gov chapter 1

Aristocracy

form of government ruled by an elite few

Checks and balances

ways for the government to prevent giving too much power to one person, for example having different branches that each do their own thing, legislative, executive and judicial

book definition: a system in which each brand of government has some power over the other

collective action

how we coordinate to achieve things together

problems with collective action

free riders, tragedy of the commons

what are free riders

benefiting from others work without making a contribution

tragedy of the commons

if people over use resources then there is nothing less

way to avoid them is to regulate with the government

what is a conservative

side of ideology that supports lower taxes, free market, and more limited government

what are factions

groups of like minded people who try to influence the gov.

what is a liberal

side of ideology spectrum that supports stronger government programs and more market regulation

what is ideology

a cohesive set of ideas and beliefs used to organize and evaluate the political world

what are libertarians

those who prefer very limited government and tend to be more conservative on government funding for education, social welfare policy and more liberal on issues such as free speech abortion and legalization on drugs

what are norms

unwritten rules and informal agreements among citizens and elected officials on how the government and society should run

what is government

the system for implementing decisions made through political parties

types of government

monarchy (rule by one) aristocracy (rule by few) polity (ruled by many)

democracy

government for the people, where the people elect leaders to represent them

republic

system of government that allows indirect representation of popular will limited form of government, we have democratic republic (power from the people but government makes laws for us)

north korea is full republic

republic does not equal democracy but democracy is republic

what is direct democracy

people vote all together and make laws themselves they don’t have an elected official

what is texas creed and the 5 big ideas

the 5 big ideas that shape texas politics and government

individualism

liberty

constitutionalism

equality

democracy

what is individualism

each person can act according to their own conscience

what is liberty

government shouldnt infringe on a persons rights

political freedom such as freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion

what is constitutionalism

written document that limits government

what is equality

all individuals should be treated the same no matter socioeconomic status

what is monarchy

ruled by king and queens

what is politics

the process of gaining or distributing power

what is the free market

economic system based on competition among businesses without government interference

what are culture wars

political conflict in the us between red states and blue states

what is redistributed tax polices

policies generally favored by democratic politicians that use taxation to attempt to create social equality, (ex. higher taxes for the rich)

sources of conflict in american politics

economic interests, cultural values, identity: race, and gender, ideology: republican or dem

what is indirect democracy

also known as representative democracy, where people vote on elected leaders to make their law for them

separation of powers

the division of government power across the judicial executive and legislative branches

what are public goods

services or actions that once provided to one persons become available to everyone

what is polity and an example

organized political entity or specific form of gov, refers to the framework such as rules or constitution

also rule by many

example is the whole united states

what is Economic individualism

ideology that people can make their own economic decisions

what is a Critical consumer of politics and news

you check to see who wrote it, evidence, size of the claim, you check many records and sources.