AP US Gov + Pol Chapter 1 Vocab

Single Interest Group

Groups that have a narrow interest on which their members tend to take an uncompromising stance

Linkage Institutions

The political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. In the US, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media

Policy Agenda

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

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

Democracy

A system of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through freely elected representatives

Majority Rule

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

Minority Right

A principal of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to the majority

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

Republicanism

The democratic principle that the will of the people is reflected in government debates and decisions by their representatives

Popular Sovereignty

All government power comes from the consent of its people

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress and those of the executive branch are in accord with the US Constitution. Judicial review was established by Marbury v. Madison

Separation of Powers

A feature of the Constitution that requires the three branches of government - executive, legislative, and judicial - to be relatively independent of each other so that one cannot control the others. Power is shared among these three institutions

Participatory Democracy

Emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society

Pluralist Democracy

Emphasizes group-based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on decision making

Elite Democracy

Emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society

Hyperpluralism

A theory of American democracy arguing that a wide variety of interest groups have become empowered with the ability to veto policy change, thereby leading to regular gridlock in Washington

Limited Government

A government’s power cannot be absolute; the ideal of limited government is ensured by the interaction of these principals: i. Separation of powers ii. Checks and balances iii. Federalism iv. Republicanism

Natural Rights

All people have certain rights that cannot be taken away

Social Contract

An implicit agreement among the people in a society to give up some freedoms to maintain social order

Representative Democracy

A system of government in which all eligible citizens to vote on representatives to make public policy for them; can take several forms including the following models: i. Participatory democracy, ii. Pluralist democracy, iii. Elite democracy