AP Gov Unit 4 vocab

Political Culture

The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms about how citizens relate to governments and to one another.

Individualism

Individualism is a political philosophy, social outlook, and moral stance that emphasizes the value of the individual.

Equality of Opportunity

Equality of opportunity is a political ideal that aims to provide all people with equal opportunities to compete for positions and advance in society.

Free Enterprise

Free enterprise, also known as a free market system, is an economic system where individuals and businesses are free to make their own economic decisions with minimal government interference

Rule of Law

The principle that both those who govern and those who are governed must obey the law and are subject to the same laws. This principle is contrasted to the "rule of men," in which those in power make up the rules as they please.

Limited Government

A political system where the government's power is restricted by laws and a written constitution, meaning it only has the powers explicitly delegated to it, thereby protecting individual rights and liberties from excessive government interference.

Social Capital

The networks of relationships and civic engagement within a community, including trust, cooperation, and shared values, which enable individuals to work together effectively to address collective issues, often stemming from participation in voluntary organizations.

Natural Rights

Fundamental rights that individuals are believed to possess simply by virtue of being human, typically including the rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Democratic consensus

The application of consensus decision-making and supermajority to the process of legislation in a democracy.

Majority Rule

A social choice rule which says that, when comparing two options, the option preferred by more than half of the voters should win.

Popular sovereignty

The political theory that the government is created by and is subject to the will of the people. It is based on the idea that the people are the source of all political legitimacy and that the government's power comes from the consent of the people.

Nationalism

Identification with one's own nation and support for its interests, especially to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other nations.

American Dream

The ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved.

Capitalism

An economic system where private individuals and businesses own the means of production, and the market determines prices and production.

Political efficacy

Citizens' trust in their ability to change the government and belief that they can understand and influence political affairs.

Political Ideology

A certain set of ethical ideals, principles, doctrines, myths or symbols of a social movement, institution, class or large group that explains how society should work and offers some political and cultural blueprint for a certain social order.

Liberalism

A political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality, right to private property and equality before the law.

Convervatism

A cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values.

Socialism

An economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterized by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership.

Libertarianism

A political philosophy that places a strong emphasis on the value of liberty.

Keynesian economics

A macroeconomic theory that government intervention can stabilize the economy.

Supply-side economics

A macroeconomic theory that states that economic growth is best achieved by:

• Lowering taxes

• Reducing government regulation

• Allowing free trade

Monetary Policy

A set of actions taken by a country's central bank or government to control the money supply and the cost of borrowing.

Fiscal Policy

A government's use of spending and taxation to influence the economy.

Federal reserve

The central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a series of financial panics led to the desire for central control of the monetary system in order to alleviate financial crises.

Anarchism

A political philosophy and movement that is against all forms of authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including the state and capitalism.

Ethnocentrism

To apply one's own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead of using the standards of the particular culture involved.

Political socialization

The process by which individuals internalize and develop their political values, ideas, attitudes, and perceptions via the agents of socialization.

Globalization

The process of increasing interaction and integration between people, companies, and governments around the world.

Demographics

Statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it.

Public Opinion

An aggregate of the individual views, attitudes, and beliefs about a particular topic, expressed by a significant proportion of a community.

Opinion polls

An assessment of public opinion obtained by questioning a representative sample.

Tracking polls

A type of poll repeated periodically with the same group of people to check and measure changes of opinion or knowledge.

Exit Polls

A poll of people leaving a polling place, asking how they voted.

Sampling techniques

The process by which pollsters select respondents to a survey or the sample population for a poll.

Focus groups

A demographically diverse group of people assembled to participate in a guided discussion about a particular product before it is launched, or to provide ongoing feedback on a political campaign, television series, etc.

Sampling error

Error in a statistical analysis arising from the unrepresentativeness of the sample taken.

Political predisposition

The inherent psychological, physiological, and genetic traits that incline individuals towards liberal or conservative ideologies.

Reinforcing cleavages

Divisive societal factors that overlap and increase the intensity of division and likelihood of conflict.

Cross cutting cleavages

A social science term that describes when groups that are divided on one issue are united on another.

Manifest Destiny

A 19th-century belief that the United States was destined to expand across North America

Race

A social construct that groups people based on perceived physical traits, social factors, and cultural backgrounds.

Ethnicity

A term that refers to the social and cultural characteristics, backgrounds, or experiences shared by a group of people.

Gender gap

An undesirable or unfair difference between men and women in terms of opportunities, pay, status, etc.

GDP

A measure of the total value of goods and services produced in a country within a specific time period.

SES

A way of describing a person's or group's position in society based on their wealth, occupation, and social class.