Chapter 1 Vocab

Question 1

government

Answer 1

Government is that complex of offices, personnel, and processes by which a state is ruled and by which its public policies are made and enforced.

Question 2

public policy

Answer 2

Public policies of a government are all those things a government decides to do or not do. Examples: imposing an income and property taxes; minimum wages; maintaining an armed force. Public policy includes all of the decisions and non-decisions of government

Question 3

public goods

Answer 3

Things that everyone can share, such as clean air.

Question 4

unitary government

Answer 4

Power is held in a single, central agency. A centralized government. Local government is created by the central government for convenience and is answerable only to central government. Most governments are unitary. Great Britain is an example of unitary but democratic. Do not confuse with dictatorship.

Question 5

federal government

Answer 5

Powers are divided between a central government and several local governments. Both act on their own sets of laws, officials, and agencies. In U.S., national government has power and so do states (also known as federalism).

Question 6

confederation

Answer 6

An alliance of independent states. A confederate government possesses little authority to act on its own. The central government has limited power and can only handle matters that the member states have assigned to it.

Question 7

conservatives

Answer 7

Conservatives generally favor fewer governmental regulations and a greater reliance on the market; fewer governmental policies in the name of disadvantaged groups; and, fewer tax laws that discourage business growth

Question 8

liberals

Answer 8

Liberals generally favor more governmental regulation of the economy; more policies to help disadvantaged groups; and, more policies to redistribute income.

Question 9

gross domestic product

Answer 9

The value of all goods and services produced annually by the United States

Question 10

anarchy

Answer 10

The total absence of government

Question 11

compromise

Answer 11

The process of reconciling competing views and interests in order to find the position most acceptable to the largest number.

Question 12

minority rights

Answer 12

The majority must recognize the right of the minority, by fair and lawful means, to become the majority. The majority must always be willing to listen to a minority’s argument, to hear its objections, to bear its criticisms, and welcome its suggestions.

Question 13

majority rule

Answer 13

The majority rule is the popular rule. In a democracy, the majority will be right more often and wrong. The majority have a “right” to be wrong.

Question 14

politics

Answer 14

Politics can best defined as “who gets what, when, and how.”

Question 15

representative democracy

Answer 15

Small group of people elected by the people to act on their behalf to express their popular will. They are held accountable to the people through elections.

Question 16

direct democracy

Answer 16

Will of people translated into public policy directly by people themselves, in mass meetings. Doesn’t exist in any national level, anywhere in the world.

Question 17

democracy

Answer 17

In a democracy, sovereignty is located with the people who hold the power and give consent to the government to rule.

Question 18

presidential government

Answer 18

Features a separation of powers. In a presidential government, the executive and legislative branches are independent and coequal. The executive and legislative branches each can check the actions of the other branch. President chosen independently of the legislature, holds office for a fixed term, and has powers not subject to direct control of the legislature.

Question 19

parliamentary government

Answer 19

Members of the executive branch are also members of the legislative branch (the Parliament). Executive is made up of the prime minister or premier and that official’s cabinet. Executive is leader of the majority party or of a coalition of parties and is chosen by Parliament.

Question 20

dictatorship

Answer 20

Dictatorships exercise absolute, not limited authority over the people. Participation in government is limited to the individual or group who rules. Those who rule are not responsible to the will of the people. No accountability.