| politics | the process of deciding who benefits in society and who does not
|
 |
|
|
| efficacy | citizens' belief that they have the ability to achieve something desirable and that the government listens to people like them
|
|
|
|
| civic engagement | individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern
|
|
|
|
| political engagement | citizen actions that are intended to solve public problems through political means
|
|
|
|
| government | the institution that creates and implements policies and laws that guide the conduct of the nation and its citizens
|
|
|
|
| citizens | members of the polity who, through birth or naturalization, enjoy the rights, privileges, and responsibilities attached to membership in a given nation
|
|
|
|
| naturalization | the process of becoming a citizen by means other than birth, as in the case of immigrants
|
|
|
|
| legitimacy | a quality conferred on government by citizens who believe that its exercise of power is right and proper
|
|
|
|
| public goods | goods whose benefits cannot be limited and that are available to all
|
|
|
|
| monarchy | government in which a member of a royal family, usually a king or a queen, has absolute authority over a territory and its government
|
|
|
|
| oligarchy | government in which an elite few hold power
|
|
|
|
| democracy | government in which supreme power of governance lies in the hands of its citizens
|
|
|
|
| totalitarianism | system of government in which the government essentially controls every aspect of people's lives
|
|
|
|
| authoritarianism | system of government in which the government holds strong powers but is checked by some forces
|
|
|
|
| constitutionalism | government that is structured by law, and in which the power of government is limited
|
|
|
|
| limited government | government that is restricted in what it can do so that the rights of the people are protected
|
|
|
|
| divine right of kings | the assertion that monarchies, as a manifestation of God's will, could rule absolutely without regard to the will or well-being of their subjects
|
|
|
|
| social contract | an agreement between people and their leaders in which the people agree to give up some liberties so that their other liberties are protected
|
|
|
|
| natural law | the assertion that standards that govern human behavior are derived from the nature of humans themselves and can be universally applied
|
|
|
|
| popular sovereignty | the theory that government is created by the people and depends on the people for the authority to rule
|
|
|
|
| social contract theory | the idea that individuals possess free will, and every individual is equally endowed with the God-given right of self-determination and the ability to consent to be governed
|
|
|
|
| direct democracy | a structure of government in which citizens discuss and decide policy through majority rule
|
|
|
|
| indirect democracy | sometimes called a representative democracy, a system in which citizens elect representatives who decide policies on behalf of their constituents
|
|
|
|
| political culture | the people's collective beliefs and attitudes about government and political processes
|
|
|
|
| liberty | the most essential quality of American democracy; it is both the freedom from governmental interference in citizens' lives and the freedom to pursue happiness
|
|
|
|
| capitalism | an economic system in which the means of producing wealth are privately owned and operated to produce profits
|
|
|
|
| property | anything that can be owned
|
|
|
|
| consent of the governed | the idea that, in a democracy, the government's power derives from the consent of the people
|
|
|
|
| majority rule | the idea that, in a democracy, only policies with 50 percent plus one vote are enacted, and only candidates that win 50 percent plus one vote are elected
|
|
|
|
| political ideology | integrated system of ideas or beliefs about political values in general and the role of government in particular
|
|
|
|
| liberalism | an ideology that advocates change in the social, political, and economic realms to better protect the well-being of individuals and to produce equality within society
|
|
|
|
| conservatism | an ideology that emphasizes preserving tradition and relying on community and family as mechanisms of continuity in society
|
|
|
|
| socialism | an ideology that advocates economic equality, theoretically achieved by having the government or workers own the means of production (businesses and industry)
|
|
|
|
| libertarianism | an ideology whose advocates believe that government should take a "hands-off" approach in most matters
|
|
|
|
| neoconservatism | an ideology that advocates military over diplomatic solutions in foreign policy and is less concerned with restraining government activity in domestic politics than traditional conservatives
|
