democracy
a means of selecting policy makers 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 their wealth.
government
institutions that make public policy for a society.
gross domestic product
the total value of all goods and services produced annually by the United States
hyperpluralism
argues that too many strong influential groups cripple the government's ability to make coherent policy by dividing government and its authority.
individualism
a belief that individual problems can be solved by individual, not governmental, solutions.
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.
majority rule
weighing the desires of the majority in choosing among policy alternatives.
minority rule
protecting the rights and freedoms of the minority in choosing among policy alternatives.
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.
policy agenda
the list of subjects or problems to which people inside and outside government are paying serious attention to at any given time.
policy gridlock
where each interest uses its influence to thwart policies they oppose so that no coalition forms a majority to establish policy.
policy impacts
the effects of a policy on people and society's problems.
policymaking institutions
institutions such as Congress, the presidency and the Courts established by the Constitution to make policy.
policymaking system
institutions of government designed to respond to each other and to the priorities of the people by governmental action.
political issue
this arises when people disagree about a problem or about public policy choices made to combat a problem.
political participation
the ways in which people get involved in politics.
politics
determines whom we select as our government leaders and what policies they pursue; who gets what, when, and how.
public goods
things that everyone can share
public policy
a choice that government makes in response to some issue on its agenda
representation
the relationship between the leaders and the followers
single-issue groups
groups so concerned with one matter that their members cast their votes on the basis of that issue only.
traditional democratic theory
a set of principles which specify how a democratic government makes its decisions including equality in voting, effective participation, enlightened understanding, citizen control of the agenda, inclusion, majority rule, minority rights, and representation.