ap gov ch 1 vocab

Democracy

a means of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences

Elite and class theory

argues that society is divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite rules on the basis of its wealth

Pluralist theory

argues that there are many centers of influence in which groups compete with one another for control over public policy through bargaining and compromise

Hyperpluralism

argues that too many strong influential groups cripple the government's ability to make coherent policy by dividing government and its authority

collective goods

goods and services (clean air+clean water) that cannot be denied to anyone

Single-issue group

groups so concerned with one matter that their members cast their votes on the basis of that issue only

Policymaking system

institutions of government designed to respond to each other and to the priorities of the people by governmental action

Policymaking institutions

institutions such as Congress, the presidency, and the courts established by the Constitution to make policy

Linkage institutions

institutions such as parties, elections, interest groups, and the media, which provide a linkage between the preferences of citizens and the government's policy agenda

Government

institutions that make public policy for a society

political culture

overall set of values widely shared within a society

Public policy

choice that government makes in response to some issue on its agenda

Minority rights

protecting the rights and freedoms of the minority in choosing among policy alternatives

policy impacts

the effects a policy has on people and problems. impacts are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost

Policy agenda

the list of subjects or problems to which people inside and outside government are paying serious attention at any given time

Representation

the relationship between the leaders and the followers

Politics

determines whom we select as our government leaders and what policies they pursue; in other words, who gets what, when, and how

Gross domestic product

the total value of all goods and services produced annually by the United States

Political participation

the ways in which people get involved in politics

pluralism

theory of american democracy emphasizing that the policymaking process is very open to the participation of all groups with shared interests, with no single group usually dominating. Pluralists tend to believe that as a result, public interest generally prevails

elitism

theory of government and politics contending that an upper-class elite will hold most of the power and thus in effect run the government

Public goods

things that everyone can share

Political issue

this arises when people disagree about a problem or about public policy choices made to combat a problem

Majority rule

weighing the desires of the majority in choosing among policy alternatives

Policy gridlock

where each interest uses its influence to thwart policies it opposes so that no coalition forms a majority to establish policy