Core Concepts of Political Science: Government, Ideology, and Citizenship
Political Science 102: Chapter 1 Essential Concepts
This glossary covers fundamental terms and theories discussed in Political Science 102, Chapter 1. (Source material available online via Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/_21hhf3)
1. Politics
The process of deciding who benefits in society and who does not.
2. Efficacy
A citizen’s belief that they have the ability to achieve something desirable and that the government listens to people like them.
3. Civic Engagement
Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern.
4. Political Engagement
Citizen actions that are intended to solve public problems through political means.
5. Government
The institution that creates and implements policies and laws that guide the conduct of the nation and its citizens.
6. Citizens
Members of the polity, who, through birth or naturalization, enjoy the rights, privileges, and responsibilities attached to membership in a given nation.
7. Naturalization
The process of becoming a citizen by means other than birth, as in the case of immigrants.
8. Legitimacy
A quality conferred on government by citizens who believe that its exercise of power is right and proper.
9. Public Goods
Goods whose benefits cannot be limited and that are available to all. The government makes them available through revenue collected by taxes.
10. Key Functions Performed by Government
- To protect their sovereign territory and their citizenry and to provide national defense.
- To preserve order and stability.
- To establish and maintain a legal system.
- To provide services.
- To raise and spend money.
- To socialize new generations.
11. Socialization
The process by which individuals develop their political values and opinions. Examples include providing funding for schools, setting requirements for curriculum, and facilitating participation in civic life.
Forms of Government and Political Systems
12. Monarchy
Government in which a member of a royal family, usually a king or queen, has absolute authority over a territory and its government. Power tends to be inherited.
13. Constitutional Monarchy
A form of monarchy where the monarch plays a ceremonial role but has little say in governance, which is carried out by elected leaders. Examples include Spain and Great Britain.
14. Oligarchy
Government in which an elite few hold power. Some are dictatorships, in which a small group supports a dictator. North Korea is a present-day example.
15. Democracy
Government in which supreme power lies in the hands of its citizens.
16. Republics/Representative Democracies
Systems where citizens elect leaders to represent their views.
17. Totalitarianism
A system of government in which the government essentially controls every aspect of people’s lives. Citizens do not have rights or freedoms. These systems tend to center on a particular ideology or religion. A current example is North Korea. The state is the tool of the dictator.
18. Authoritarianism
A system of government in which the government holds strong power but is checked by some forces. Leaders are restrained by political parties, constitutions, and militaries. Citizens may enjoy some rights, but often those rights are not protected by the government.
19. Constitutionalism
Government that is structured by law, and in which the power of the government is limited. This can be a democracy or a monarchy.
20. Constitutional Democracy
A system where a constitution creates a representative democracy in which the rights of the people are protected.
21. Limited Government
Government that is restricted in what it can do so that the rights of the people are protected.
Foundational Theories and Philosophers
22. Divine Rights of Kings
The assertion that monarchies, as a manifestation of God’s will, could rule absolutely without regard to the will or well-being of their subjects. Questioning the monarch was like challenging the will of God. This theory was articulated by Jacques-Benigne Bossuet.
23. Social Contract
An agreement between people and their leaders in which the people agree to give up some liberties so that their other liberties are protected. An example is the Mayflower Compact, which established the idea of the consent of the governed.
24. The Enlightenment
A philosophical movement that stressed the importance of individuality, reason, and scientific endeavor.
25. Natural Law
The assertion that standards that govern human behavior are derived from the nature of humans themselves and can be applied universally. This concept stems from the work of Sir Isaac Newton.
26. Thomas Hobbes
Argued that the strong naturally preyed on the weak, and that through a social contract, those who relinquish their rights can enjoy protection by a sovereign. Life without a monarch and social contract would be “brutish and short.”
27. John Locke
Rejected the Divine Rights of Kings. Argued that individuals possess certain unalienable (natural) rights, such as the rights to life, liberty, and property. These rights are inherent in individuals and cannot be taken or given by the government. When people enter into a social contract, they do so with the understanding that government will protect their natural rights. They agree to accept the government’s authority; but if government fails to protect the inherent rights of individuals, then the people have the right to rebel.
28. Popular Sovereignty
The theory that government is created by the people and depends on the people for the authority to rule. Associated with Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
29. Social Contract Theory
Formed the theoretical framework for the Declaration of Independence. The idea that individuals possess free will and that every individual is equally endowed with the God-given right of self-determination and the ability to consent to be governed.
Democratic Principles and Political Culture
30. Direct Democracy
A structure of government in which citizens discuss and decide policy through majority rule. Example: Town Hall Meetings.
31. Indirect Democracy
Sometimes called a representative democracy, a system in which citizens elect representatives who decide policies on behalf of their constituents.
32. Political Culture
The people’s collective beliefs and attitudes about government and political processes. These ideals include liberty, equality, capitalism, consent of the governed, and the importance of the individual (as well as family and community).
33. Liberty
The most essential quality of American Democracy; it is both the freedom from governmental interference in citizens’ lives and the freedom to pursue happiness.
34. Capitalism
An economic system in which the means of producing wealth are privately owned and operated to produce profits.
35. Property
Anything that can be owned.
36. Consent of The Governed
The idea that, in a democracy, the government’s power derives from the consent of the people.
37. Majority Rule
The idea that, in a democracy, only policies with 50 percent plus one vote are enacted.
Political Ideologies
38. Political Ideology
An integrated system of ideas or beliefs about political values in general and the role of government in particular.
39. Liberalism
An ideology that advocates change in the social, political, and economic realms to better protect the well-being of individuals and to produce equality within society.
40. Conservatism
An ideology that emphasizes preserving tradition and relying on community and family as mechanisms of continuity in society.
41. Socialism
An ideology that advocates economic equality, theoretically achieved by having the government or workers own the means of production (businesses and industry).
42. Libertarianism
An ideology whose advocates believe that government should take a “hands-off” approach in most matters.
Research Concepts and Political Myths
43. Correlation
A relationship between variables, such that a change in one is accompanied by a change in another.
44. Causation
A relationship between variables such that a change in one is directly responsible for causing a change in the other.
45. Spurious Relationships
A relationship between variables that presents correlation as causation.
Example: As the number of firefighters at a fire increases, the amount of damage at the scene increases. Obviously, firefighters are not causing the fire.
46. Alan Gitelson’s Myths
Sayings, persuasive attitudes, and other narratives that we use to help us think about the world around us; how we make sense of the world. A myth gives an explanation for something that cannot be explained.
47. Key Questions About Myths
When analyzing a political myth, consider:
- Who perpetuates the myth? Who is telling the story?
- How do they benefit?
48. Myth: Racial and Gender Inferiority
Doctors testified under oath about these as “facts,” claiming that the brains of Black people and women were smaller across the board. Some people still buy into this white male superiority. White males are perpetuating this myth and are benefiting through white privilege.
49. Myth: George Washington and the Cherry Tree
The story is entirely false. It originated in the 1860s during the Civil War Reconstruction period, after all of Washington’s immediate family had died. His father did not have a cherry tree plantation; he grew tobacco in Virginia. Elementary school teachers often tell it to encourage respect for authority and obedience.
50. Myth: Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
The myth is that the TSA keeps us safe when we fly. But in a recent experiment, 63 out of 65 people with contraband got through security. The TSA cannot tell us how they are protecting us due to security reasons. The TSA is perpetuating the myth, ensuring they continue to have jobs and an operating budget. The government also benefits: we were all scared after 9/11, so the government put the TSA in place to make us feel better/safer. We only fly if we feel that they have done everything possible to get us to our destination safely. We buy into the myth because it gives us a sense of security.
51. Myth: The Youth Vote
The myth is that the youth vote does not matter—it’s a waste of time, so you should stay home. 18–25 year olds elected Obama; there are more of us than any other age group. We have the lowest voter turnout rate, and they do not expect us to vote. 68% of 18–25 year olds voted in the 2008 election; 85% of them voted for Obama. Incumbents are perpetuating it so they can stay in office. You staying home got them elected, so your staying home is their best job security.