POLS 1101 Exam 1 Master Vocab Study Guide Ch. 1-4 & 15 + Ch. 15 Civil Liberties Key Court Cases

globalization

The increasing interdependence of citizens and nations across the world.

government

The legitimate use of force to control human behavior; also, the organization or agency authorized to exercise that force.

national sovereignty

A political entity's externally recognized right to exercise final authority over its affairs.

Order

Established ways of social behavior. Maintaining order is the oldest purpose of government.

liberalism

The belief that states should leave individuals free to follow their individual pursuits. *Note that this differs from the definition of liberal later in this chapter.

communism

A political system in which, in theory, ownership of all land and productive facilities is in the hands of the people, and all goods are equally shared. The production and distribution of goods are controlled by an authoritarian government.

public goods

Benefits and services, such as parks and sanitation, that benefit all citizens but are not likely to be produced voluntarily by individuals.

values pursued by government

Freedom, Order, and Equality

Concepts that describe models of democratic government:

Majoritarian democracy and Pluralist democracy

Freedom of

An absence of constraints on behavior, as in freedom of speech or freedom of religion.

Freedom from

Immunity, as in freedom from want.

police power

The authority of a government to maintain order and safeguard citizens' health, morals, safety, and welfare.

Political equality

Equality in political decision making: one vote per person, with all votes counted equally.

social equality

Equality in wealth, education, and status.

Equality of opportunity

The idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to succeed in life.

equality of outcome

The concept that society must ensure that people are equal, and governments must design policies to redistribute wealth and status so that economic and social equality are actually achieved.

rights

The benefits of government to which every citizen is entitled.

political ideology

A consistent set of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government.

Totalitarianism

A political philosophy that advocates unlimited power for the government to enable it to control all sectors of society.

socialism

A form of rule in which the central government plays a strong role in regulating existing private industry and directing the economy, although it does allow some private ownership of productive capacity.

democratic socialism

A socialist form of government that guarantees civil liberties such as freedom of speech and religion. Citizens determine the extent of government activity through free elections and competitive political parties.

capitalism

The system of government that favors free enterprise (privately owned businesses operating without government regulation).

Libertarianism

A political ideology that is opposed to all government action except as necessary to protect life and property

Libertarians

Those who are opposed to using government to promote either order or equality.

laissez-faire

An economic doctrine that opposes any form of government intervention in business.

Anarchism

A political philosophy that opposes government in any form.

Conservatives

Those who are willing to use government to promote order but not equality.

Liberals

Those who are willing to use government to promote equality but not order.

communitarians

Those who are willing to use government to promote both order and equality.

autocracy

A system of government in which the power to govern is concentrated in the hands of one individual.

Oligarchy

A system of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of a few people.

democracy

A system of government in which, in theory, the people rule, either directly or indirectly.

Procedural democratic theory

A view of democracy as being embodied in a decision-making process that involves universal participation, political equality, majority rule, and responsiveness.

universal participation

The concept that everyone in a democracy should participate in governmental decision making.

majority rule

The principle—basic to procedural democratic theory—that the decision of a group must reflect the preference of more than half of those participating; a simple majority.

participatory democracy

A system of government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf.

E-government

Online communication channels that enable citizens to easily obtain information from government and facilitate the expression of opinions to government officials.

representative democracy

A system of government where citizens elect public officials to govern on their behalf.

responsiveness

A decision-making principle, necessitated by representative government, that implies that elected representatives should do what the majority of people wants.

peaceful transition of power

A principle of procedural democracy that requires candidates that lose elections to accept election outcomes and allow their political opponents to govern. Instead of trying to retain power by force, they instead try to regain power through subsequent elections.

Five Principles of Procedural Democracy

Universal Participation

Political Equality

Majority Rule

Government Responsiveness to Public Opinion

Peaceful Transition of Power

Substantive democratic theory

The view that democracy is embodied in the substance of government policies rather than in the policymaking procedure.

minority rights

The benefits of government that cannot be denied to any citizen by majority decision.

majoritarian model of democracy

The classical theory of democracy in which government by the people is interpreted as government by the majority of the people.

interest group

An organization that seeks to influence public policy; also called a lobby.

pluralist model of democracy

An interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean government by people operating through competing interest groups.

elite theory

The view that a small group of people actually makes most of the important government decisions.

democratization

A process of transition as a country attempts to move from an authoritarian form of government to a democratic one.

Declaration of Independence

Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, the document that proclaimed the right of the colonies to separate from Great Britain.

social contract theory

The belief that the people agree to set up rulers for certain purposes and thus have the right to resist or remove rulers who act against those purposes.

confederation

A loose association of independent states that agree to cooperate on specified matters.

Articles of Confederation

The compact among the thirteen original states that established the first government of the United States.

Reasons the Articles of Confederation failed:

- national government had no taxation power

- had no provision for an independent leadership position to direct the government

- the national government could not regulate interstate and foreign commerce

- the articles required unanimous agreement to be amended

The Virginia Plan

A set of proposals for a new government, submitted to the Constitutional Convention of 1787; it included separation of the government into three branches, division of the legislature into two houses, and proportional representation in the legislature.

legislative branch

The branch of government that makes laws.

executive branch

The branch of government that implements and enforces laws.

judicial branch

The branch of government that interprets laws and applies them to specific cases.

The New Jersey Plan

Submitted by the head of the New Jersey delegation to the Constitutional Convention, a set of nine resolutions that would have, in effect, preserved the Articles of Confederation by amending rather than replacing them.

The Great Compromise

Submitted by the Connecticut delegation to the Constitutional Convention, and thus also known as the Connecticut Compromise, a plan calling for a bicameral legislature in which the House of Representatives would be apportioned according to population and the states would be represented equally in the Senate.

Electoral College

A body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and vice president.

extraordinary majority

A majority greater than the minimum of 50 percent plus one.

Republicanism

A form of government in which power resides in the people and is exercised by their elected representatives.

Federalism

The division of power between a central government and regional governments.

Separation of powers

The assignment of lawmaking, law-enforcing, and law-interpreting functions to separate branches of government.

Checks and balances

A government structure that gives each branch some scrutiny of and control over the other branches.

enumerated powers

The powers explicitly granted to Congress by the Constitution.

necessary and proper clause

The last enumerated power in Section 8 of Article I of the Constitution, which gives Congress the means to execute its other enumerated powers. This clause is the basis for Congress's implied powers. Also called the elastic clause.

implied powers

Those powers that Congress needs to execute its enumerated powers.

judicial review

The power of the courts to declare congressional (and presidential) acts invalid because they violate the Constitution.

supremacy clause

The clause in Article VI of the Constitution that asserts that the Constitution, national laws, and treaties take precedence over state and local laws when they conflict.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution. They prevent the national government from tampering with fundamental rights and civil liberties and emphasize the limited character of national power.

sovereignty

The quality of being supreme in power or authority.

dual federalism

A view holding that the Constitution is a compact among sovereign states, such that the powers of the national government and the states are clearly differentiated. Also referred to as 'Layer Cake Federalism'

states' rights

The idea that all rights not specifically conferred on the national government by the U.S. Constitution are reserved to the states.

Layer-Cake Federalism

Citizens cutting into the political system will find clear differences between state and national powers, functions, and responsibilities; a.k.a Dual Federalism

Cooperative federalism

A view holding that the Constitution is an agreement among people who are citizens of both state and nation, so there is much overlap between state powers and national powers. Also referred to as 'Marble-Cake Federalism'

Marble-Cake Federalism

Citizens cutting into the political system at any point will find national and state powers, functions, and responsibilities mixed and mingled; a.k.a Cooperative Federalism

pragmatic federalism

A view of federalism that emphasizes practical, contextual problem solving rather than rigid theory when deciding whether the balance of power should favor the national government or the states.

coercive federalism

A view holding that the national government may impose its policy preferences on the states through regulations in the form of mandates and restraints.

preemption

The power of Congress to enact laws by which the national government assumes total or partial responsibility for a state government function.

mandate

A requirement that a state or local government undertake an activity or provide a service, in keeping with minimum national standards.

restraint

A requirement prohibiting a state or local government from exercising a certain power.

commerce clause

The third clause of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states.

grant-in-aid

Money provided by one level of government to another level of government, or sometimes to a nongovernmental organization, to be spent for a given purpose.

Categorical grants

Grants-in-aid targeted for a specific purpose by either formula or project.

block grants

Grants-in-aid awarded for general purposes, allowing the recipient great discretion in spending the grant money.

Formula grants

Grants-in-aid distributed according to a particular set of rules, called a formula, that specifies who is eligible for the grants and how much each eligible applicant will receive.

Competitive grants

Grants-in-aid awarded on the basis of applications submitted by prospective recipients who are eligible to compete for the grant.

redistricting

The process of redrawing boundaries for electoral or other administrative jurisdictions to reflect changes in population.

intergovernmental system

The collection of governments made up of national, state, and local units of government.

municipal governments

Government units that administer a city or town.

county governments

Government units that administer a county.

special districts

Government units created to perform particular functions, especially when those functions are best performed across jurisdictional boundaries.

School districts

Government units that administer elementary and secondary schools and programs.

home rule

The right to enact and enforce legislation locally.

Civil liberties

Freedoms guaranteed to individuals taking the form of restraint on government.

Civil rights

Powers or privileges guaranteed to individuals and protected from arbitrary removal at the hands of government or individuals.

due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

Part of Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which requires state governments to adhere to certain procedures and forbids unreasonable state government action that infringes on important substantive freedoms.

establishment clause

The first clause in the First Amendment, which forbids government establishment of religion.

free-exercise clause

The second clause in the First Amendment, which prevents the government from interfering with the exercise of religion.