apGovChap1

Government

The legitimate use of force to control human behavior; also, the organization or agency authorized to exercise that force.

National Sovereignty

A political entity's right to exercise supreme authority over a territory and its population, free from external control.

Order

A state of peace and security. In a political context, it refers to the rule of law and the absence of chaos.

Liberalism

A political philosophy advocating for individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.

Communism

A political and economic system where the means of production are owned and controlled by the community as a whole, often through a single-party state.

Public Goods

Goods or services that, once provided, are available to everyone and cannot be denied to anyone (e.g., national defense, clean air).

Freedom of-

Absence of constraints on behavior, allowing individuals to act as they wish (e.g., freedom of speech, freedom of religion).

Freedom from-

Immunity from something undesirable or oppressive, such as fear, want, or discrimination.

Police Power

The authority of a government to enact and enforce laws for the promotion of public health, safety, morals, and general welfare.

Political Equality

The condition in which all citizens are equal in their ability to influence government decisions, typically through voting.

Social Equality

Equality in wealth, education, and status.

Equality of Opportunity

The idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to succeed in life.

Equality of Outcome

The concept that society must ensure that people are equal in money and material possessions.

Rights

The benefits of government to which every citizen is entitled.

Political Ideology

A consistent set of beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government.

Totalitarianism

A political system in which the government has total control over all aspects of individual and public life, permitting no individual freedom.

Socialism

A political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Democratic Socialism

A political ideology advocating a democratic political system alongside a socialist economic system, where the means of production are socially owned, but within a democratic framework.

Capitalism

An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

Libertarian(ism)

A political philosophy advocating maximum individual liberty in thought and action, and a minimal role for government.

Laissez-faire

An economic doctrine that opposes government intervention in the economy, upholding free markets and free trade.

Anarchism

A political philosophy stressing the absence of government; it believes that individuals can live together in cooperative interaction without the need for a state.

Conservatives

Those who are willing to use government to promote order but not equality.

Liberals

Those who are willing to use government to promote equality but not (necessarily) order.

Communitarians

Those who are willing to use government to promote both order and equality.

Autocracy

A system of government by one person with absolute power.

Oligarchy

A form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or a dominant class; government by the few.

Democracy

A system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly or through freely elected representatives.

Procedural Democratic Theory

A view of democracy that defines democracy in terms of the procedures and rules that must be followed for democratic governance (e.g., universal participation, political equality, majority rule).

Universal Participation

The concept that everyone in a democracy should have the right to participate in making government decisions (e.g., through voting).

Political Equality

The condition in which all citizens are equal in their ability to influence government decisions, typically through voting.

Majority Rule

The principle that the will of the majority should prevail in a democracy, especially in decision-making.

Participatory Democracy

A system of democracy in which all members of a group or community participate collectively in making major decisions.

Representative Democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect officials to govern on their behalf.

Responsiveness

A quality of a democracy where elected officials are expected to be responsive to the needs and preferences of the citizens they represent.

Substantive Democratic Theory

A view of democracy that defines democracy based on the substance of government policies and outcomes, rather than just the procedures; focuses on fundamental rights and liberties.

Minority Rights

The normal individual rights as applied to members of racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, or gender minorities; rights that cannot be infringed upon by the majority.

Majoritarian Model of Democracy

A model of democracy that views government by the people as government by the majority of the people; emphasizes popular participation and majority rule.

Interest Group

An organization of people sharing common ideas or goals that tries to influence public policy.

Pluralist Model of Democracy

A model of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean government by people operating through competing interest groups.

Elite Theory

A theory that a small, wealthy, and powerful elite controls the government and makes policy regardless of elections.

Democratization

The process of a state moving from an authoritarian regime to a democratic one.