CSCC Political Science Unit 1 Vocab

authority

the entity (person or institution) holding legitimate power in a specific realm

bargaining

the process of negotiating with the goal of reaching agreement

civil liberties

human freedoms with which the government may not interfere

civil rights

opportunities to which all humans are entitled that governments must act to protect

collective action problem

a collective dilemma in which the group would benefit if its members cooperated, but they have incentives not to do so, and these incentives ultimately harm not only the group but the individuals themselves

collective dilemmas

problems that arise when multiple individuals interact with one another to make a group decision

compromise

in bargaining over a single issue, each participant agrees to move in the direction of those they are bargaining with (for example, the car seller lowers the price and the car buyer increases what they are willing to pay)

conflict

disagreements between individuals, groups, institutions, or states regarding the allocation of resources or the determination of values

constitution

a collection of the most basic principles of a country (or state)

country

a populated geographic area with a sovereign government

courts

an institution for resolving disputes

democracy

a system of government in which citizens elect their leaders

empirical political science

the systematic study of political behavior, generally based on developing hypotheses and testing whether these hypotheses are supported based on the evidence

executives

the persons responsible for leading an institution

fact

something that is true because it can be verified by evidence

government

the set of institutions that make and implement decisions for a political collective, most often for a specific geographic area

human rights

liberties and opportunities that humans have by virtue of their humanity

hypothesis

a tentative explanation for a reality that can be tested

institutions

organizations with a set of rules and practices that inform their members about their relationships with one another and how they should interact

legislature

an institution composed of individuals who have the power to propose, deliberate, adopt, and alter the laws of a state

legitimate

authority used in ways that are true to the rules

nation

a population connected by history, culture, and beliefs that generally lives in a specific area

normative political science

the systematic study of ideal goals, principles, and behaviors in politics; also called political philosophy

political ideology

a set of beliefs (or a systematic set of concepts) that helps individuals determine how they see the proper roles of citizens and their governments

political science

the systematic study of political phenomena using empirical or philosophical methods

politics

“who gets what, where, when, and how”—the process for resolving disputes and allocating scarce resources through collective decision making

power

the ability to compel someone to do something they would not otherwise choose to do

public interest

that which benefits a state and those who reside there

public opinion

in empirical political science, the sum of individual opinions on the question being asked

public policy

any decision by a government, such as a law, regulation, or ruling, that attempts to guide human behavior

reality

the world as it is, as verified by observations and measurements

rules

instructions regarding what behaviors are required, forbidden, or allowed

scientific method

the processes used to conduct empirical research

sovereign

the entity (person or institution) that holds supreme authority over a domain

state

a defined geographic area with unified political authority

status quo

the existing state of affairs