Government in America AP Edition, 2014 Elections and Updates Edition, Ch. 1

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. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.

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 means of political participation in a democracy. Other means include contacting public officials, protest, and civil disobedience.

single-issue groups

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

policymaking system

The process by which policy comes into being and evolves. People’s interests, problems, and concerns create political issues for government policy-makers. These issues shape policy, generating more interests, problems, and concerns.

linkage institutions

The political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. In the United States, 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.

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. The U.S. Constitution established three policymaking institutions—Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Today, the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most political scientists consider it a fourth policy-making institution.

public policy

A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action with regard to some problem.

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 democractic 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.

hyperpluralism

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 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 goods and services produced in a year in a nation.