Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America

liberty

Freedom from government control

Individualism

The belief that people can and should get ahead on their own.

Laissez-faire

Idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs.

Populism

support for the concerns of ordinary people

Egalitarianism

the belief that all people should have equal political, economic, social, and civil rights

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

A measurement of the total goods and services produced within a country.

political culture

an overall set of values widely shared within a society

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.

Hyperpluralism

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

Elitism

A theory of American democracy contending that an upper-class elite holds the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization.

Pluralism

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. Pluralists tend to believe that as a result, public interest generally prevails.

representation

A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers.

minority rights

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

majority rule

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

Democracy

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

policy impacts

The effects a policy has on people and problems. Impacts are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost.

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.

policymaking institutions

congress, presidency, courts, and the bureaucracy

political issue

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

policy agenda

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

linkage institutions

the political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda

policymaking system

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.

single-issue groups

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

political participation

All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue.

Politics

The process determining the leaders we select and the policies they pursue. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.

collective goods

Goods and services, such as clean air and clean water, that by their nature cannot be denied to anyone.

Government

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

Maintain a national defense

A government protects its national sovereignty, usually by maintaining armed forces.

Provide public goods and services

schools, roads, transportations- through taxes.

Preserve order and protect public safety

Maintaining order / restoring order

socializing the young

Government politically socializing the young / instilling knowledge, values, customs, and national pride.