Chapter 1 - Dilemmas of Democracy Flashcards
globalization
increasing interdependence of citizens and nations across the world
politics
the authoritative allocation of values for a society
government
legitimate use of force to control human behavior
national sovereignty
a political entity’s externally recognized right to exercise final authority over it affairs
What are the objectives of government?
Oldest and most recent/debated?
maintaining order, providing public goods, promoting equality
maintining order; promoting equality because of redistribution of wealth
order
established ways of social behavior
Why did Thomas Hobbes view the need for government?
For the preservation of life and protecting the weak from attacks of the strong. Without it people would live like savages.
According to John Locke, what was the basic objective of government?
the protection of life, liberty, and happiness
communism
political system where ownership of land and productive facilities are in the hands of the people and all goods shared equally; the distribution of goods are controlled by authoritarian government
public goods
services that benefit all citizens but are not likely produced voluntarily by one person, such as parks and sanitation
freedom of
freedom to do something
freedom from
immunity from somthing undersirable
social order
traditional modes of behavior in society
police power
authority of government to maintain order and safeguard citizens safety, health, and welfare
political equality
each citizen has one vote
How does “one person, one vote” relate to political equality?
people are politically unequal because of wealth, status, connections, etc.
social equality
equality in wealth, education, and status
equality of opportunity
each person has the same chance to succeed in life
equality of outcome
concept that society must ensure people are equal and government must design policies to redistribute wealth
rights
benefits of government to which every citizen is entitled
original dilemma
freedom vs order
how much freedom a citizen must surrender to government
modern dilemma
freedom vs equality
policies that promote equality do so at the expense of freedom
politiclal ideology
consitent set of values and beliefs about government
totalitarianism
belief that government should have unlimited power
socialism
similar to communism; government extends to ownership and control of the basic industries, but allows more room for private industry
democratic socialism
guarentees civil liberties whil citizens determine extent of government activities through free elections
capitalism
goverment that favors free enterprise operating without government regulation
libertarianism
opposes all government action except to protect life and property
anarchism
values absolute freedom over all else
liberals
willing to use goverment to promote equality but not order
conservatives
prefer to use government to promote order rather than equality
libertarians
opposed to using government to promote either equality or order
communitarian
favors using government to promote both equality and order
democracy
originating in greek writings
a system of government in which the poeple rule directly or indirectly
participatory democracy
flaw?
direct democracy
citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives
only works in small groups
representative democracy
flaw?
indirect democracy
citizens elect officials to represent tham and govern on their behalf
only works if officials do what citizens want
responsiveness
representatives should do what the majority of people want
procedural democratic theory
flaw?
democracy where decision-making involves univeral participation, political equality, majority rule, and responsiveness
can produce social policies that prey on minorities
majority rule
group decision must reflect the preference of more than half of the group
minority rights
benefits of government that cannot be denied to any citizens by majority decisions
universal participation
everyone in a democracy should participate in government
substantive democracratic theory
flaw?
democracy where the substance of government policies is more important than the policy-making procedure
doesn’t provide clear criteria that allows us to decide if whether a government is democratic
majoritorian model of democracy
government by the people is interpreted by majority of people
referendum
an election on a policy issue
initiative
a policy question put on the ballot by the action of citizens circulating petitions and gathering required amount of signatures
interest group
organized group that seeks to influence public policy, also called a lobby
pluralist model of democracy
government by the people operating through competing interest groups
elite theory
view that small group of people actually make the most important government decisions
oligarchy
system of government where the power is concentrated in the hands of a few people
democratization
problems face?
process of a country moving from an authoritarian government to a democracy
religious conflict, political and economic instability
Which model best fits the US structure of government?
Majoritarian, Pluralist, Elite
pluralist
