POLS 1101 Chapter 1: American Government and Civic Engagement

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Chapter 1 of OpenStax American Government 4e (POLS 1101).

Government

The institutional system through which a society creates rules, allocates authority, pursues collective goals, and provides benefits or services.

Authority

The recognized, legal right to make binding decisions, attached to specific legal offices and jurisdictions.

Power

The broad ability to influence behavior, outcomes, institutions, leaders, rules, and public policy.

Politics

The process through which individuals and groups seek influence over public decisions, determining who gets what, when, how, and under what rules.

Collective-Action Problem

A situation occurring when people would benefit from a shared outcome but face difficulty coordinating the contributions required to produce it.

Free-Rider Problem

The incentive for an individual to benefit from a good or service without contributing proportionally to its cost.

Excludable

A characteristic of a good where access can be restricted through price, membership, ownership, or legal control.

Non-Excludable

A characteristic of a good where it is difficult or costly to prevent non-payers from benefiting.

Rivalrous

A characteristic of a good where one person's consumption reduces the amount or quality available to others.

Non-Rivalrous

A characteristic of a good where multiple people can benefit simultaneously without substantially reducing what remains for others.

Private Goods

Goods that are both excludable and rivalrous, such as housing or food.

Toll Goods

Goods that are excludable but non-rivalrous, such as subscription streaming services.

Common Goods

Goods that are non-excludable but rivalrous, such as natural fisheries or open water resources.

Public Goods

Goods that are both non-excludable and non-rivalrous, such as emergency services and national defense.

Popular Sovereignty

The democratic principle establishing that the people are the ultimate source of legitimate political authority.

Democracy

Accountable rule by the people under constitutional procedures, where citizens hold ultimate political power.

Representative Democracy

A system of government where citizens choose officials to make laws, oversee administration, and formulate policy on their behalf.

Direct Democracy

A system of government where citizens vote directly on policy choices, such as referenda or town meetings, rather than delegating final decisions to elected representatives.

Monarchy

A political system where formal authority is centered in a hereditary ruler.

Oligarchy

A political system where effective power is concentrated in a small, select group, such as military officers, party leaders, or wealthy families.

Authoritarianism

A non-democratic political system where political competition and civic participation are sharply restricted to preserve ruling power.

Totalitarianism

An extreme form of non-democratic rule where the state seeks total control over social, private, and political life.

Elite Theory

A theory arguing that a relatively small, overlapping group of wealthy or influential networks holds disproportionate control over political agendas and policy.

Pluralist Theory

A theory arguing that political power is dispersed among competing organized interest groups that bargain, counter-mobilize, and build coalitions.

Tradeoffs Perspective

The analytical framework viewing public policy as structured compromise balancing conflicting societal values and interests.

Capitalism

An economic system emphasizing private ownership of productive resources, price competition, and market exchange.

Socialism

An economic system characterized by a larger public sector role in the ownership, planning, regulation, or provision of goods and services.