Political Science

Front 1

Politics

Back 1

deciding who gets what, when, and how

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Political Science

Back 2

the study of politics, or the study of who gets what, when, and how

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Government

Back 3

Organization extending to the whole society that can legitimately use force to carry out its decision

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Legitimacy

Back 4

widespread acceptance of something necessary, rightful, and legally binding

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Social Contract

Back 5

idea that government originates as an implied contract among individuals who agree to obey laws in exchange for protection of their rights

Front 6

Public Goods

Back 6

goods and services that cannot readily be provided by markets, either because they are too expensive for a single individual to buy or because if one person bought them, everyone else would use them without paying

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Free Market

Back 7

free competition for voluntary exchange among individuals firms and corporations

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gross domestic product (GDP)

Back 8

the dollar sum of all goods and services produced in a nation in a year

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Externailties

Back 9

costs imposed on people who are not direct participants in an activity

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Income Transfers

Back 10

government transfers of income from tax payers to persons regarded as deserving

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Democracy

Back 11

governing system in which the people govern themselves

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Democratic Ideals

Back 12

Individual dignity, equality before law, widespread participation in public decisions, and public decisions by majority rule, with one person having to vote

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Paradox of democracy

Back 13

Potential conflict between individual freedom and the majority rule

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Limited Government

Back 14

principle that government power over the individual is limited, that there are some personal liberties that even a majority cannot regulate, and that government itself is restrained by law

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Totalitarianism

Back 15

rule by an elite that exercises unlimited powerover individuals in all aspects of life

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Direct Deomcracy

Back 16

governing system in which every person participates actively in every public decision rather than delegating decision making to representatives

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Representative Democracy

Back 17

Governing system in which public decision making is delegated to representatives of the people chosen byy popular vote in free, open, and periodic elections

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elitism

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theory that all societies, even democracies, are divided into the few who govern and the many who do not

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Pluralism

Back 19

theory that democracy can be achieved through competition among multiple organized groups and that individuals can participate in politics through group memberships and elections