8 Glossary
What Is Government?
common goods goods that all people may use but that are of limited supply
democracy a form of government where political power rests in the hands of the people
direct democracy a form of government where people participate directly in making government decisions instead of choosing representatives to do this for them
government the means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals
majority rule a fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole
minority rights protections for those who are not part of the majority
monarchy a form of government where one ruler, usually a hereditary one, holds political power
oligarchy a form of government where a handful of elite society members hold political power
political power influence over a government’s institutions, leadership, or policies
politics the process by which we decide how resources will be allocated and which policies government will pursue
private goods goods provided by private businesses that can be used only by those who pay for them
public goods goods provided by government that anyone can use and that are available to all without charge
representative democracy a form of government where voters elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf of all the people instead of allowing people to vote directly on laws
toll good a good that is available to many people but is used only by those who can pay the price to do so
totalitarianism a form of government where government is all-powerful and citizens have no rights
Who Governs? Elitism, Pluralism, and Tradeoffs
elite theory claims political power rests in the hands of a small, elite group of people
pluralist theory claims political power rests in the hands of groups of people
Engagement in a Democracy
ideology the beliefs and ideals that help to shape political opinion and eventually policy
intense preferences beliefs and preferences based on strong feelings regarding an issue that someone adheres to over time
latent preferences beliefs and preferences people are not deeply committed to and that change over time
partisanship strong support, or even blind allegiance, for a particular political party
social capital connections with others and the willingness to interact and aid them