POLS1101 Midterm Vocab

Anarchism

A political philosophy that opposes government in any form.

Capitalism

The system of government that favors free enterprise (privately owned businesses operating without government regulation).

Communism

A political system in which, in theory, ownership of all land and productive facilities is in the hands of the people, and all goods are equally shared. The production and distribution of goods are controlled by an authoritarian government.

Communitarians

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

Conservatives

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

Democratic Socialism

A socialist form of government that guarantees civil liberties such as freedom of speech and religion. Citizens determine the extent of government activity through free elections and competitive political parties.

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, and governments must design policies to redistribute wealth and status so that economic and social equality are actually achieved.

freedom from

Immunity, as in freedom from want.

Freedom of

An absence of constraints on behavior, as in freedom of speech or freedom of religion.

Globalization

The increasing interdependence of citizens and nations across the world.

Government

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

Laissez-faire

An economic doctrine that opposes any form of government intervention in business.

Liberalism

The belief that states should leave individuals free to follow their individual pursuits.

Liberals

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

Libertarianism

A political ideology that is opposed to all government action except as necessary to protect life and property.

Libertarians

Those who are opposed to using government to promote either order or equality.

National Sovereignty

a political entity's externally recognized right to exercise final authority over its affairs

order

Established ways of social behavior. Maintaining order is the oldest purpose of government.

police power

The authority of a government to maintain order and safeguard citizens' health, morals, safety, and welfare.

political equality

Equality in political decision making: one vote per person, with all votes counted equally.

political ideology

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

public goods

Benefits and services, such as parks and sanitation, that benefit all citizens but are not likely to be produced voluntarily by individuals.

Rights

The benefits of government to which every citizen is entitled.

social equality

Equality in wealth, education, and status.

Socialism

A form of rule in which the central government plays a strong role in regulating existing private industry and directing the economy, although it does allow some private ownership of productive capacity.

Totalitarianism

A political philosophy that advocates unlimited power for the government to enable it to control all sectors of society.

IDEALS study

social changes to a laissez faire attitude with new freedoms

Autocracy

A system of government in which the power to govern is concentrated in the hands of one individual.

Democracy

A system of government in which, in theory, the people rule, either directly or indirectly.

Democratization

A process of transition as a country attempts to move from an authoritarian form of government to a democratic one.

E-government

Online communication channels that enable citizens to easily obtain information from government and facilitate the expression of opinions to government officials.

Elite Theory

The view that a small group of people actually makes most of the important government decisions.

interest groups

An organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public policy; also called a lobby.

majoritarian model of democracy

The classical theory of democracy in which government by the people is interpreted as government by the majority of the people.

majority rule

The principle—basic to procedural democratic theory—that the decision of a group must reflect the preference of more than half of those participating; a simple majority.

minority rights

The benefits of government that cannot be denied to any citizen by majority decision.

Oligrachy

A system of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of a few people.

participatory democracy

A system of government where citizens elect public officials to govern on their behalf.

pluralist model of democracy

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

political equality

the right to participate in politics equally, based on the principle of "one person, one vote"

procedural democratic theory

A view of democracy as being embodied in a decision-making process that involves universal participation, political equality, majority rule, and responsiveness.

representative democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people.

responsiveness

A decision-making principle, necessitated by representative government, that implies that elected representatives should do what the majority of people wants.

substantive democratic theory

The view that democracy is embodied in the substance of government policies rather than in the policymaking procedure.

universal participation

The concept that everyone in a democracy should participate in governmental decision making.

Loser's consent

The willingness of parties and party supporters to accept the outcome of democratic elections when they have lost the election, thus contributing to the peaceful transfer of power that is an essential of democratic government.

democratic fragility

Demanding economic and social systems that work for everyone.

Articles of Confederation

The compact among the thirteen original states that established the first government of the United States.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution. They prevent the national government from tampering with fundamental rights and civil liberties, and emphasize the limited character of national power.

Checks and Balances

A government structure that gives each branch some scrutiny of and control over the other branches.

confederation

A loose association of independent states that agree to cooperate on specified matters.

Declaration of Independence

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the document that proclaimed the right of the colonies to separate from Great Britain.

Electoral College

A body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and vice president.

enumerated powers

The powers explicitly granted to Congress by the Constitution.

Executive Branch

The law-enforcing branch of government.

extraordinary majority

A majority greater than the minimum of 50 percent plus one.

Federalism

The division of power between a central government and regional governments.

Great Compromise

Submitted by the Connecticut delegation to the Constitutional Convention, and thus also known as the Connecticut Compromise, a plan calling for a bicameral legislature in which the House of Representatives would be apportioned according to population and the states would be represented equally in the Senate.

implied powers

Those powers that Congress needs to execute its enumerated powers.

Judicial Branch

The law-interpreting branch of government.

Judicial Review

The power to declare congressional (and presidential) acts invalid because they violate the Constitution

Legislative Branch

The lawmaking branch of government.

Necessary and Proper Clause

The last clause in Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution, which gives Congress the means to execute its enumerated powers. This clause is the basis for Congress's implied powers. Also called the elastic clause.

New Jersey Plan

Submitted by the head of the New Jersey delegation to the Constitutional Convention, a set of nine resolutions that would have, in effect, preserved the Articles of Confederation by amending rather than replacing them.

Republic

a government based on majority consent

Republicanism

A form of government in which power resides in the people and is exercised by their elected representatives.

Separation of Powers

The assignment of lawmaking, law-enforcing, and law-interpreting functions to separate branches of government.

Social Contract Theory

The belief that the people agree to set up rulers for certain purposes and thus have the right to resist or remove rulers who act against those purposes.

Supremacy Clause

The clause in Article VI of the Constitution that asserts that national laws take precedence over state and local laws when they conflict.

Virginia Plan

A set of proposals for a new government, submitted to the Constitutional Convention of 1787; it included separation of the government into three branches, division of the legislature into two houses, and proportional representation in the legislature.

Originalism

A view that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the original intentions or original meaning of the Framers. Many conservatives support this view.

block grants

Grants-in-aid awarded for general purposes, allowing the recipient great discretion in spending the grant money.

categorical grants

Grants-in-aid targeted for a specific purpose by either formula or project.

Coercive Federalism

A view holding that the national government may impose its policy preferences on the states through regulations in the form of mandates and restraints.

commerce clause

The third clause of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states.

Competitive grants

Grants-in-aid awarded on the basis of applications submitted by prospective recipients who are eligible to compete for the grant.

Cooperative Federalism

A view holding that the Constitution is an agreement among people who are citizens of both state and nation, so there is much overlap between state powers and national powers.

county government

The government units that administer a county.

Dual Federalism

A view holding that the Constitution is a compact among sovereign states, such that the powers of the national government and the states are clearly differentiated.

Elastic Clause

Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which allows Congress to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers of the Constitution.

formula grants

Grants-in-aid distributed according to a particular set of rules, called a formula, that specifies who is eligible for the grants and how much each eligible applicant will receive.

grant-in-aid

Money provided by one level of government to another level of government, or sometimes to a nongovernmental organization, to be spent for a given purpose.

home rule

The right to enact and enforce legislation locally.

intergovernmental system

The collection of governments made up of national, state, and local units of government.

mandate

A requirement that a state undertake an activity or provide a service, in keeping with minimum national standards.

municipal government

The government units that administer a city or town.

Preemption

The power of Congress to enact laws by which the national government assumes total or partial responsibility for a state government function.

Redistricting

The process of redrawing boundaries for electoral or other administrative jurisdictions to reflect changes in population.

restraint

A requirement prohibiting a state or local government from exercising a certain power.

school districts

The government units that administer elementary and secondary schools and programs.

sovreighnty

The quality of being supreme in power or authority.

special districts

Government units created to perform particular functions, especially when those functions are best performed across jurisdictional boundaries.

states' rights

The idea that all rights not specifically conferred on the national government by the US Constitution are reserved to the states.

GA Runoff Elections

Democrats now have majority in Senate, Raphael Warnock!!! ****hershel

pragmatic federalism

A view of federalism that emphasizes practical, contextual problem-solving rather than rigid theory when deciding whether the balance of power should favor the national government or the states.

casework

Solving problems for constituents, especially problems involving government agencies.

Cloture

The mechanism by which a filibuster is cut off in the Senate.

conference committee

A temporary committee created to work out differences between the House and Senate versions of a specific piece of legislation.

constituents

People who live and vote in a government official's district or state.