Chapter 1 Flashcards
Public goods
Services shared by everyone and cant be denied to anyone
Government
Institutions that make authoritative decisions for any given society
Politics
Determines who we select as governmental leaders and the policies they pursue
Political participation
Activities used by citizens to influence selection of political leaders or policies
Single-issue groups
Groups that have narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise
Policymaking system
Reveals the way our government responds to the priorities of its people
Linkage institutions
Transmit Americans’ preference to the policymaking system
Policy agenda
Issues that attack serious attention of public officials
Political issue
People disagreeing about a problem and how to fix it
Policymaking institutions
(Congress, presidency, the courts)
branches of government in-charge of political issues
Public policy
Choice government makes in response to a political issue
Democracy
Selecting policymakers and of organizing government
Majority rule
Choosing alternatives requires that majority’s desire be respected
Minority rights
Give rights to the ones who do not belong to majorities, and allow them to join
Representation
Describes relationship between the few leaders and many followers
Pluralist theory
(Contemporary theories of Am democracy)
Theory emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups
Elite and class theory
(Contemporary theories of Am democracy) Societies are divided along class lines and that upper class elite will rule
Hyperpluralism
(Contemporary theories of Am democracy)
Groups are so strong that government is weakened
Policy gridlock
When no alliance is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. Nothing may get done as a result
Gross domestic product
Sum total of the value of all goods and services produced in a nation
Individualism
Belief that individuals should be left alone by the government
