Ms. Fournier AP Gov Vocab Words

Government

The institution 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.

Policies

A choice the government makes in response to a political issue, encompassing laws, rules, and actions.

Political participation

All the activities by which citizens attempt to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they pursue. Voting is the most common example; others include contacting officials, protesting, and civil disobedience.

Linkage institutions

Political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on policy agenda. Include elections, political parties, interest groups, and media.

Policy agenda

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

Political issue

A problem that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it.

Policymaking institutions

the branches of government—Congress, the Presidency, the Courts, and increasingly the Bureaucracy—that create laws, rules, and actions (public policies) to solve societal problems, operating through established processes to turn issues into government decisions.

Public policy

A choice or course of action a government takes in response to a political issue, often a plan to solve a problem (distributive, redistributive, or regulatory)

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.

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. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected.

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

Elitism

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

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.

Political culture

An overall set of values widely shared within a society

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

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

Constitution

A nation's basic law. It creates political institutions, assigns or divides powers in government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens. Constitutions can be either written or unwritten.

Declaration of Independence

The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence.

Natural Rights

Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property. The concept of natural rights was central to English philosopher John Locke's theories about government and was widely accepted among America's Founders.

Consent of the Governed

The expression of government's legitimacy deriving its authority from the people

(the "how")

Limited Government

The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that government authority comes from the people

(the "what")

Social Contract

An agreement between the people and their government signifying their consent to be governed

(the "why" people consent to be governed)

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, adopted in 1777 and ratified in 1781.

establishing a weak central government (Congress only) with limited powers

-no taxing

-no regulating trade

-no executive/judicial branches

-strong state sovereignty, creating a "league of friendship"

Shays's Rebellion

series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to protest high taxes and foreclosure proceedings

- show weakness of Articles (lack of central gov)

U.S. Constitution

The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of the U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform.

-replaced the Articles of Confederation

Factions

Groups such as interest groups, that according to James Madison, arise from the unequal distribution of property or wealth and have the potential to cause instability in government.

New Jersey Plan

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population.

-infl. senate creation

Virginia Plan

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's share of the U.S. population.

-infl. house of reps creation

Connecticut Compromise

-compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention

-established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives, in which representation is based on a state's share of the U.S. population, and the Senate, in which each state has two representatives.

Writ of habeas corpus

A court order requiring authorities to explain to a judge what lawful reason they have for holding a prisoner in custody.

Separation of Powers

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

-independence of government branches (how they're split)

Checks and Balances

Features of the Constitution that require each branch of the federal government to obtain the consent of the others for its actions; they limit the power of each branch.

-government branches limiting each others power (what they do)

Republic

A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws.

Federalists

Supporters of the U.S. Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption.

Federalist Papers

a set of 85 essays that advocate ratification of the Constitution and provide insightful commentary on the nature of the new system of government.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalist concerns. These amendments define such basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, and press and guarantee defendants' rights.

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

A constitutional amendment passed by Congress in 1972 stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." The amendment failed to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures.

Marbury v. Madison

The 1803 case in which the Supreme Court asserted its right to determine the meaning of the U.S. Constitution.

-established the Court's power of judicial review over acts of Congress.

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress, and by implication the executive, are in accord with the U.S. Constitution. It was established by Marbury v. Madison.

Federalism

A way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same area and people (state and federal)

Unitary Governments

A central government that holds supreme power in a nation. Most national governments today

Intergovernmental Relations

The entire set of interactions among national, state, and local governments that constitute the workings of the federal system.

- e.g. regulations, grants, mandates

Supremacy Clause*

The clause in Article VI of the Constitution that makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws as long as the national government is acting within its constitutional limits (fed > state)

-tension w/ tenth amendment

-est. "what" is supreme

-est. by McCulloch v Maryland

Tenth Amendment*

The constitutional amendment stating, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people" (state > fed)

-tension w/ supremacy clause

McCulloch v. Maryland*

An 1819 Supreme Court decision that established the supremacy of the national government over state governments (fed > state)

In deciding this case, Chief Justice John Marshall and his colleagues held that Congress had certain implied powers in addition to the enumerated powers enumerated in the Constitution.

-est. Necessary and Proper Clause (elastic clause)

Enumerated powers*

Powers of the federal government that are listed explicitly in the Constitution. For example, Article 1, Section 8, specifically gives Congress the power to coin money and regulate its value and impose taxes.

-used by supremacy clause, necessary and proper clause

Implied powers*

powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution, in accordance with the statement in the Constitution that Congress has the power to "make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution" the powers enumerated in Article 1.

Elastic Clause*

The final paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which authorizes Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the enumerated powers

-est. "how" Congress stretches its power

-est. by McCulloch v Maryland

Gibbons v. Ogden*

A landmark case decided in 1824 in which the Supreme Court interpreted very broadly the clause in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution giving Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce, encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity.

Full faith and credit

A clause in Article IV of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of all other states.

Extradition

A legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.

Privileges and Immunities

The provision of the Constitution according citizens of each state the privileges of citizens of any state in which they happen to be.

Dual Federalism

A system of government in which the states and the national government each remain supreme within their own spheres, each with different powers and policy responsibilities.

-layer cake

Devolution

Transferring responsibility for policies from the federal government to state and local governments.

Fiscal Federalism

The pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government's relations with state and local governments.

Categorical grants

Federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or "categories," of state and local spending. They come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions.

Project grants

Federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications

Formula grants

Federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations.

Block grants

Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services

Public Opinion

the distribution of the population's beliefs about politics and policy issues

Demography

the science of population changes

Census

An "actual enumeration" of the population, which the Constitution requires that the government conduct every 10 years. The census is a valuable tool for understanding demographic changes.

Melting pot

A term often used to characterize the U.S., with its history of immigration and mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples.

-modern day is more like "salad bowl"

Minority majority

The situation, likely beginning in the mid-twenty-first century, in which the non-Hispanic whites will represent a minority of the U.S. population and minority groups together will represent a majority.

Political Culture

an overall set of values widely shared within a society

-dont confuse w/ political ideology/socialization

Reapportionment

The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.

Political socialization

The process through which individuals in a society acquire political attitudes, views, and knowledge, based on inputs from family, schools, the media, and others

-strongest impact is family

Sample

A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole.

Random sample

The key TECHNIQUE employed by survey researchers, which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample.

Sampling error

The level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. The more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results.

Random digit dialing

A technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey.

Exit poll

public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision

Political Ideology

A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose, which helps give meaning to political events.

Gender gap

The regular pattern in which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates, in part because they tend to be less conservative than men and more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.

Political Participation

All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. The most common means of political participation in a democracy is voting; other means include protest and civil disobedience.

Protest

A form of political participation designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics.

Civil Disobedience

A form of political participation based on a conscious decision to break a law believed to be unjust and to suffer the consequences.

Social Welfare Policies

Policies that provide benefits, cash or in-kind, to individuals, based on either entitlement or means testing.

Unemployment rate

As measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the proportion of the labor force actively seeking work but unable to find jobs

Underemployment Rate

As measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a statistic that includes (1) people who aren't working and are actively seeking a job, (2) those who would like to work but have given up looking, and (3) those who are working part-time because they cannot find a full-time position.

Inflation

A rise in price of goods and services

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

The key measure of inflation- the change in the cost of buying a fixed basket of goods and services.

Laissez-faire

The principle that government should not meddle in the economy.

Monetary policy

government manipulation of the supply of money in private hands - one of two important tools by which the government can attempt to steer the economy

-directly injects $ into economy

Monetarism

An economic theory holding that the supply of money is the key to a nation's economic health, with too much cash and credit in circulation producing inflation.

-opposite of Keynesian Economic Theory

Federal Reserve System

The main instrument for making monetary policy in the United States. It was created by Congress in 1913 to regulate the lending practices of banks and thus the money supply.

-operates independently to prevent political pressure

Fiscal policy

Use of the federal budget (GOV SPENDING, TAX RATES) to influence the economy

-use alongside monetary policy, a main tool by which the government can attempt to steer the economy.

-almost entirely determined by Congress and the president.

Keynesian economic theory

Named after English economist John Maynard Keynes

-theory that emphasizes government spending and deficits can help the economy deal with its up and downs

-use of power of government to stimulate the economy when its lagging

-opposite of Monetarism

Supply-side economics

An ecomomic theory, first applied during the Reagan administration, holding that the key task for fiscal policy is to stimulate the supply of goods, as by cutting tax rates.

Tariffs

Fees for importing goods into the U.S. from other countries

Entitlement programs

government programs providing benefits to qualified individuals regardless of need

Means-tested programs

government programs providing benefits only to individuals who qualify based on specific needs

Income Distribution

The way the national income is divided into "shares" ranging from the poor to the rich.

Relative deprivation

A perception by individuals that they are not doing well economically in comparison to others

Income

The amount of money collected between any two points in time