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American Government CH1

Terms in this set (22)

government
The institutions through which public policies are made for a society.
collective goods
Goods and services, such as clean air and clean water, that by their nature cannot be denied to anyone.
politics
The process determining the leader we select and the policies they pursue. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public policy.
political participation
All the activities by which citizens attempt to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they pursue. Voting is the most common means of political participation in a democracy. other means include contacting public officials, protest, and civil disobedience.
single-issue groups
Groups that have a narrow interest on which their members tend to take an uncompromising stance.
policymaking system
The process by which policy comes into being and evolves. people's interests, problems, and concerns create political issues for government policymakers. These issues shape policy, which in turn impacts people, generating more interests, problems, and concerns.
linkage institutions
The political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
policy agenda
The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics at a point in time.
political issue
An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it.
policymaking institutions
The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues. The U.S. Constitution established three policymaking institutions -- Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Today, the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most political scientists consider it a fourth policymaking institution.
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.
policy impacts
The effects a policy has on people and problems. Impacts are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost.
democracy
A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences.
majority rule
A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected.
minority rights
A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities.
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