AP Gov Chapter 1 Vocab

Single Issue Group

Political group or organization focused on lobbying on a specific policy area or idea.  

Linkage Institutions

The political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda.

Policy Agenda

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics at a point in time.

Public Policy

A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.

Democracy

A system of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through freely elected representatives.

Majority Rule

A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires the majority’s desire be respected.

Minority Rights

A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities.

Policy Gridlock

A condition that occurs when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy, so nothing gets done.

Republicanism

The democratic principle that the will of the people is reflected in government debates and decisions by their representatives.

Popular Sovereignty

All government power comes from the consent of its people

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress and those of the executive branch are in accord with the US Constitution. This was established by Marbury v. Madison.

Separation of Powers

Specific and separate powers delegated to Congress, the prescient, and the courts allow each branch to check and balance the power of the other branches, ensuring no one branch becomes too powerful; creates multiple access points for stakeholders and institutions to influence public policy. 

Participatory Democracy

Emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society.

Pluralist Democracy

Emphasizes group-based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on political decision making.

Elite Democracy

Emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society.

Hyperpluralism

A theory of American democracy arguing that a wide variety of interest groups have become empowered with the ability to veto policy change, thereby leading to regular gridlock in Washington.

Limited Government

A government’s power cannot be absolute; the ideal of this is ensured by the interaction of the principles of separation of powers, checks and balances, and republicanism.

Natural Rights

All people have certain rights that cannot be taken away

Social Contract

An implicit agreement among the people in a society to give up some freedoms to maintain social order.

Representative Democracy

A system of government in which all eligible citizens to vote on representatives to make public policy for them; can take several forms including the models of participatory democracy, pluralist democracy, and elite democracy.