Chapter 1 - Understanding American Politics Flashcards
The definition of “government”
The system for implementing decisions made through the political process
The definition of “factions”
Groups of like-minded people who try to influence the government. American government is set up to avoid domination by any one of these groups
The definition of “separation of powers”
The division of government power across the judicial, executive, and legislative branches
The definition of “checks and balances”
A system in which each branch of government has some power over the others
The definition of “federalism”
The division of power across the local, state, and national levels of government
The definition of “public goods”
Services or actions (such as protecting the environment) that, once provided to one person become available to everyone. Government is typically needed to provide public goods because they will be under-provided by the free market
The definition of “collective action problems”
Situations in which the members of a group would benefit by working together to produce some outcome, but each individual is better off refusing to cooperate and reaping benefits from those who do the work
The definition of “free rider problems”
The incentive to benefit from others’ work without making a contribution, which leads individuals in a collective action situation to refuse to work together
The definition of “free market”
An economic system based on competition among businesses without government interference
The definition of “economic individualism”
The autonomy of individuals to manage their own financial decisions without government interference
The definition of “redistribution tax policies”
Policies, generally favored by Democratic politicians, that use taxation to attempt to create greater social equality(for example, higher taxation of the rich to provide programs for the poor)
The definition of “culture wars”
Political conflict in the United States between “red-state” Americans, who tend to have strong religious beliefs, and “blue-state” Americans, who tend to be more secular
The definition of “ideology”
A cohesive set of ideas and beliefs used to organs evaluate the political world
The definition of “conservative”
One side of the ideological spectrum defined by support for lower taxes, a free market, and a more-limited government; generally associated with Republicans
The definition of “liberal”
One side of the ideological spectrum defined by support for stronger government programs and more market regulation; generally associated with Democrats
