, the popularity of healthy food grows stronger and the company can take advantage and expand its business internationally. In addition, the company can complete the transition from sell groceries to luxury supermarket, take a new niche of the market and entering the premium segment of the market. The company can develop the daily meal delivery to attract more customers and increase the customer satisfaction. However, to conduct the branding evolution more successfully, the company should develop more advertisement and use advertisement to promote the new brand. The advertisement will attract more customers and help the company to enhance its position in the market. Moreover, the advertisement will help Natural Kitchen to create a recognizable brand.Branding essay part 2

How to Study for the Summer SAT 4 Helpful Tips

How to Study for the Summer SAT 4 Helpful Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips As of August 2017, there's now an SAT test date at the end of the summer. What are the advantages of taking the SAT in the summer and what’s the best way to prep for the summer SAT? Read on to find out the summer SAT dates for 2018 and 2019 and what the best way to prep for them are. When Is the Summer SAT? There are seven SAT test dates every year. The SAT test dates in 2018 are as follows: March 10 May 5 June 2 August 25* (Summer SAT!) October 6* November 3* December 1* *Anticipated test date And here are the 2018 SAT test dates: March 9* May 4 June 1 August 24* (Summer SAT!) October 5* November 2* December 7* *Anticipated test date Depending on your own preferences and situation, you may decide that the SATsummertest dates are just not for you or that adding the SAT August test date is the best thing that the College Board has ever done. We discuss two pros and two cons of the summer SAT dates in the next few sections of this article. Anthony Godinho/Flickr. Pro: More Time to Study = Better Chance of a High Score The biggest advantage of the new summer SAT date is that over the summer, you’ll have no school and little to no schoolwork, which means you can devote your entire summer to studying for the SAT. No, spending your summer break studying for the SAT doesn’t really sound like a fun time. But the advantages to you and your test score of spending more time studying are clear. Here’s a rough estimate of how long you need to study for each level of score improvement: Points Hours 0-30 10 30-70 20 70-130 40 130-200 80 200-330+ 150+ During the school year, carving out time to spend on SAT prep (particularly if you need to improve 200+ points) can be extremely difficult. You’re already in school for nearly 40 hours a week, and then there’s homework, extracurriculars, maybe a part-time job, social activity, sleeping (hah)...adding another 7-15 hours a week of SAT studying on top of that for three months might seem impossible. It’s only during the summer, when you have no school and minimal summer homework, that you’ll be able to really devote yourself to studying for the SAT regularly for significant chunks of time. Even if you just spend a couple of hours a day on SAT prep between the end of school and the summer SAT, that’s already over a hundred hours of prep! You can find more information about how long you should spend studying for the SAT here. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Con: Low Motivation If you’re the type of student who does better in structured environments, you might find it difficult to effectively study for the SAT over the summer. When you’re not in classes every day, it’s easy to fall out of the studying mindset and lose your motivation. It can also be hard to find the motivation to study because the break between the end of the school year and the August SAT is so long. You might find yourself procrastinating in June and July, thinking â€Å"Eh, I have two months left, I’ll be fine,† and end up not studying at all until August. While it could still end up working out okay, if you can’t get yourself motivated to study it’s unlikely you’ll see big score increases on the test. Plus, you’ll have spent the whole summer with the SAT hanging over your head, which is no one's idea of a good time. Pro: SAT Summer Prep Programs Doing a structured SAT prep program or summer camp can help keep you motivated. Rather than having to go to an SAT prep class in the evenings after a long day of school and activities, you'll be able to get started on studying when you're still fresh and energized. By having a class to go to or a certain amount of prep you have to turn in every day, you’re held accountable for studying. And if you find yourself hating the subject material, you have the light at the end of the tunnel of knowing that if you put in the effort now, you can take the summer SAT right after your SAT summer program ends and then never have to think about it again. Con: No Summer Vacation After spending 9-10 months in school mode, your brain could probably use a break, and if you devote your summer to studying for the SAT, you won’t give yourself that time to rest. Not having a summer break is especially a problem if you’re feeling really burned out at the end of the school year and need the summer to recover before heading back into school-mode. It's also an issue if you’re planning on working full-time during the summer, as studying for the SAT on top of working might be too draining to be effective. To avoid setting yourself up to fail, as the end of the school year approaches, you need to assess how burned out you are and how busy you're going to be during the summer. We'll talk more about this in Tip #4 in this article. Don't let this be you. Summer SAT Prep Tips To wrap up, here are four tips to guide your prep for the SATsummer test date. #1: Make a Study Plan To keep up your motivation, make yourself a summer SAT study plan and stick to it. Plan out to the day and week how much time you’ll spend studying and how often you’ll be taking practice tests. You can be flexible if you find you’re progressing faster or slower than you expected, but try to stick to your study plan as much as possible. By planning ahead of time, you’ll also be able to do things like adjust for mandatory family vacations or other summer activities. Learn how to find your SAT target score, gauge how much you need to improve, and review your mistakes with these four ultimate SAT study tips. You should also use the tips in this article about getting a perfect score on the SAT to keep up your motivation. #2: Target Your Weak Areas To keep your skills honed, you’ll need to regularly practice skills you struggle with. Before you start your summer studying, take a full-length practice test, note what you had problems with, and plan your studying accordingly. For instance, let's say you took a practice test and did fine on Writing Language and Math but struggled with the Reading section. When plan your studying, you'll need to make sure that you’re regularly drilling yourself on SAT Reading passages and reading SAT-level materials. #3: Consider a Summer SAT Prep Course Think about doing a summer SAT bootcamp or other SAT prep course this summer to give you more structure in your studying. It’s no fun to have to give up part or all of your summer for SAT prep, but if you can get a great score in August then you’ll be done with the test forever. #4: Don’t Burn Yourself Out If you get to the end of the school year and you're brain-dead because of how hard you’ve been working, give yourself a break. Immediately diving into SAT prep when you no longer care about anything schoolwork related is a recipe for disaster. Instead, give yourself a set amount of time to relax and reboot. It’s better to spend a week or two at the beginning of the summer building up your motivation than to force yourself straight into SAT prep and see no score improvement. Avoiding burning yourself out also means not creating a too ambitious summer SAT prep schedule. Don’t expect that you can study for ten hours a day for months on end and continue to have high-quality studying time Know your own studying strengths and weaknesses and create a study plan that plays to your strengths and minimizes your weaknesses. For example, if you know you can only concentrate for about 45 minutes at a time, build in breaks to your study sessions so that you can concentrate absolutely for those 45 minutes, confident that you’ll have time to take a break once that sprint is over. What’s Next? Looking for more advice on how to plan your summer SAT studying? Learn more with our article on making a study plan for the summer before senior year. Thinking about getting a tutor to help you with your SAT score goals? Find out if it makes more sense for you to hire a tutor or to study for the SAT on your own. How early should you begin studying for the SAT? Read our analysis of when to start studying for the SAT and figure out what works best for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We have the industry's leading SAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

What Is a Republic vs a Democracy Understanding the Difference

What Is a Republic vs a Democracy Understanding the Difference SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you look closely at the United States Pledge of Allegiance, you’ll see that it calls the United States a republic. It reads: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.† So what does that mean, exactly? Can the United States be both a democracy and a republic? And what is the difference between a democracy and republic, anyway? As it turns out, there are subtle, but important, differences between a democracy and a republic, and that the definitions aren’t mutually exclusive. In other words, it’s complicated. But don’t worry! Knowing the differences between a republic vs a democracy is important for tons of AP exams, including both history tests (U.S. and world) and both government and politics tests (U.S. and comparative). That’s why we’ve put this guide together for you. By the end of this article, you’ll know the definitions of a democracy and a republic, how they operate, the differences between them, and where the United States fits into the discussion. So let’s get started! What Is a Democracy? The term â€Å"democracy† comes from the combination of two Greek words: â€Å"demos,† meaning â€Å"the people,† and â€Å"kratia,† which means â€Å"power or authority.† Thus, a democracy refers to a type of government where the power to govern rests with a country’s people rather than a ruling family (a monarchy) or a single individual (totalitarianism). That means that citizens control how their government operates, usually through voting. The Origins of Democracy The term â€Å"democracy† first pops up in the 5th century BCE to refer to the government in Athens, Greece. Between 508 BCE and 322 BCE, Athenians governed themselves in what is now referred to as a pure democracy. (Don’t worry...we’ll go into that a little later.) Ancient Athenians didn’t have anyone to represent them in government; instead, everyone had a voice- literally. Debates on topics of governance were held publicly in what was referred to as The Athenian Assembly, and every male Athenian citizen had individual voting rights. Not only that, but qualified citizens were given time off of work and a stipend to help make sure every voice was heard! Through the Assembly, every voice could weigh in on every issue, and all laws and rules of governance were established based on majority rule. While this type of democracy would eventually be replaced by a more representative form of government, the underlying idea- that government works best when it's run by its citizens- would go on to influence the governance of most of the Western world, including the United States. The 3 Major Types of Democracies With growing populations and more complex systems of government, the Athenian method of one voice, one vote doesn’t always work. So as the world has changed, democracy has changed with it. Here are the three major types of democracies seen in the world today. Direct Democracy Also known as pure democracy, direct democracy is democracy in its most basic form. Just like the Athenians at the Assembly, direct democracy lets each qualified individual shape policy by casting a direct vote. In other words, citizens are directly involved in the political process! In this system, political decisions are made based on what the majority of voters decide. Each qualified person casts a vote, and the category with the most number of votes wins. The benefits to a direct democracy are that it lets each person, regardless of class, race, or economic position have a voice. However, in practice, direct democracies often exclude certain groups. For instance, in ancient Athens, only male citizens had the right to participate in direct democracy. Women, criminals, and slaves- even though they were subject to Athens’ laws and policies- were denied a voice. Additionally, direct democracy doesn’t always work well on a large scale. That’s because there are an overwhelming number of decisions that need to be made to keep governments running. Examples of Direct Democracy in Action Because direct democracy can be unwieldy on the national level, there are few countries that use it as a primary governmental system. But that doesn’t mean direct democracy doesn’t exist anymore! Here are some examples of where you can see direct democracy in action. Switzerland: Switzerland, a country of roughly 8.2 million people, uses direct democracy to run its local, regional, and federal governments. Every citizen over the age of 18 weighs in on how the country should be run, and because votes are so important, they are held four times a year and scheduled decades in advance. Also, as a direct democracy Switzerland lacks an elected Head of State. Instead, the country has a Federal Council which is elected by the Federal Assembly (which works like the Athenian Assembly) every four years. Each year, a new person from the Federal Council is elected to serve as president! Local Elections in the U.S.: Because the populations are much smaller, local, municipal, and county elections often rely on direct democracy to make sure government is serving the will of the people. Local laws and referendums are often put up for a majority vote where every vote counts. State Elections in the U.S.: Fourteen states allow citizens to design legislation and put it up for a vote through what are called ballot initiatives. Each state lets an individual citizen create a ballot initiative, and if it gets enough signatures via petition, it gets put on a statewide ballot where it passes by majority vote. The catch? In order to go on the ballot, each initiative must be ruled constitutional by the state courts, too! Representative Democracy The second type of democracy is a representative democracy (sometimes called indirect democracy). In this system of government, certain individuals are elected to represent the will of the people. These people, often referred to as elected officials, are chosen to vote on behalf of a specific group of citizens. These groups can be defined in many ways. Sometimes people are grouped by neighborhood, by city, by county, or even by province or state. The idea behind a representative democracy is to streamline the process of government. Because elections where everyone weighs in are logistically difficult, having a small number of people representing the desires of the majority allow for much faster decision making. This is especially important when governments are representing a large number of people, and it’s one of the reasons why many federal governments use indirect democracy to operate. But representative democracy comes with drawbacks, too. One of the biggest problems is that in most cases, representatives aren’t required (by law, constitution, etc.) to actually represent the will of their constituents. They’re able to make their own decisions, which can mean that elected officials are more prone to corruption. Additionally, there’s the problem of the vocal minority. Have you ever heard the term, â€Å"the squeaky wheel gets the grease†? It just means that the people who complain the loudest are often the ones who get the most attention. So sometimes a few people who complain loudly are mistaken for representing the majority of their community. Examples of Representational Democracy in Action Because representational democracy works best on a larger scale, most Western governments operate this way (if the country is democratic, of course). Here are a few examples of representational democracy in action. The U.S. Legislature: The U.S. Legislature is a federal representational government, meaning that the representatives who serve create laws that apply to the entirety of the United States. The legislative branch is split into two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. In the Senate, each state elects two people to represent their interests on the national level. In the House of Representatives, the number of representatives from each state is determined by population, so bigger states have more representatives. In both cases, all the representatives are elected by majority vote in their respective states. (Note: this is different than other representative democracies, like the United Kingdom parliament, where one house is elected and the other house is appointed by the Prime Minister or President.) U.S. State Legislatures: U.S. state legislatures work exactly like the federal legislature, only on a smaller scale. Each state has both a senate and a house of representatives, and the state’s residents elect representatives based on the districts they live in. This allows each state’s residents to have a say in how their state is governed. The Canadian Government: Like the United States, Canada holds popular elections where a handful of representatives are chosen to represent the citizenry at both the provincial and the national level. The elected officials serve in The House of Commons, which is similar to Congress in the United States. Each of Canada’s 10 provinces are also representative democracies where elected officials represent the will of their province’s citizens. Constitutional Democracy A constitutional democracy is the third major type of democracy in operation today. Constitutional democracies are characterized by having structures in place that limit the power of the majority. Put another way, constitutional democracies have constitutions or other governing documents that help regulate the power of those elected to office. To do this, constitutional democracies function based on a combination of democratic principles and the rule of law. The nation’s constitution serves as the highest form of law and outlines people’s rights as well as what the government can and can’t do. (You might say that the constitution puts limits on the government’s power in order to protect citizens freedom.) As a result, a constitutional democracy government must both uphold the constitution and still represent the will of its people. The benefit of a constitutional democracy is that it gives a country a set of principles to use as a guide for all other decisions. It also protects the citizens by guaranteeing them a certain set of rights. (For the United States, that’s â€Å"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.†) However, a constitutional democracy also limits an individual citizen’s ability to participate in government since there are strict legal parameters around what people can and can’t do. Additionally, constitutions are very hard to change. In the United States, it takes a two-thirds majority vote in Congress or a constitutional convention (or joint meeting) called for by two-thirds of the states’ governments in order to amend the Constitution! That can be a big problem, especially when aspects of the Constitution are out of date. (Check out the 13th Amendment, which prohibits slavery, or the 19th Amendment, which gives women the right to vote, to see this in action.) Examples of Constitutional Democracy in Action Constitutional democracies are a popular form of democracy around the world. We’ll talk about a few countries that use constitutional democracy below, but if you’re interested in a full list, you can find that here. The United States: Of course, the United States relies on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to create all new legislation. It’s the job of the judicial branch- including the Supreme Court- to determine whether new laws violate the Constitution or Americans’ constitutional rights. In fact, did you know can go to school to study constitutional law? You can! Check out the Constitutional Law Reporter to learn more about how constitutional law is practiced in America today. Germany: After World War II, Germany was split into essentially two different countries, East Germany and West Germany. When West Germany was set up by the Allies, it was formed as a constitutional democracy. It wasn’t until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991 that Germany was unified under a single constitution. Mexico: The United States’ southern neighbor is also a constitutional democracy. The Constitution of Mexico, which was ratified in 1917, was the first constitution in the world to create guidelines for social rights for its citizens, like a right to an education. (Remember: the United States initially did this through the Bill of Rights, which are the first ten amendments to the Constitution.) But Wait...Can a Country Be More Than One Type of Democracy? As you were reading through this section, you probably realized that the United States, along with many other countries, fall into more than one democratic category. That’s because a democratic country can use more than one type of democracy to run its government. For instance, a city can use direct democracy to vote in new laws and select state and federal representatives. Those representatives then participate in representative democracy, where they speak- and vote!- on behalf of their constituents. And finally, all of these actions- policy decisions, government structure, citizens’ rights, and the creation of new laws- are governed by the constitution. That means the United States is a constitutional democracy as well. This is possible because all democracies, regardless of their organizational structure, operate on a shared set of principles. Let’s take a closer look at those now. Voting is a key component of democracy Characteristics of Democracies Beyond just structure, democracies are also characterized by a shared ideology, or system of beliefs. According to Larry Diamond, a professor at Stanford and one of the foremost scholars in democracy studies, democracies have four foundational characteristics. We’ll talk about each principle in more depth below. #1: Free and Fair Elections In order to make sure that people’s voices are being heard accurately, democracies have to ensure that all voting processes are â€Å"free and fair.† But what does that mean? In order for an election to be â€Å"free and fair,† it has to be administered in a way that allows its citizens to vote and treats all political parties and candidates equally. That means the process 1) needs to be accessible to everyone who meets voting qualifications and 2) as unbiased as possible. Furthermore, in order to be as fair, these elections need to occur at a regular interval. If elections are only happening every two decades, that denies people the ability to make their voices heard! Free and fair elections are important to democracy because the voting process is the way that citizens voice their opinions and, in representative forms of government, choose the people who will represent them in higher levels of government. It also puts an important check on power. If representatives are coming up for reelection regularly, it puts pressure on them to vote in line with their constituents. Otherwise they could lose their position during the next voting cycle. #2: Citizen Participation In order for democracy to function, its citizens have to participate in the process of government. That means people have to run for office, create ballot initiatives, petition for laws and causes they believe in, and vote. Remember that the term â€Å"democracy† means that the power to rule belongs to the people. Only by exercising that power can a nation’s citizens ensure that their will is reflected in the country’s laws and structures. It’s also important that in a democracy, all citizens are given an equal right to participate regardless of where they live, what they do for work, or what culture they come from. If civic participation is limited to a certain class or race, the system becomes an oligarchy instead. (In oligarchies, a small group of unelected people hold all the governing power.) When everyone has a chance to participate, it ensures that the government accurately reflects the populace, that minority populations have a voice, and that new laws are fair for everyone. #3: Protection of Citizens’ Human Rights Perhaps most notably, democracies believe in freedom. Citizens should have the right to express their opinions and participate in democracy without fear or intimidation. Not only do democratic societies believe that creates a better life for its citizens, it also helps keep governmental power in check. If people can freely- but peacefully- express their opinions, it makes it clear when elected representatives aren’t listening to the will of the people. Even more importantly, democracies believe in the protection of people’s basic human rights. In the United States, these are outlined in the Bill of Rights, and they include the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, protection from the illegal seizure of property, and the right to a trial by jury. (Not familiar with the Bill of Rights? The Bill of Rights Institute breaks it down for you!) In other words, democracies guarantee fundamental protections to individual citizens which allows them to live in safety, freedom, and peace. #4: Equal Rule of Law Finally, the last thing all systems of democracy have in common is the rule of law. According to Dr. Diamond, the rule of law is fundamentally important to democracy because it protects the rights of citizens, maintains order, and limits the power of government. In other words, if elections are how citizens make their voices heard, then laws are the ways that citizens’ desires are enforced. It’s pretty clear how laws work in a constitutional or representative form of democracy. In a constitutional democracy, the constitution itself lays out some fundamental laws, and no other legislation can violate them. In a representational democracy, laws are created by the elected officials in order to make sure that their constituents’ concerns are being addressed. But what about a direct democracy where everyone has a voice? Well, even in ancient Athens, the oldest direct democracy, had laws to help govern the city-state. The whole point of The Assembly was to create new policies and laws that the majority of people could agree on, and those policies would govern the entire populace! Laws, then, are a tool people can use to make sure the ideals of democracy- like freedom and basic human rights- are maintained. Nick Youngson/Alpha Stock Images What Is a Republic? Whew! Now you know a lot about how democracies function and their core ideals. Now it’s time to look at a republic vs. a democracy. How are they different? Well, the answer is a little bit complicated. The term â€Å"republic† comes from theGreek word politeia, which means the â€Å"rights of citizens.† (It also comes from the Latin res publica, which means â€Å"public affair.†) In modern English, a republic is a government system where the power rests with a nation’s citizens. To do this, republics use elected officials to represent the will of their citizens within the government. In other words, republics rely on a representational form of government, just like the representational democracies we talked about earlier! Additionally, in order for a country to qualify as a republic, its head of state has to be an elected official. That means that while countries like France and Germany- which have elected presidents as heads of state- are republics. Countries with a monarch as the head of state, like Canada and the United Kingdom, are not. So to summarize: a republic is a form of government where the power a) rests with the people, b) is exercised through representative government, and c) has an elected head of state. The Origins of Republics While many ancient states were republics, one of the most notable was the Roman Republic that existed between 500 BCE and 27 BCE. During this time, Rome had expanded to encompass most of modern-day Europe along with parts of Asia and Africa. That meant that Rome was home to many different cultures, and its citizens spoke 21 different languages! This time period also marked Rome’s switch from a monarchy- where a king ruled the nation- to a constitutional government. In 509 BCE, the last Roman King, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was overthrown and sent into exile. The Roman Senate, which was comprised of Rome’s noble families, decided to institute a new type of government. The country would now be led by two elected consuls who had equal power and would serve one-year terms. These consuls were elected by legislative assemblies made up of male citizens of Rome. These assemblies also voted on laws developed by the Roman Senate. The Roman Senate was comprised of Patricians, which were members of Rome’s noble class. The Senators were appointed by the Roman consuls, and they served as senators for life. The Senate’s job was to draft new laws that would be voted on by the Assembly. Over the next few centuries, the government of Rome would develop a set of guidelines and principles to govern the expanding country, which would coalesce into the Roman Constitution. The Constitution would remain one of the foundational governing documents of the Roman Empire up until its collapse in the 5th century CE. The countries in blue, orange, yellow, and green are all classified as republics. Types of Republics Today Remember that a republic is a nation where governmental power rests with its citizens, uses a representational government, and has an elected head of state. These are pretty general criteria, so that means there are quite a few republics today. In fact, as of 2017, 159 of the world’s 206 countries use the word â€Å"republic† as part of their official names! Additionally, the loose definition of a republic means there many different types of republics functioning today. We’ll briefly discuss the major types of republics here, but you can find more in-depth information about each one by following the links in each description. Constitutional Republic In a constitutional republic, the government is limited by laws established by a formal constitution, which is generally secular in nature. Additionally, the government is run by elected officials who are voted on by the population, and those officials are required to follow the rules of government laid out by that country’s constitution. (For more information about republics based on religion, see the section on â€Å"theological republics.†) Examples of modern constitutional republics include the countries like India and South Africa. Parliamentary Republic A parliamentary republic uses a parliamentary form of government in which the head of state runs the executive branch of government and the head of parliament runs the legislature. The legislature itself is comprised of elected officials that are voted into office by the country’s citizens. Examples of parliamentary republics include Greece, Hungary, and Malta. Presidential Republic A presidential republic allows its citizens to elect a president to serve as the country’s head of state. However, in a presidential republic, the president also serves as the head of the government, too! This is different from a monarchy, where the king or queen serves as the head of state while a prime minister or president runs the day-to-day operations of the government. Examples of presidential republics today include Brazil, Mexico, and Indonesia. Federal Republic Federal republics are countries that are actually a union of states, all of which operate on a republican form of government. In order to qualify as a federal republic, states have to have independence to make their own laws and decisions, as long as those laws don’t conflict with policies established for the entire country on the federal level. (In this way, states function as a mini-republic, complete with elected officials and an elected head of state, like a governor!) Examples of federal republics include the United States, Germany, and Switzerland. Theocratic Republic These types of republics are governed primarily by religious law. In this case, religious texts become the backbone of the nation’s governing structure and are often drafted into a religious governing constitution. That means that additional laws and policies developed by the government must also be in line with religious law. Additionally, in order to qualify as a republic, these theocracies must have an elected head of state rather than a monarchy. Examples of modern theocratic republics include Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Can a Country Be More Than One Type of Republic? Just like a country can be more than one type of democracy, a country can also be more than one type of republic! For example, Iran has a parliament- making it a parliamentary republic- but it also bases its governing structure on religious law, making it a theocratic republic. The same is true for a country like Germany, which operates on the principles of both a parliamentary republic and a federal republic. In other words, much like democracies, the types of republics we discussed above are not mutually exclusive. In fact, in order for a government to run efficiently, it must often combine governing structures. Russia is a republic but is notdemocratic Republic Vs. Democracy: What’s the Difference? You’ve probably already noticed that republics and democracies have a lot in common, namely that they both are systems where the power to govern rests with the people. So what’s the difference in a republic vs. a democracy? The major difference between a democracy and a republic is that a republic is a form of government whereas a democracy is an ideology that helps shape how a government is run. Put another way: a republic is the system of government that allows a country to be democratic! So while people tend to use the terms â€Å"democracy† and â€Å"republic† interchangeably, they aren’t exactly the same thing. The best way to understand this difference is to look at examples where a republic style of government isn’t democratic. To do this, let’s talk about two non-democratic republics: Russia and North Korea. Russia The Russian government, like many other nations, is set up like a republic. According to the Russian Constitution, the Russian president- which is elected by the Russian populace- is the head of state and runs the executive branch of government. It’s the president’s job to appoint a prime minister, whose job it is to run the government on a day-to-day basis. But in reality, Russia has operated more like a dictatorship than a democracy under current President Vladimir Putin. Although the president and other government officials are elected by popular vote, the Russian government also limits Russian citizens’ freedom, including suppressing free speech and controlling access to objective information. North Korea North Korea’s government is set up much like the United States’ and is split into three branches: the executive branch, the judicial branch, and the legislative branch. By law, the citizens in North Korea elect officials to the legislative branch through popular vote, and the legislative branch passes laws on behalf of the people. (That’s why North Korea’s full name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.) In actuality, North Korea is classified as a dictatorship. The current president, Kim Jong-Un, inherited his position from his father. Additionally, elections in North Korea are largely for show- only one candidate runs for each position, so people really have no choice in their representation. Beyond that, the government severely limits people’s ability to travel, so much so that many North Koreans have to pay people to smuggle them out of the country. So despite having a republican government structure- and having the term â€Å"democratic† in their country’s name- North Korea doesn’t function like a democracy on a day-to-day basis. The United States: A Democratic Republic So that leaves us with one final question: what type of government is the United States? Where does the U.S. fall in the republic vs. democracy debate? The answer is that the United States is both a democracy and a republic! The U.S. as a Republic When the founding fathers were writing the U.S. Constitution, they envisioned the United States as a republic. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison made this clear in The Federalist Papers, where they make it clear that the federal government will be made up of elected officials who represent the will of the people. In fact, many of the United States’ founders believed that a direct democracy would result in nothing more than â€Å"...instability, injustice, and confusion.† As a result, the U.S. Constitution outlines a system of government that allows people to fairly vote on representatives, and those representatives make laws in accordance to the people’s will. Each of the states’ governments are set up in the same way, which means that the states are mini-republics, too! Additionally, in order to be a republic, people must elect the person who will serve as the head of state. This is certainly true in the U.S., where citizens vote on who will serve as president of the country every four years (though whether this is a direct or indirect vote is a subject of debate thanks to the electoral college). Considering all of this, the United States works as a combination of a constitutional, presidential, and federal republic! The U.S as a Democracy Remember that the difference between a republic and a democracy comes in how each of those ideas functions in government. So if the United States is a republic because of how the government operates, it’s a democracy because of why it operates. In other words, the U.S. runs its government like a republic, but it bases its government on democratic ideals. In order to operate as a democracy, the United States has to have free and fair elections, citizen participation in government, protect citizens’ human rights, and honor the rule of law. The United States meets all four the criteria to qualify as a democracy. In terms of elections, the U.S. holds regular elections for its elected officials at regular intervals, and any qualified U.S. citizen is allowed to cast their vote for their representatives. Additionally, these representatives are other U.S. citizens. Roles in government aren’t passed down from family to family- all citizens in good standing are welcome to run for office regardless of class, gender, or culture. But what about guaranteeing human rights? One look at the Bill of Rights makes this clear. Not only do the amendments to the U.S. Constitution make guarantees about equality and freedom, they also serve as a set of protections for all U.S. citizens from the overreach of government power. And finally, the U.S Constitution serves as the country’s guiding legal document. All other laws must first uphold the laws and rights outlined in the Constitution first! So Now What? Are you reading this post in preparation for the U.S. History AP Exam? If so, you should also check out some of our other resources! We have subject-specific posts like our NATO overview (coming soon!) and a complete guide to AP U.S. History books. If you’re a freshman, sophomore, or junior, you might consider adding a few more AP classes to your schedule. Here’s a complete list of AP courses and tests to help you choose classes that are perfect for you. Are you also considering taking the SAT subject tests in addition to- or instead of!- an AP exam? Make sure you get the inside information on both before you make your decision.

Soccer in the USA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Soccer in the USA - Research Paper Example It is imperative that before the awarding of the FIFA Soccer World Cup hosting rights to Russian and Qatar for the 2018 and the 2018 edition rights, the United States had itself made its bid be known. In framing its bids, the US bid committee envisaged that the host cities for the world cup will benefit immensely in its socio-economic sectors. However, from previous debate and research of hosting of world cup in other areas, it has been proven that the impacts may be myriad depending on the circumstances. This means that, while other countries and cities have successfully hosted the FIFA Soccer World Cup and reaped the benefits of hosting it, others have miserably failed to realize any benefits. For instance, while it was believed that the World Cup 1994 hosted by the United States would bring massive economic and social benefits to host cities; analysis after the tournament was quite the contrary. After this particular tournament, the average city had reduced income as compared to the predictions of the benefits as opposed to what had been predicted. Just like hosting any other major event like Olympics, most bids to host the FIFA Soccer World Cup are made with economic benefits as the most desired results. However, from the onset, it is important to note that the computation of the economic impacts of these events rarely factor in the costs of putting up the venues for hosting the events. While the United States bid to hosts either the 2018 or the 2012 World Cup was mainly hinged on the fact that the nation would reap about US $ 5 billion in economic benefits, the results from other countries which have hosted such tournaments present a different picture. This is because in some of these nations that have hosted the Soccer World Cup such as more recently in South Africa 2010, hosting the event can have serious consequences on the public finances of these host cities. In South