Politics
Deciding who gets what, when, and how.
Political Science
The study of politics; who governs, for what ends, and by what means.
Government
Organization extending to the whole society that can legitimately use force to carry out its decisions.
Legitimacy
Widespread acceptance of something as necessary, rightful, and legally binding
Social Contract
Idea that government originates as an implied contract among individuals who agree to obey laws in exchange for protection of their rights.
Public Goods
Goods and services that cannot readily be provided by markets, either because they are too expensive for a single individual to buy or because if one person bought them, everyone else would use them without paying.
Free Market
Free competition for voluntary exchange among individuals, firms, and corporations.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Measure of economic performance in terms of the nation's total production of goods and services for a single year, valued in terms of market prices.
Externalities
Costs imposed on people who are not direct participants in an activity.
Income Transfers
Government transfers of income from taxpayers to persons regarded as deserving.
Democracy
Governing system in which the people govern themselves, from the Greek term meaning "rule by the many".
Democratic Principles
Individual dignity, equality before the law, widespread participation in public decisions, and public decisions by majority rule, with one person having one vote.
Limited Government
Principle that government power over the individual is limited, that there are some personal liberties that even a majority cannot regulate, and that government itself is restrained by law.
Totalitarianism
Rule by an elite that exercises unlimited power over individuals in all aspects of life.
Authoritarianism
Monopoly of political power by an individual or small group that otherwise allows people to go about their private lives as they wish.
Constitutional Government
A government limited by rule of law in its power over the liberties of individuals.
Direct Democracy
Governing system in which every person participates actively in every public decision, rather than delegating decision making to representatives.
Representative Democracy
Governing system in which public decision making is delegated to representatives of the people chosen by popular vote in free, open, and periodic elections.
Elitism
Political system in which power is concentrated in the hands of a relatively small group of individuals or institutions.
Pluralism
Theory that democracy can be achieved through competition among multiple organized groups and that individuals can participate in politics through group memberships and elections.