| A | B |
|---|
| government | the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society |
| public goods | things that everyone can share such as clean air and water |
| politics | determines whom we select as our government leaders and what policies they pursue; in other words;who gets what, when and how |
| political participation | all of the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders and the policies they pursue. Voting is the most common but not the only means. |
| single-issue groups | groups that have a narrow interest and often draw membership from people new to politics |
| policymaking system | the process by which policies come into being and evolves over time. |
| linkage institutions | institutions such parties, elections, interest groups and the media which provide a linkage between the preferences of citizens and the government's policy agenda |
| policy agenda | the list of subjects or problems to which people inside and outside government are paying serious attention to at any given time. |
| political issue | this arises when people disagree about a problem or about public policy choices made to combat a problem |
| policymaking institutions | institutions such as Congress, the presidency and the courts established by the Constitution to make policy |
| public policy | a choice that government makes in response to some issue on its agenda |
| democracy | a means of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences |
| majority rule | weighing the desires of the majority in choosing among policy alternatives |
| minority rights | protecting the rights and freedoms of the minority in choosing among policy alternatives |
| representation | the relationship between the few leaders and many followerd |
| pluralistic theory | argues that there are many centers of influence in which groups compete with one another for control over public policy through bargaining and compromise |
| elite and class theory | argues that society is divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite rules on the basis of their wealth or power |
| hyperpluralism | argues that too many strong influential groups cripple the government's ability to make coherent policy by dividing government and its authority |
| policy gridlock | where each interest uses its influence to thwart policies it opposes so that no coalitions forms a majority to establish policy |
| political culture | an overall set of values shared within a society |
| gross domestic product | the tortal values of all goods and services produced annually by the united States |
