Concepts

Politics

The activities, actions, and policies used to gain and hold power in a government or to influence the government.

Political Science

The systematic study of politics, government systems, and political behavior.

Power

The ability or capacity to influence the behavior of others or the course of events.

Institutions

Established organizations or foundations, especially those dedicated to education, public service, or culture.

Corruption

The abuse of entrusted power for private gain, often undermining trust in political processes.

Deliberation

The process of carefully considering or discussing the reasons for and against a particular issue.

Legitimacy

The rightful authority or acceptance of a governing body or system.

Sovereignty

The authority of a state to govern itself or another state; the supreme power or authority.

Public Affairs

Activities that involve the interaction between government and the public, including the management of public resources.

Political Culture

The set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments that shape the behavior of individuals and groups toward politics and governance.

Representation

The action of speaking or acting on behalf of someone, especially in a political context.

Political Ideologies

A set of beliefs about the preferred goals and methods of government and political life.

Interest Groups

Organizations of people who share common objectives and actively seek to influence government policy.

Compromise

A settlement of differences in which each side makes concessions.

Consensus

A general agreement among various groups on fundamental matters; broad agreement on public questions.

Normative approaches

Perspectives in social science focusing on what ought to be rather than what is.

Empirical traditions

Studies grounded in observation and experience rather than theory or speculation.

Behaviouralism

An approach in political science that emphasizes the study of actual human behavior in politics.

Rational-choice theory

A framework for understanding social and economic behavior that assumes individuals act based on a rational evaluation of the options available to them.

Accountability

The obligation of an individual or organization to account for its activities and accept responsibility for them.

Autocracy

A system of government in which one person possesses unlimited power.

Political systems

The structure of a political entity, which includes the rules and institutions that govern political relationships.