Chapter 1 - Terms

Politics

Who gets what, when, and how; a process for determining how power and resources are distributed in a society without recourse to violence

Power

The ability to get other people to do what you want.

Social Order

The way we organize and live our collective lives

Government

A system or organization for exercising authority over a body of people

Authority

Power that is recognized as legitimate, or right

Legitimate

Accepted as “right” or proper

Rules

Directives that specify how resources will be distributed or what procedures govern collective activity

Institutions

Organizations in which government power is exercised

Political Narrative

Persuasive story about the nature of power, who should have it and how it should be used

Information Bubble

A closed cycle in which all the information we get reinforces the information we already have, solidifying our beliefs without reference to outside reality checks

Economics

Production and distribution of a society’s material resources and services

Capitalist Economy

An economic system in which the market determines production, distribution, and price decisions, and property is privately owned

Regulated Capitalism

A market system in which the government intervenes to protect rights and make procedural guarantees

Procedural Guarantees

Government assurance that the rules will work smoothly and treat everyone fairly, with no promise of particular outcomes

Socialist Economy

An economic system in which the state determines production, distribution, and price decisions and property is government owned

Substantive Guarantees

Government assurance of particular outcomes or results

Social Democracy

A hybrid system combining a capitalist economy and a government that supports equality

Authoritarian Government

Systems in which the state holds all power over the social order

Totalitarian

A system in which absolute power is exercised over every aspect of life

Authoritarian Capitalism

A system in which the state allows people economic freedom but maintains stringent social regulations to limit noneconomic behavior

Anarchy

The absence of government and laws

Democracy

A government that vests power in the people

Popular Sovereignty

The concept that the citizens are the ultimate source of political power

Elite Democracy

A theory of democracy that limits the citizens’ role to choosing among competing leaders

Pluralist Democracy

A theory of democracy that holds that citizen membership in groups is the key to political power

Participatory Democracy

A theory of democracy that holds that citizens should actively and directly control all aspects of their lives

Advanced Industrial Democracy

A system in which a democratic government allows citizens a considerable amount of personal freedom and maintains a free-market (though still usually regulated) economy

Communist Democracy

A utopian system in which property is communally owned and all decisions are made democratically

Subjects

Individuals who are obliged to submit to a government authority against which they have no rights

Citizens

Members of a political community with both rights and responsibilities

Social Contract

The notion that society is based on an agreement between government and the governed in which people agree to give up some rights in exchange for the protection of others

Republic

A government in which decisions are made through representatives of the people

Individualistic Citizenship

A view of citizenship focused on action to realize an individual citizen’s interests

Collectivist Citizenship

A view of citizenship focused on action to realize the common good

Hashtag Activism

A form of political engagement that occurs by organizing individuals online around a particular issue, and summoning them to act in concrete, real-world ways

Immigrants

Citizens or subjects of one country who move to another country to live or work

Naturalization

The legal process of acquiring citizenship for someone who has not acquired it by birth

Refugees

Individuals who flee an area or country because of persecution on the basis of race, nationality, religion, group membership, or political opinion

Political Culture

The broad pattern of ideas, beliefs, and values that a population holds about citizens and government