Gov Vocab Ch1

Front 1

Capitalism

Back 1

An economic system in which individuals and corporation, not the government, own principal means of production and seek profits

Front 2

Conservative

Back 2

disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.

Front 3

Democracy

Back 3

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

Front 4

Elite Theory

Back 4

A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that upper-class elite will rules regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization

Front 5

Free Market

Back 5

Laissez-faire where the government is limited and small and it does less to affect the trade and lives.

Front 6

GDP

Back 6

Gross Domestic Product. The sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation.

Front 7

Government

Back 7

The institution and processes through which public policies are make for a society

Front 8

Hyperpluralism

Back 8

A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened. Extreme, exaggerated, or perverted form of pluralism.

Front 9

Infrastructure

Back 9

the basic, underlying framework or features of a system or organization.

Front 10

Ideology

Back 10

A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose. It helps give meaning to political events, personality, and policies

Front 11

Individualism

Back 11

the belief that people can and should get ahead on their own.

Front 12

Interest Group

Back 12

An organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals. Interest groups pursue their goals in many arenas.

Front 13

Liberal

Back 13

advocates that prefer a government active in dealing with human needs, support individual rights and liberties, and give higher priority to social needs than to military needs

Front 14

Libertarian

Back 14

a person who advocates liberty, esp. with regard to thought or conduct.

Front 15

Linkage Institution

Back 15

The channels or access points through which issues and people's policy preferences get on the government's agenda. Political Parties, Interest Groups, Mass Media

Front 16

Majority Rule

Back 16

In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected

Front 17

Market Liberalization

Back 17

Capital market liberalization, a result of globalization and trade liberalization, refers to the relaxation of government restrictions in the market.

Front 18

Minority Rights

Back 18

Rights guaranteed to those who do not belong to the majorities and allows that they might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument

Front 19

Pluralism

Back 19

Theory that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies.

Front 20

Policy Agenda

Back 20

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time.

Front 21

Policy gridlock

Back 21

A condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. The result is that nothing may get done.

Front 22

Political participation

Back 22

All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. Voting, protest, and civil disobedience are some examples

Front 23

Popular sovereignty

Back 23

the doctrine that sovereign power is vested in the people and that those chosen to govern, as trustees of such power, must exercise it in conformity with the general will.

Front 24

Populist

Back 24

someone who supports the rights of average citizens in their struggle against privileged elites.

Front 25

Proportional representation

Back 25

An electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election.

Front 26

Public goods

Back 26

Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share.

Front 27

Public policy

Back 27

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

Front 28

Representation

Back 28

A basic principle of tradition democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers.

Front 29

Secular

Back 29

the concept that government or other entities should exist separately from religion and/or religious beliefs

Front 30

Single-Issue groups

Back 30

groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics. Unlike traditional interest groups

Front 31

Social Contract

Back 31

An agreement among the members of an organized society or between the governed and the government defining and limiting the rights and duties of each.

Front 32

Socialism

Back 32

a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.