Unit 1 Constitutional Underpinnings Vocab (Introduction 1.1)

Question 1

Authority

Answer 1

the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience

Question 2

Bureaucratic Theory on democracy (Max Weber)

Answer 2

This non-personal view of organizations followed a formal structure where rules, formal legitimate authority and competence were characteristics of appropriate management practices.

Question 3

Democracy

Answer 3

A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences.

Question 4

Direct Democracy

Answer 4

form of democracy in which people decide policy initiatives directly

Question 5

Dissolution

Answer 5

the closing down or dismissal of an assembly, partnership, or official body

Question 6

Domestic policy (3 types)

Answer 6

administrative decisions which are directly related to all issues and activity within a nation’s borders (Economic, Social Welfare, Health Care, Environmental)

Question 7

Elite Theory on democracy

Answer 7

A theory of American democracy contending that an upper-class elite holds the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal government organization.

Question 8

Equality

Answer 8

the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities

Question 9

Foreign policy (3 types)

Answer 9

a government’s strategy in dealing with other nations (

Question 10

Government

Answer 10

The institution through which public policies are made for a society.

Question 11

Government spending (3 types)

Answer 11

all government consumption, investment, and transfer payments (Discretionary Spending, Mandatory Spending, Interest on Debt)

Question 12

Hyperpluralist Theory of democracy

Answer 12

theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government, which gives in to the many different groups, is thereby weakened

Question 13

Legislature

Answer 13

the legislative body of a country or state that makes laws

Question 14

Legitimacy

Answer 14

undisputed credibility or authenticity.

Question 15

Liberty

Answer 15

the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views

Question 16

Majoritarian Theory on democracy

Answer 16

asserts that a majority of the population is entitled to a certain degree of primacy in society, and has the right to make decisions that affect the society

Question 17

Marxist Theory on democracy

Answer 17

socialist society evolves into communism, class distinctions will no longer exist, which will eliminate the need for the state in any form

Question 18

Natural Rights

Answer 18

Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments (central to Locke’s theory)

Question 19

Pluralism

Answer 19

a theory emphasizing that the policy making process is very open to the participation of all groups with shared interests, with no single dominating group, thus public interest prevails.

Question 20

Pluralist Theory on democracy

Answer 20

describes a political system where there is more than one center of power, which public interest prevails

Question 21

Policy (Public policy)

Answer 21

a choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.

Question 22

Policy process

Answer 22

• process by which public policies are created and changed is complex and varies significantly from one policy question to the next

Question 23

Politics

Answer 23

the activities associated with the governance of a country or other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having or hoping to achieve power

Question 24

Power

Answer 24

the ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as a faculty or quality

Question 25

Representative democracy (Indirect or Republic)

Answer 25

a variety of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people

Question 26

Representative vs. Trustee model of governance (Edmund Burke)

Answer 26

Electing officials trusting that they will correctly represent their group of citizens

Question 27

Social Contract Theory (John Locke)

Answer 27

the view that persons’ moral and/or political obligations are dependent upon a contract or agreement among them to form the society in which they live

Question 28

Universal suffrage

Answer 28

consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens, though it may also mean extending that right to minors and non-citizens