Ch 1

Front 1

Government

Back 1

The system for implementing decisions made through the political process.

Front 2

Factions

Back 2

Groups of like-minded people who try to influence the government. American government is set up to avoid domination by any one of these groups.

Front 3

Separation of powers

Back 3

The division of government power across the judicial, executive, and legislative branches.

Front 4

Checks and balances

Back 4

A system in which each branch of government has some power over the others.

Front 5

Collective action problems

Back 5

Situations in which the members of a group would benefit by working together to produce some outcome, but each individual is better off refusing to cooperate and reaping benefits from those who do the work.

Front 6

Free rider problem

Back 6

The incentive to benefit from others' work without making a contribution, which leads individuals in a collective action situation to refuse to work together.

Front 7

Politics

Back 7

The process that determines what government does.

Front 8

Free market

Back 8

An economic system based on competition among businesses without government interference.

Front 9

redistributive tax policies

Back 9

Politics, generally favored by Democratic politicians, that use taxation to attempt to create social equality (for example, higher taxation of the rich to provide programs for the poor).

Front 10

Culture wars

Back 10

Political conflict in the United States between "red-state" Americans, who tend to have strong religious beliefs, and "blue-state" Americans, who tend to be more secular.

Front 11

Ideology

Back 11

A cohesive set of ideas and beliefs used to organize and evaluate the political world.

Front 12

Conservative

Back 12

One side of the ideological spectrum defined by support for lower taxes, a free market, and a more-limited government; generally associated with Republicans

Front 13

Liberal

Back 13

One side of the ideological spectrum defined by support for stronger government programs and more market regulation; generally associated with Democrats.

Front 14

libertarians

Back 14

Those who prefer very limited government and therefore tend to be conservative on issues such as welfare policy, environmental policy, and public support for education but liberal on issues of personal liberty such as free speech, abortion, and the legalization of drugs.

Front 15

Democracy

Back 15

Government by the people. In most contexts, this means representative democracy in which the people elect leaders to enact policies. Democracies must have fair elections with at least two alternatives.

Front 16

Liberty

Back 16

Political freedom, such as the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion. These and other legal and due process rights protecting individuals from government control are outlined in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution

Front 17

Equality

Back 17

In the context of American politics, "equality" means equality before the law, political equality (one person, one vote), and equality of opportunity (the equal chance for everyone to realize their potential), but not material equality (equal income or wealth).