American Government and Civic Engagement

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering foundational terms, definitions, theoretical perspectives, and empirical data from Chapter 1 on American Government and Civic Engagement.

Government

The means by which a society organizes itself and how it allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals and provide benefits that the society as a whole needs.

Politics

The process of gaining and exercising control within a government for the purpose of setting and achieving particular goals, informally summarized as who gets what and how.

Capitalism

An economic system where the means of production are privately owned, emphasizing individualism and freedom of action.

Socialism

An economic system where the state owns the means of production, often accompanied by government run by an oligarchy.

John Locke

An English political thinker who asserted that all people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property, contributing to the shift from the divine right of kings to self-government.

Divine Right of Kings

The historical notion that monarchs possessed a special authority granted directly by God.

The Wealth of Nations (1776)

A foundational economic book by Adam Smith arguing that individual self-interest and market competition, rather than government control, lead to prosperity and low prices.

The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759)

A book written by Adam Smith highlighting human empathy, sympathy, and fellow feeling as fundamental aspects of human nature.

Excludable Goods

Goods that not everyone can access, often because only those who pay for them are permitted to use them.

Non-excludable Goods

Goods or services that anyone may use, usually without charge.

Rivalrous Goods

Goods or services that can only be used by one person at any given time.

Non-rivalrous Goods

Goods or services that many people may use at the same time.

Private Goods

Market-provided goods that are both excludable and rivalrous, such as cell phones, televisions, and cars.

Common Goods

Goods that are non-excludable and rivalrous, such as water or fish from the ocean.

Toll Goods

Goods that are excludable and non-rivalrous, such as cable TV, private schools, and turnpikes.

Public Goods

Government-provided goods that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous, such as national defense and public education.

Four-Quadrant Classification of Goods

A matrix categorizing goods into Private, Common, Toll, and Public goods based on two key dimensions: excludability and rivalry.

Egalitarianism

A political value calling for equal treatment for all and the reduction of socioeconomic inequalities through public spending funded by taxation.

Representative Democracy

A republic system of government in which citizens elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on their behalf.

Direct Democracy

A system of government in which citizens participate directly in political decision-making, such as through New England town meetings or local referenda.

Majority Rule

The principle that the opinions of the majority hold greater weight in government, allowing proposed laws to be enacted if favored by a majority of elected representatives.

Minority Rights

Protections ensuring that individuals cannot be deprived of core rights, such as freedom of religion or civil rights protections, even if opposed by a majority.

Monarchy

A government system where political power is held by a single, typically hereditary ruler, as seen in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, or Vatican City.

Oligarchy

A system of government in which a handful of elite members of society, often tied to a specific political party, hold all political power.

Totalitarianism

A nondemocratic system where the government considers itself more important than citizens and exerts control over all aspects of their lives.

Elite Theory

A theory advanced by C. Wright Mills in The Power Elite (1956) stating that government is controlled by economic, military, and political elites who shape policy to serve their own interests.

Congressional Educational Attainment Breakdown

Data highlighting elite representation in government: $100\%$ of the US Senate and $95\%$ of the US House hold a Bachelor's degree, compared to $<40\%$ of the general US population holding an Associate's degree.

Pluralist Theory

A theory associated with Robert Dahl arguing that power is distributed among competing interest groups that influence public policy through negotiation and competition.

Tradeoffs

Compromises made by government when attempting to balance conflicting interests, values, or rights across opposing factions or levels of authority.

Civic Engagement

The participation that connects citizens to government, granting ordinary individuals the power to shape public policies, funding priorities, and political leadership.

Levels of Civic Engagement Chart

Data showing that $70\%$ of American adults engage in non-personal political actions, $30\%$ attend local government meetings or rallies, and $16\%$ volunteer or work for political campaigns.

Partisanship

The tendency to identify with and support, often blindly, a specific political party.

Ideology

The established beliefs and ideals that help shape political policy.