Key Terms Government Hector Lopez 2B

Representation

A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers.

public policy

A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.

Policy gridlock

A condition that occurs when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy, so nothing gets done.

Democracy

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Hyper pluralism

A theory of American democracy contending that groups are so strong that government, which gives in to the many different groups, is thereby weakened.

elite and class theory

A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization.

Pluralist theory

A theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies.

Majority rule

Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.

Single-issue groups

Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.

Minority rights

The benefits of government that cannot be denied to any citizen by majority decisions.

Linkage institution

The channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Government

The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies

policy agenda

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time.

policy making system

The process by which political problems are communicated by the voters and acted upon by government policy makers. It begins with people's needs and expectations for governmental action

Gross domestic product

The sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation

public goods

a commodity or service that is provided without profit to all members of a society, either by the government or a private individual or organization.

political participation

All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue

Traditional democratic theory

equality in voting, effective participation, enlightened understanding, citizen control of the agenda, inclusion

Individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

policymaking institutions

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

Liberals

people who generally favor government action and view change as progress

Conservatives

people who generally favor limited government and are cautious about change

politics

the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government

political issue

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