AP Gov - Chapter 1

Issue

a topic that arises when people disagree about a problem

Politics

who should govern and to what ends they should work

Power

the ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions

Authority

the right to use power

Formal Authority

the right to exercise power is vested in gov office. by becoming president, a senator, or a federal judge you gain the ability to take certain actions

Legitimacy

political authority agreed with by a law, state, or national constitution

Democracy

“the rule of the many”- Aristotle

Direct/Participatory Democracy

a gov where most or all citizens directly participate/vote on issues (think gilmore girls town meeting)

Representative Democracy

a gov where leaders make decisions by winning a competitive vote (where citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf)

Popular Sovereignty

the authority of a state/gov is created and sustained by the people

Limited Government

a gov that has limited powers because of laws

Consent of the Governed

gov gets powers from the people they govern

Elite

people who have disproportionate shares of power, money, etc

Class View (aka Marxist Theory)

belief that the gov is controlled by economic forces, which are controlled by capitalists (gov → economic forces/economy → capitalists)

[gov is controlled by those who control the economy]

Karl Marx

German philosopher in the 19th century

Communism

classless system where the means of production are owned communally

Power Elite View

belief that the gov is controlled by a few top leaders who are mostly outside of the government (corporate leaders, top military officers, etc)

[gov is controlled by those who control the economy]

C. Wright Mills

20th century American sociologist who created the power elite theory

Bureaucratic View

belief that power is mainly in the hands of the the appointed officers who gain their power by deciding how to translate public laws into administrative actions (gov is controlled by appointed officers)

Max Weber

German scholar who founded sociology. he thought that all institutions (gov and non gov) were under the control of bureaucracies

Pluralist View

belief that public policy is affected by __everything__. there is no single group that could/does dominate the political process

Creedal Passion View

recognized that organizational self-interest (instead of economic self-interest) is usually the best guide to people’s actions. (morally impassioned elites drive important political changes)

Political Agenda

issues that gov officials prioritize addressing (right now the climate and abortion rights are high rn)

Public Policy

laws that address public concern

Cost

a burden people must face if a policy is enacted (increasing the funds to public schools might make __citizens pay higher taxes__)

Benefit

a satisfactions people will get if a policy is enacted (raising the taxes will result in __more funding to public schools__)

Elitist Theory of Democracy

Another name for representative democracy, it is justified by 1) it’s impractical for the people to decide on public policy but not impractical for them to decide on representatives and 2) the belief that direct democracy is likely to lead to bad decisions because the majority will overpower the minority based on fleeting passion and influence from others

Majoritarian Politics

in a representative gov, when the leaders are constrained by the choices that the most citizens want them to make (when delegates act as the majority of the people would act if the matter were a popular vote)

Interest Group Politics

a policy where one small group benefits and another small group pays

Client Politics

a policy where one small group (normally an organized minority or interest group) benefits and almost everyone else pays

Pork Barrel Legislation

legislation that gives tangible benefits (money, gifts, etc) to constituents in hopes of getting their vote in return

Logrolling

legislator A supports a proposal by legislator B in order for legislator B to support legislator A’s proposal in return

Entrepreneurial Politics

a policy where almost everyone benefits and only a small group has to pay the cost