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AP GOV CH1
Vocab ch.1 democracy and politics
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Government | the institutions & processes through which public policies are made for society |
Public Goods | something created for the benefit of the people that can't be denied access to - public places/clean air |
Politics | determines whom we select as our govt leaders and what policies these leaders pursue |
Political Participation | the way people participate in politics |
Single-issue Groups | people who only vote due to a certain single issue |
Policymaking Systems | reveals the way our govt responds to the priorities of the people |
Linkage Institutions | parties, elections, interest groups and the media transmit Americans' preferences to the policymakers in the govt |
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 on a problem and how to fix it |
Policymaking Institutions | The branches of govt that take action on political issue: Judicial/Executive/Legislative & Bureaucracy |
Public Policy | Every decision, law passed, budget established, and ruling it hands down, that a govt makes |
Democracy | a system of selecting policymakers and of organizing govt so that policy reflects citizens' preferences |
Majority Rule | policies made that reflect the will of over half the majority of the vote |
Minority Rights | theory that guarantees rights to those of the minority who don't belong in majorities |
Representation | relationship between the few leaders and the many citizens |
Pluralist Theory | groups w/ shared interest, no single group is usually dominated |
Elite/Class Theory | upperclass holds power and makes policies |
Hyperpluralism | too many ways for groups to control the govt, thus weakening govt |
Policy Gridlock | when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and nothing gets fixed |
Gross Domestic Product | the sum total of the value of all the goods and services a nation makes within a year |
Individualism | belief that people should get ahead of their own |