AP Gov Vocab - 1

Democracy

government by the people

Direct Democracy

Government in which citizens vote on laws and select officials directly.

Elite Theory

theory that upper class elites exercise great influence over public policy

Government

The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies

Hyperpluralist Theory

a theory of government and politics contending that groups have unequal power and are no longer governable as a collective.

Ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

linkage institutions

Institutions that connect citizens to government. The mass media, interest groups, and political parties are the three main linkage institutions.

Majority Rule

the principle that the greater number should exercise greater power.

Parliamentarian Government

a system of government having the real executive power vested in a cabinet composed of members of the legislature who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature.

pluralist theory

the theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups

policy agenda

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

policy gridlock

A condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. The result is that nothing may get done.

policymaking institutions

the branches of government charged with taking action on political issues

political issue

an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it

Politics

the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government

public policy

the course of action the government takes in response to an issue or problem

Public Goods

a commodity or service that is provided without profit to all members of a society, either by the government or a private individual or organization.

Representative Democracy

a form of democracy in which citizens elect officials to govern on their behalf

single-issue groups

Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.

Unitary Government

A way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government.