Chapter 1 Vocabulary 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 governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue.
Political participation
All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue.
Single-issue groups
Groups that have a narrow interest, temd to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.
Policymaking system
The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues.
Linkage institutions
The channels or access points through which issues and peoples policy preferences get on the government’s policy agenda.
Policy agenda
The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time.
Political issue
An issue that that arises when people disagreeabout a problem and a public policy choice.
Policymaking institutions
The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues.
Public policy
A choice that government makes in response to a political issue.
Democracy
A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preference’s.
Majority rule
A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory.
Minority rights
A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that they might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument.
Representation
A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and and the many followers.
