Understanding Gov't and Politics, Chapter 2 Flashcards
What is the definition of politics?
Who gets what, when, and how.
A process of determining how power and resources are distributed without resorting to violence.
What is the definition of power?
The ability to get others to do what you want
What is the definition of government?
A system or organization for exercising authority over a body of people.
What is the definition of authority?
The power people/society recognize as legitimate. To which we have given implicit consent.
What is the definition of rules?
Directives that specify how resources will be distributed or what procedures govern collective activity.
The “how” of who gets what
What is the definition of institutions?
Organizations in which government power is exercised
The “where” of political struggle.
What is a dictatorship/monarchy?
Sovereignty can be vested in an individual
What is a theocracy?
Sovereignty can be vested in God
What is fascism?
Sovereignty can be vested in the state itself.
What is an oligarchy?
Sovereignty can be vested in a ruling class
What is anarchy?
The absence of government and laws.
What is democracy?
A government that vests power in the people; based on popular sovereignty
What is popular sovereignty?
The concept of that the citizens are the ultimate source of political power.
What is elite democracy?
Limits the citizen’s role in choosing among competing leaders
What is a pluralist democracy?
Citizen membership in groups is the key to political powers/interest groups
What is participatory democracy?
Citizens should actively and directly control all aspects of their lives and participate in all aspects of lawmaking.
What is the definition of economics?
The production and distribution of a society’s material resources and services
What is the definition of capitalism?
Market determines production, distribution, and price decisions
What is regulated capitalism?
A market system in which the government intervenes to protect rights and make procedural guarantees.
What is laissez-faire capitalism?
An economic system in which the market makes all decisions and gov’t plays no role
What is socialism/a socialist economy?
The state determines production, distribution, and price decisions, property id gov’t owned
What are substantive guarantees?
Government assurance or particular outcomes or results.
What are procedural guarantees?
Promises to be fair/equal even if certain outcomes are not expected
What is the Social Contract Theory?
Society is based on an agreement between gov’t and the governed in which people agree to give up some rights in exchange for protection.
