Government/Civics Flashcards
the institution through which society makes and enforces its public policies
Government
all of those things a government decides to do
Public policy
the power to make law and to frame public policies
Legislative power
the power to execute, enforce, and administer law
Executive power
the power to intercept laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within society
Judicial power
the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government
Consitution
the ultimate responsibility for the exercise of these powers may be held by a single person or by a small group
Dictatorship
when the responsibility for the exercise of these powers rests with a majority of the people
Democracy
a body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically, and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority
State
has supreme and absolute power within its own territory and can decide its own foreign and domestic policies
Sovereignty
a government in which a single person holds unlimited political power
Autocracy
a government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite
Oligarchy
often described as a centralized government, all powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency
Unitary government
the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments
Federal government
an authority superior to both the central and local governments makes this on a geographic basis, it cannot be changed by either the local or national level acting alone
Division of powers
an alliance of independent states
Confederation
the executive and legislative branches of the government are separate, independent of one another, and coequal
Presidential government
the executive branch is run by the legislative branch
Parliamentary government
the process of blending and adjusting competing views and interests
Compromise
an economic system characterized by the private ownership of central goods, investments made by private decision, not by government directive, and success or failure determined by competition in the marketplace
Free enterprise system
states that when supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop
Law of supply and demand
an economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion
Mixed economy
