government
the formal vehicles through which policies are made and affairs of state are conducted
national sovereignty
a political entity's (usually a country) externally recognized right to exercise final authority over its affairs
fiscal conservative
one who believes that government should spend less on social welfare programs and keep taxes low
social conservative
one who believes that traditional moral teachings should be supported and furthered by the government
Politics
the study of who gets what, when, and how - or how policy decisions are made
order
established ways of social behavior
Monarchy
a form of government in which power is vested in hereditary kings and queens who govern in the interests of all
indirect (representative) democracy
a system of government that gives citizens the opportunity to vote for representatives who will work on their behalf
civil society
society created when citizens are allowed to organize and express their views publicly as they engage in an open debate about public policy
citizen
member of a political community to whom certain rights and obligations are attached
public goods
government provided benefits and services (parks and and sanitation) that benefit all citizens but are not likely to produced voluntarily by individuals or companies
hyperpluralism
a situation exists in which many groups or factions are so strong that a government is unable to function
pluralism
the interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean government by people operating through competing interest groups
minority rights
the benefits of government that cannot be denied to any citizen by majority decisions
elite theory (sometimes called power elite theory)
the view that a small group of people actually makes most of the government decisions
majority rule
the principle - basic to procedural democratic theory - that the decisions of the group must reflect the preference of more than half of those participating: a simple majority
police power
the authority of the government to maintain order and safeguard citizens' health, morals, safety, and welfare
universal participation
the concept that everyone in a democracy should participate in governmental decision making
democracy
a system of government in which, in theory, the people rule, either directly or indirectly
oligarchy
a system of government in which the power is concentrated in the hands of a few people
autocracy
a system of government in which the power to govern is concentrated in the hands of one individual
direct/participatory democracy
a system of government in which members of the polity (voters in the community) meet to discuss all policy decisions and then agree to abide by majority rule
political equality
equality in political decision making: one vote per person, with all votes counted equally
social equality
equality in wealth, education, and status
equality of opportunity
the idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to succeed in life
equality of outcome
the idea that society must ensure that people are equal, and governments must design policies to redistribute wealth and status so that economic and social equality is actually achieved
rights
the benefits of government to which everyone is entitled
political ideology
a consistent set of of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government