Allocation of Resources: The distribution of a society’s wealth among its members.
Allocation can be done forcefully (by the government) or by the workings of the free market system. Authoritarianism: A system of government in which the leaders are not accountable to the citizens. Behavioralism: An approach to political reasearch that focuses on observation of individual political behavior – in contrast to the study of political documents and laws. Democracy: A system of govenment in which the government is ultimately accountable to the citizens. The United States is a good example of a “democracy within a republic”.
Formal-legal Analysis: An approach to political theory that applies mathimatical reasoning to the interactions among individuals and institutions. Government: The persons or organizations that make, enforce, and implement political decisions for a society. Government Functions: The basic tasks that governments perform in healthy, developed political systems. Human Rights: The principle that all humans, regardless of their culture, level of economic development, or typ of political system in which they live have “certain inanalienable rights”. Income Distribution: A measure of how the wealth of a society is shared among its members (generally in terms equality or inequality). Interest Articulation: The process of expressing concerns and problems as demands for governmental action.
Majority Rule: The majority of citizens in agreement on any given topic “rule” – provided there is respect for the basic rights of the minority. Political Development: The idea that nations become “modern” by aquiring certain (political) capacities and capabilities. Political Economy: The study of the impact of government on economic conditions, including analisis of alternative public policies and differnet systems of government. Political Socialization: The process of creating a shared political culture among the members of a political system, typically from one generation to another.
Politics: The process of making collective decisions in a community, society, or group through the application of influence and power. Popular Consensultation: A regularized process through which citizens can make known their preferences regarding governmental policies and decisions; a key component of democracyRule Adjudication: The process of applying governmental rules to specific cases. Rule Execution: The process of implementing or carrying out policy decisions. Rule Making: The process of establishing laws, orders, edicts, regulations, and other athoritative acts by government.
Classical Political Philosophy: A body of political philosophy, based on the ideas of Plato (427 347BC) and his student Aristotle (384 – 322BC); associated with a distrust of democracy and on efforts to envision the just state. Modern Political Philosophy: A body of political philosophy that places a greater emphisis on individualism and on pragmatic concerns about how government works. Totalitarianism: A system of government in which the state attempts to control virtually all aspects of society, including but not limited to: military affairs, commerce, artistic expression, and mass communication. Anarchism: The opposition of government in all forms; the belief that government (by its very nature) is harmful and repressive.
Capitalism: An ideology advocating private property and minimal government interference in the lives of its citizens. Communism: The (futuristic) stage of Marxist ideology where resource scarcity, class conflict and exploitation are nonexistent. Conservatism: A approach to political life that sees traditional values as the key to solving today’s social problems. Deregulation: Involves removing or reducing regulations on private sector activity – designed to strengthen the economy through less costly governmental interference in the private sector. Economic Determinism: The idea that economic forces govern changes in the nature of societies; largely, but not exclusively, associated with Marxism.
Fascism: An ideology that emphasizes extreme appeals to national unity, hatred of foreigners and ethnic minorities, and complete obedience to the state. Feminism: An ideology that stresses equal rights for women*. Some branches of this ideology stress feminine characteristics such compassionsion, peace, and sharing (sounds like the 70s). Ideology: A more or less coherent system of political thinking.
Individualism: A way of thinking that emphasizes individual interests and rights in contrast to society’s interests. Liberalism: A political system that stresses tolerance, diversity, and public assistance for those in need. Libertarianism: An ideology advocating minimum government and maximum personal liberty. Marxism: A comprehensive political and economic ideology that emphasizes class struggle and a total commitment to an economy based on radical socialism. Multiculturalism: The idea that cultudiversitysity is valuable and that steps should be taken to preserve key cultudifferenceseces. Self-determination: .
