politics
way of determining, without recourse to violence, who gets the power and resources in society, and how they get them
power
ability to get others to do what you want
social order
process where life is arranged so we arent crashing into one another at every turn, provide ourselves with goods and services we couldnt obtain alone, and maximize the values and behaviors that we think are important
government
system of organization for exercising authority over a body of people
authority
power that citizens view as legit or "right"--power that we have implicitly consented
rules
directives that determine how resources are allocated and how collective action takes place
institutions
organizations where governmental power is exercised
economics
the production and distribution of society's wealth--material goods and services
capitalist economy
all means that are used to produce material resources are privately owned and decisions made are left to the owners, not government
regulated capitalism
maintains capitalist economy and individual freedom from government interference still is the norm, but it does allow the government to step in and regulate the economy to guarantee individual rights and provide procedural guarantees
procedural guarantees
system that ensures that rules will work smoothly and fairly
socialist economy
decisions are made by politicians, not the owners
substantive guarantees
politicians idea of fair outcome; opposite of procedural guarantees
social democracy
believes the values of socialism are attractive (equality) and can be brought about by democratic reform, not revolution
authoritarian governments
power given to state, not people, to decide hoe they ought to live their lives
totalitarian
authoritarian government+socialist economy; exercises power over every part of society leaving little to no private realm for individuals
authoritarian capitalism
people have considerable economic freedom, but stringent social regulations limit their noneconomic behavior
anarchy
most extreme form of nonauthoritarianism; no government or laws
democracy
less extreme form of nonauthoritarianism; fundamental sense of government is the people; government role is limited
popular sovereignty
the people decide
elite democracy
belief that elections are made by the "elite"--military, media, education so elections are symbolic
pluralist democracy
argue that individual participation is not as important as groups that participate in government decision making on their members' behalf, such as labor unions, professional associations, environmental or business groups; some think that individual is not
participatory democracy
claim that more than consent or majority rule is needed in making government decisions
advanced industrial democracies
combined amount of personal freedom with a free-market (though still usually regulated) economy
communist democracy
radical democracy exists with communally owned property
subjects
the people in authoritarian systems
citizens
members of political community with rights as well as obligations
social contract
when people decide they are better off with the government than without; they give up some previous rights in exchange for protection of the rest of their rights
republic
same as democracy other than it employs representation and can work in a large state
immigrants
people of other countries who came here to live or work
naturalization
process to become a citizen
refugees
people allowed into US if they face or are threatened with persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinions.
political culture
shared values and beliefs about the nature of the political world that give us a common language in which to discuss and debate political ideas
values
principles that most people agree are important, even though they may disagree on exactly how the value ought to be defined
normative
describes beliefs or values about how things should be or what people ought to do rather than what actually is
individualism
belief in the primacy (dignity) of an individual
ideologies
sets of beliefs or opinions about politics, the economy, and society that help people make sense of their world, and that can divide them into opposing camps
conservatives
those that are in favor of traditional social values, distrust government action except in matters of social security, slow to advocate change, and place a priority on the maintenance of social order
liberals
those who value the possibilities of progress and change,trust government, look for innovations as answers to social problems, and focus on the expansion of individual rights and expression
economic liberal
those who are willing to allow government to make substantive decisions about the economy
economic conservative
reluctant to allow the government to interfere in people's private lives but think that the government should limit involvement in economy as well
libertarians
people who believe that only minimal government action in any sphere is accepted
social liberals
those who favor greater control of the economy and the social order to bring about greater equality and to regulate the effects of progress
communitarians
those who have a strong commitment to a community based on radical equality of all people
social conservatives
people who believe in limited government involvement in the economy but with considerable government intervention to realize a traditional social order; based on religious value and hierarchy rather than equality;