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the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for society

Government

goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share

Public goods

the process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues; "who gets what, when, and how"

Politics

all the activities by which citizens attempt to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they pursue

Political participation

the process by which policy comes into being and evolves. People's interests, problems, and concerns create political issues for government policymakers. These issues shape policy, which in turn impacts people, generating more interests, problems, and concerns.

Policymaking system

a system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences

Democracy

a theory of American democracy emphasizing that the policymaking process is very open to the participation of all groups with shared interests, with no single group usually dominating; tend to believe that as a result, public interest generally prevails

Pluralism

a theory of American democracy contending that an upper class elite holds the power and make policy, regardless of governmental organization

Elitism

a theory of American democracy contending that groups are so strong that government, which gives in to the many groups, is thereby weakened

Hyperpluralism

a nation's basic law; creates political institutions, assigns or divides powers in government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens; can be written (USA) or unwritten (UK)

Constitution

rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property

Natural rights

the idea that government derives its authority by sanction of the people

Consent of the governed

a series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings

Shays' Rebellion

a system of government that divides power between the national and state governments

Federalism

parties or interest groups that James Madison saw as arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth and attacked as having the potential to cause instability in government

Factions

the proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population

New Jersey Plan

the proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's share of the US population

Virginia Plan

the compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention that established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives (based on pop.) and the Senate (equal representation)

Connecticut Compromise

a form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws

Republic

supporters of the US Constitution at the time that the states were contemplating its adoption

Federalists

opponents of the US Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption

Anti-Federalists

a collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail.

Federalist Papers

a way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government; most national governments today

Unitary governments

a system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies

Dual federalism

a system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government

Cooperative federalism

transferring responsibility for policies from the federal government to state and local governments

Devolution

the pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; cornerstone of the relationship between the national and state governments

Fiscal federalism

federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or "categories," of state and local spending

Categorical grants

federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications

Project grants

federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations

Formula grants

federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services

Block grants