1 - Introducing Government in America Flashcards
Government
The institutions through which public policies are made for a society.
Collective goods
Goods and services, such as clean air and clean water, that by their nature cannot be denied to anyone.
Politics
The process determining the leaders we select in the policies they pursue. Politics procedures authorized decisions about public issues.
Political participation
All the activities by which citizens attempt to influence the selection of political leaders in the policies they pursue. Voting is the most common means of political participation in a democracy. Other means include contacting public officials, protest, and civil disobedience.
Single issue groups
Groups that have narrow interest on which their members tend to take an uncompromising stance
Policymaking system
The process by which policy continues into being and evolves. People’s interest, problems, and concerns create political issues for government policymakers. These issues shape policy, which in turn impacts people, generating more interests, problems, and concerns.
Linkage institutions
the political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. In the US, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
Policy agenda
the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics at a point in time.
Political issue
an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it.
Policymaking institutions
The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues. The U.S. Constitution established three policymaking institutions – Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Today, the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most political scientists consider it a fourth policymaking institutions.
Public policy
A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy in the course of action taken with regard to some problem.
Policy impacts
The effects of policy has on people and problems. Mpegs are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost.
Democracy
A system of selecting policymakers in the organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences.
Majority rule
a fundamental principle of traditional Democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority desire be respected.
Minority rights
A principle of traditional Democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities.
Representation
A basic principle of traditional Democratic. That describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers.
Pluralism
A theory of American democracy emphasizing that the policymaking process is very open to the participation of all groups with shared interests, with no single group usually dominating. Pluralists tend to believe that as a result, public interest generally prevails.
Elitism
A theory of American democracy contending that an upper-class elite holds the power in makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization.
Hyperpluralism
A theory of American democracy contending that groups are so strong that government, which gives in to many different groups, is thereby weakened.
Policy gridlock
A condition that occurs when interests conflict in no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and established policy, so nothing gets done.
Political culture
An overall set of values widely shared within a society.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The sum total of the values of all the goods and services produced in a year and a nation.
