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| A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences. |
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| The upper class in a society that utilizes wealth for political power. |
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| A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization. |
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| The institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society. |
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| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) |
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| The sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation. |
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| A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened. An extreme, exaggerated, or perverted form of pluralism. |
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| The belief that individuals should be left on their own by the government. |
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| The political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. Elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media. |
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| A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority’s desire be respected. |
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| A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that they might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument. |
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| A theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies. |
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| The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time. |
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| 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. |
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| Policymaking Institutions |
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| The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues. The Congress, the presidency, the courts, and the bureaucracy. |
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| The process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time. |
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| An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it. |
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| All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. |
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| The process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue. “Who did what, when, and how.” |
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| Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share |
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| A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem. |
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| A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers. |
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| Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics. |
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| Traditional Democratic Theory |
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| A theory about how a democratic government makes its decisions. According to Robert Dahl, its cornerstones are equality in voting, effective participation, enlightened understanding, final control over the agenda, and inclusion. |
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| The capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. |
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| A characterization of elections by political scientists meaning that they are almost universally accepted as a fair and free method of selecting political leaders. |
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| The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience. |
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| Form of government in which people collectively make decisions for themselves, rather than having their political affairs decided by representatives. |
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| Form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people. |
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