Vocabulary and lists of important information for the first chapter of AP US Gov
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| 914036303 | Democracy | A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences | 1 | |
| 914036304 | Elite + class theory | A theory of American democracy contending that an upper-class elite holds the power and makes the policy, regardless of the formal governmental organization | 2 | |
| 914036305 | Government | The institutions through which public policies are made for a society | 3 | |
| 914036306 | Hyper Pluralism | A theory of American democracy contending that groups are so strong that government, which gives in to the many different groups, is thereby weakened | 4 | |
| 914036307 | 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 | 5 | |
| 914036308 | Majority Rule | A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected | 6 | |
| 914036309 | Minority Rights | A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities | 7 | |
| 914036310 | Pluralist Theory | A theory of American democracy emphasizing that the policymaking process is very open to the participation of all groups with shared interests, with no single group usually dominating. Pluralists tend to believe that as a result, public interest generally prevails | 8 | |
| 914036311 | Policy Agenda | The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics at a point in time | 9 | |
| 914036312 | Policy Gridlock | A condition that occurs when interests conflict and no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy, so nothing gets done | 10 | |
| 914036313 | 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 | 11 | |
| 914036314 | Policy-making Institutions | The branches of the government charged with taking action on political issues. The US 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 | 12 | |
| 914036315 | Policy-making 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 | 13 | |
| 914036316 | Political Culture | An overall set of values widely shared within a society | 14 | |
| 914036317 | Political Issue | An issues that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it | 15 | |
| 914036318 | 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 contracting public officials, protest, and civil disobedience | 16 | |
| 914036319 | Politics | The process determining the leaders we select and the policies they pursue. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues. | 17 | |
| 914036320 | Public Goods | Public goods and services, such as college or medical care that can be provided to some without being provided to all | 18 | |
| 914036321 | 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 | 19 | |
| 914036322 | Representation | A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers | 20 | |
| 914036323 | Single-Issue Group | Groups that have a narrow interest on which their members tend to take an uncompromising stance | 21 | |
| 914036324 | What does political knowledge do? | It fosters civic virtues, helps citizens vote better (know who will help them the most), and promotes active participation in politics | 22 | |
| 914036325 | How and why has youth participation changed since the 1960's? | Youths have voted less, paid less attention to politics, and not known as much about politics as the seniors. It has changed due to media changing enough to let them change the channel, etc. so they have more opportunities to ignore it, as well as youths not having as many important issues to make them care as much about who gets elected. | 23 | |
| 914036326 | In what ways has the expansion of the media affected political awareness? | The expansion of media has allowed more people to switch away from the political side of things as there are now many more options. However, media also allows people to express their opinions on political issues and to spread political ideas much faster. | 24 | |
| 914036327 | What is the difference between collective goods and public goods? | Collective goods cannot be denied to anyone and have to be shared with everyone, while public goods can be provided to some and not to all. | 25 | |
| 914036328 | Identify the two fundamental questions about government. | How should we govern- who holds power, who influences policies, etc. What should government do- relationship between how american government works and what it does | 26 | |
| 914036329 | Identify 5 functions common to all governments around the world. | Maintain a national defense, provide public goods and services, preserve order, socialize the young, and collect taxes | 27 | |
| 914036330 | What does the author mean by the who, what, and how of politics? | Who: voters, candidates, groups, parties (who is affected by politics) What: substance of politics and government (benefits, etc.) How: the way people participate in politics (voting, etc.) | 28 | |
| 914036331 | Is voting the only form of political participation? Explain. | No. Some people run for office (Congress, Senators, etc.) and are involved in politics in that way. Other ways people can be involved are through single-issue groups that are concerned over one issue so much that they only focus on that issue when voting or promoting that person. | 29 | |
| 914036332 | The policy-making system steps: | People (interests, problems, concerns), linkage institutions (parties, elections, media, interest groups), policy agenda (political issues), policy-making institutions (legislature, executive, courts, bureaucracy), policy (expenditures, taxes, laws, regulations, non-decisions), and people (impacts of policies) | 30 | |
| 914036333 | Steps in the Policy-making institution | President uses influence with Congress to urge a bill, Congress passes legislation, bureaucracies have to implement new policies, new laws can be challenged in court | 31 | |
| 914036334 | What are basic principles behind traditional democratic theory? | Voting equality, effective participation, enlightened understanding, citizen control of the agenda, and inclusion | 32 | |
| 914036335 | Explain the relationship between majority rule and minority rights. | Majority rule requires that the majority gets what it wants, but they cannot take everything they want as the minority still have their minority rights (freedom of speech, etc.) and they are guaranteed. | 33 | |
| 914036336 | Identify the three contemporary theories of American democracy. | Pluralism (groups with shared interests influence public policy by pressing their concerns through organized efforts), Elitism (an upper-class elite runs the government), and hyperpluralism (groups are so strong that they weaken the government). | 34 | |
| 914036337 | Explain the four current challenges to democracy. | Increased complexity of issues, limited participation in government, escalating campaign costs, and diverse political interests. | 35 | |
| 914036338 | Explain and identify the four main elements of American political culture. | Liberty (freedom), egalitarianism (equality, everyone gets a chance to succeed in life), individualism (each person can make it by themselves without help from the government), laissez-faire (promotes free markets and limited government), and populism (focusing on the people). | 36 | |
| 914036339 | Causes of a Culture War | Loss of traditional values, unfavorable comparisons to other country's citizens, and division of society. | 37 |
