Chapter 1 Flashcards
Government
The institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society.
Public Goods
Goods such as clean air, and clean water, that everyone must share.
Politics
The process by which we select our government leaders and what policies these leaders pursue.Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.
Political participation
All the activities used used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. (Ex: voting, protest, civil disobedience)
Single-issue groups
Groups that have narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.
Policymaking system
The process by which political problems are communicated by the voters and acted upon by policymakers.
Linkage Institutions
The channels or access points through which issues and people’s policy preferences get on the government’s policy agenda.``
Policy Agenda
the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics.
Political Issue
an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and a public policy choice.
Policymaking Institutions
The branches of government charged with taking actions on political issues.
Public Policy
A choice that the government makes in response to a political issue.
Democracy
The system of selecting policy makers and of organizing government so that a policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences.
Majority Rule
A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. The majority’s desire is respected.
Minority Rights
Guarantees rights to those that do not belong to in majorities and allows them to join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument.
Representation
A basic principle of democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers.
Pluralist Theory
a theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is a competition among groups, each one pressing for it’s own preferred policies.
Elite and Class Theory
A theory of government and politics stating that societies are divided by class and the upper class will rule.
Hyperpluralism
Groups are so strong, that government is weakened.
Policy Gridlock
A condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy.
Gross Domestic Product
The sum total value of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation.
Individualism
The belief that individuals should be left alone by there government.
