ch 3 (pw)

Question 1

american exceptionalism

Answer 1

focuses on how the United States is different from other advanced industrial democracies

Question 2

americanists

Answer 2

scholars who study American politics

Question 3

associational life

Answer 3

a life where people form and rely upon social networks

Question 4

common good

Answer 4

collective will/common interest

Question 5

comparativitists

Answer 5

scholars who compare aspects of governance among different countries

Question 6

divine right of kings

Answer 6

the idea that a monarch gains legitimacy from God

Question 7

enlightenment era

Answer 7

late 17th - 18th century
Western philosophical, intellectual, and scientific life where reason was advocated as the primary source of legitimacy and authority and traditional beliefs and authority were questioned

Question 8

feudalism

Answer 8

a system for structuring society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labor

Question 9

laissez-faire

Answer 9

hands-off approach

Question 10

legitimate

Answer 10

popularly accepted

Question 11

legitimate government

Answer 11

a government generally acknowledged as being in control of a nation and deserving formal recognition which is symbolized by the exchange of diplomats between that government and the government of other countries.

Question 12

path-dependent explanations

Answer 12

explanations where outcomes of the present are determined by decisions made or circumstances presented in the past

Question 13

public goods

Answer 13

goods and services provided by government as opposed to private enterprise

Question 14

social contract

Answer 14

the implicit agreement among citizens to grant a government legitimacy in exchange for certain protections from the state

Question 15

social democracy

Answer 15

a democracy that places greater emphasis on the social welfare responsibilities of government

Question 16

social goods

Answer 16

goods and services provided by government as opposed to private enterprise

Question 17

socialism

Answer 17

an economic system where the state rather than the market determines production, distribution, and pricing, and where property is government-owned

Question 18

socialist movement

Answer 18

a movement based upon workers’ rights and social ownership of the means of production

Question 19

tyranny of the majority

Answer 19

the idea that the majority can pursue choices that are not favorable to the minority whose rights are not protected

Question 20

state of nature

Answer 20

in political theory the real or hypothetical condition of human beings before or without political association.

Question 21

welfare state

Answer 21

a state in which the government plays a key role in providing a “safety net” and passes policies aimed at protecting and promoting the economic and social well-being of its citizens

Question 22

liberal democracy

Answer 22

a political system built around a belief in representative and limited government, regular and competitive elections, the rule of law, multiple channels for political participation, limited state control of the economy, and the protection of civil rights and liberties