1.
democracy: a system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences
2.
elite and class theory: A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization
3.
government: the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society
4.
gross domestic product: the sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation
5.
hyperpluralism: a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened; an extreme, exaggerated, or perverted form of pluralism
6.
linkage institution: political channels through which peoples concerns become political issues on the policy agenda (elections, media, etc)
7.
majority rule: a fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. in a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected.
8.
minority rights: a principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that they might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument
9.
pluralist theory: a theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies
10.
policy agenda: the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time
11.
policy gridlock: a condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. the result is that nothing may get done.
12.
policy impacts: the effects a policy has on people and problems. Impacts are analysed to see how well a policy has met its goal and how much it costs.
13.
policymaking institutions: The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues. The U.S. Constitution established three policymaking institutions-the congress, the presidency, and the courts. Today, the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most political scientist consider it a fourth policy making institution
14.
political culture: An overall set of values widely shared within a society.
15.
political issue: An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and a public policy choice
16.
political participation: All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue
17.
politics: The process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.
18.
public goods: Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share
19.
public policy: A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem
20.
representation: A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers.
21.
single-issue groups: groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.
