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AP Gov: Section 1
Introducing Government in America
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| government | The institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society |
| collective goods | Goods and services, such as clean air and clean water, that by their nature cannot be denied to anyone |
| politics | The process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue. ______ produces authoritative decisions about public issues |
| political participation | All the activities by which citizens attempt to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they pursue. Voting is the most common means of ____________ in a democracy. Other means include protest and civil disobedience |
| single issue groups | Groups that have a narrow interest, on which their members tend to take an uncompromising stance |
| policymaking system | Process by which policy comes into being and evolves; people's interests, problems, and concerns create political issues for government policy makers, which shape policy, which in turn impacts people, generating more interests, problems, and concerns |
| linkage institutions | The political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. In the United States, __________________ include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media |
| policy agenda | The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics at a point in time |
| political issue | An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it |
| policymaking institutions | The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues; U.S. Constitution established three _______: Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Most political scientists consider the bureaucracy a fourth _____. |
| public policy | A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A _______ is a course of action taken with regard to some problem |
| policy impacts | The effects a policy has on people and problems. ___________ are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost |
| democracy | A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences |
| majority rule | A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected. |
| minority rights | A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities. |
| representation | A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers |
| pluralism | Theory of American democracy emphasizing that the policymaking process is very open to the participation of all groups with shared interest, with no single group usually dominating. ____ tend to believe that as a result, public interest generally prevails |
| elitism | A theory of American democracy contending that an upper-class elite holds the power and makes policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization |
| hyperpluralism | A theory of American democracy contending that groups are so strong that government, which gives in to many different groups is thereby weakened |
| policy gridlock | A condition that occurs when interest conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy, so nothing gets done |
| political culture | An overall set of values widely shared within a society |
| Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | The sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a year in a nation |
| national defense, public goods and services, preserve order, socialize the young, collect taxes | 5 main functions of government |
| voters, candidates, groups, parties | the "who" of politics |
| political participation | the "how" of politics |
| benefits and burdens | the "what" of politics |
| vote, contact policymakers, protest, civil disobedience, donate to campaigns, social media | ways to participate in politics |
| equality in voting, effective participation, enlightened understanding, citizen control of the agenda, inclusion | 5 concepts of democracy |
| pluralism, elitism, hyperpluralism | 3 theories of democracy |
| complexity of issues, limited participation in government, escalating campaign costs, diverse political interests | (4) challenges to democracy |
| liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, laissez-faire, populism | 4 values of American Creed |
| Statute, Presidential action, Court decision, Budgetary choice, Regulation | (5) types of public policy |
| effective and have a goal | public policies should be... |
| Participatory Democracy | A theory of American democracy that requires individual participation by citizens to influence political decisions and policies that affect their lives |
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hrhurlburt1
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