US DC History - 1, 7, 9

• Toll Goods


  Excludable but non-rivalrous: open to all but are paid for/provided by an outsude entity
• What, according to the Founders, is the central purpose of government?

  To protect the natural rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
• Government

  allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals and provide benefits that the society as a whole needs
• What is NOT a branch of government?

  State and Local
• 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
• elite theory


  claims political power rests in the hands of a small, elite group of people
• 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
• 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
• partisanship


  strong support, or even blind allegiance, for a particular political party
• pluralist theory


  claims political power rests in the hands of groups of people
• 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
• social capital


  connections with others and the willingness to interact and aid them
• totalitarianism


  a form of government where government is all-powerful and citizens have no rights
• ballot fatigue


  the result when a voter stops voting for offices and initiatives at the bottom of a long ballot
• caucus


  a form of candidate nomination that occurs in a town-hall style format rather than a day-long election; usually reserved for presidential elections
• chronic minority


  voters who belong to political parties that tend not to be competitive in national elections because they are too small to become a majority or because of the Electoral College system distribution in their state
• closed primary


  an election in which only voters registered with a party may vote for that party’s candidates
• coattail effect


  the result when a popular presidential candidate helps candidates from the same party win their own elections
• delegates


  party members who are chosen to represent a particular candidate at the party’s state- or national-level nominating convention
• district system


  the means by which electoral votes are divided between candidates based on who wins districts and/or the state
• early voting


  an accommodation that allows voting up to two weeks before Election Day
• Electoral College


  the constitutionally created group of individuals, chosen by the states, with the responsibility of formally selecting the next U.S. president
• incumbency advantage


  the advantage held by officeholders that allows them to often win reelection
• incumbent


  the current holder of a political office
• initiative


  law or constitutional amendment proposed and passed by the voters and subject to review by the state courts; also called a proposition
• midterm elections


  the congressional elections that occur in the even-numbered years between presidential election years, in the middle of the president’s term
• open primary


  an election in which any registered voter may vote in any party’s primary or caucus
• platform


  the set of issues important to the political party and the party delegates
• political action committees (PACs)


  organizations created to raise money for political campaigns and spend money to influence policy and politics