AP HuG 4.7 Vocab

Public Good

A commodity or service that is provided without profit to all members of a society

Nonexcludable

It is costly or impossible for one user to exclude others from using a good

Nonrivalrous

When one person uses a good, it does not prevent others from using it

Monarchy

Form of government headed by a royal family

Absolute Monarchy

The monarch holds supreme autocratic authority, principally not being restricted by written laws, legislature or customs

Limited Monarchy

The monarch shares power with an elected government

Dictatorship

A form of government where a dictator holds absolute power and authority over a state

Democracy

A form of government where citizens hold the power, either directly or through elected representatives

Directed Democracies

A form of government where eligible citizens vote directly on initiatives facing the town or state as a whole

Presidential Democracies

Voters choose a president to lead the government as the head of the executive branch

Parliamentary Democracies

Voters elect lawmakers to represent them in the nation’s parliament

Single Party State

Where only one political party exists and governs

Theocracy

A form of government in which God, or a deity, is recognized as the supreme ruling authority

Unitary State

A system of government where the central government is the supreme power

Federal Systems

People divide power between a central government and various constituent government

Confederal System

Government is divided between national and state authorities, in which primary power rests within the individual states or semi-autonomous areas