AP Gov unit 1 vocab

Policy Agenda

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

Democracy

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

Gross Domestic

________- The sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a year in a nation.

Government

________- The institutions through which public policies are made for a society.

Grid Lock

Policy ________- A condition that occurs when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy, so nothing gets done.

Political Culture

________- An overall set of values widely shared within a society.

US Constitution

The ________ established three policymaking institutions- Congress, the presidency, and the courts.

Pluralists

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

Hyperpuralism

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

Representation

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

Impacts

________ are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost.

branches of government

Policymaking Institutions- The ________ charged with taking action on political issues.

democratic theory

Majority Rule- A fundamental principle of traditional ________.

Politics

________- The process determining the leaders we select and the policies they pursue.

Minority Rights

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

political issues

People's interests, problems, and concerns create ________ for government policymakers.

Public Policy

________- A choice that government makes in response to a political issue.

Political Participation

________- All the activities by which citizens attempt to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they pursue.

democracy

In a(n) ________, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected.

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.

Politics

________ produces authoritative decisions about public issues.

Political Issue

________- An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it.

Government

The institutions through which public policies are made for a society

Collective Goods

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

Politics

The process determining the leaders we select and the policies they pursue

Political Participation

All the activities by which citizens attempt to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they pursue

Single-Issue Groups

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

Policy Making System

The process by which policy comes into being and evolves

Linkage Institutions

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

Policy Agenda

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

Political Issue

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

Policymaking Institutions

The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues

Public Policy

A choice that government makes in response to a political issue

Policy Impacts

The effects a policy has on people and problems

Democracy

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

Majority Rule

A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory

Minority Rights

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

Representation

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

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

Elitism

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

Hyperpuralism

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

Policy Grid Lock

A condition that occurs when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy, so nothing gets done

Political Culture

An overall set of values widely shared within a society

Gross Domestic

The sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a year in a nation