Skip to content

Glossary Politics & World

Executive order

A directive issued by a head of government to the executive branch. It can be reversed by a successor and can be challenged in court, so it is weaker than legislation.

More from the glossary

Tariff

A tax on imported goods. It is paid by the importer, not the exporting country, and…

DeFi

Decentralised finance: lending, trading and derivatives run by smart contracts rather than by a bank or…

Paywall

A restriction limiting articles to paying subscribers. A metered paywall allows a set number of free…

Referendum

A direct public vote on a single question. Whether the result binds the government depends on…

Back to the glossary