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Government Vocabulary
Gov. Vocab Chapter 1
21
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12th Grade
09/02/2009

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Term
Democracy
Definition
a system of selecting policymakers and of organizing gov. so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences
Term
Elite & Class Theory
Definition
A theory of gov. and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines & that an upper class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization.
Term
Government
Definition
the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society
Term
Gross Domestic Product
Definition
the sum total of the value of all the goods and services in a nation
Term
Hyperpluralism
Definition
A theory of gov. & politics contending groups are so strong that gov. is weakened. Hyperpluralism is an extreme, exaggerated, or perveted form of pluralism.
Term
Individualism
Definition
the belief that individuals should be left on their own by the gov. One of the primary reasons for the comparatively small scope of American gov. is the prominence of this belief in American political thought and practice.
Term
Majority Rule
Definition
a fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing amond alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected.
Term
Minority Rights
Definition
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.
Term
Linkage Institutions
Definition
The channels or access points through which issues and people's policy preferences get on the gov.'s policy agenda. In the U.S., elections, political parties, interest groups, and the mass media are the three main linkage institutions.
Term
Public Goods
Definition
goods, such as clean air & water, that everyone must share.
Term
Politics
Definition
produce authoritative decisions about public issues. "Who gets what, when, and how?"
Term
Political participation
Definition
All the activites used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. The most common, but not the only, means of political participation is voting. Others: protest & civil disobedience.
Term
Policymaking Systems
Definition
The process by which political problems are communicated by the voters and acted upon by gov. policymakers. The system begins with people's needs & expectations for governmental actions. When people congront gov. officials with problems that they want solved, they're trying to influence the gov.'s policy agenda.
Term
Policy Agenda
Definition
According to John Kingdon, "the list of subjects or problems to which gov. officials, and people outside of gov. closely associated with those officials, are paying some serious attentionat any given time."
Term
Political Issue
Definition
An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem & a public policy choice.
Term
Policymaking Institutions
Definition
The branches of gov. charged wih taking action on political issues. The U.S. Constitution establishes 3 policymaking institutions- Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Today, the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most politcal scientists consider it a fourth policymaking institution
Term
Public Policy
Definition
A choice that gov. makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.
Term
Pluralist Theory
Definition
A theory of gov. & politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies.
Term
Policy Gridlock
Definition
A condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority & establish policy. The result is that nothing may get done.
Term
Representation
Definition
A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between few leaders & the many followers.
Term
Single-issue groups
Definition
groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.
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