Key Terms
Government
How a society organizes itself and allocates authority for collective goals
Goals governments pursue
Economic prosperity, secure borders, safety and well-being of citizens.
Politics
Who gets what and how; the process of allocating resources and setting policy
Capitalism
Private ownership of businesses, factories, banks. People keep the proceeds of their work.
Socialism
Government owns the means of generating wealth (factories, large farms, banks). Government redistributes wealth through
Representative democracy (republic)
Citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf. U.S.
Direct democracy
Citizens make decisions directly (Athens; some state referendums)
Monarchy
One hereditary ruler holds power
Oligarchy
Small group of elites holds power
Totalitarianism
Government controls all aspects of life; no citizen rights
Elite Theory
A small, wealthy, powerful group controls government and makes policy to benefit themselves and preserve their power. Ma
Pluralist Theory
Political power is distributed among competing interest groups. Main advocate: Robert Dahl, Who Governs?
Civic engagement
Participation that connects citizens to government
Social capital
Value of social networks and the willingness to help one another (Putnam)
Intense preferences
Strongly held, stable beliefs that drive action