Government
Chapter 1 study guide
Ÿ Government: the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies
Ÿ Public Policy: all of the goals a government sets and the various courses of action it pursues as it attempts to realizes threes goals
Ÿ Legislative Power: the power to make a law and to frame public policies
Ÿ State: a body of people living in a defined territory who have a government with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority
Ÿ Autocracy: a form of government in which a single person holds unlimited political power
Ÿ Oligarchy: a form of government in which the power to rule is hold by a small, usually self-appointed elite
Ÿ Unitary government: a centralized government in which all government powers belong to a single, central agency
Ÿ Federal government: a form of government in which powers are divided between a central government and several local governments
Ÿ Division of powers: basic principle of federalism; the constitutional provisions by which government powers are divided on a geographic basis (in the united states, between the national government and the states)
Ÿ Confederation: a joining of several groups for a common purpose
Ÿ Mixed economy: an economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with a consideration amount of government regulation and promotion.
Ÿ Law of supply and demand: a law which states that when supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop, when supplies become scarcer, prices tend to rise
Ÿ Free enterprise system: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods; investments that are determined by private decision rather than by state control, and determined in a free market
Ÿ Compromise: an adjustment of opposing principles or systems by modifying some aspect of each.
Ÿ Parliamentary government: a form of government in which the executive branch is made up of the prime minister, or premier, and that official’s cabinet.
Ÿ Presidential government: a form of government in which the executive and legislative branches of the government are separate, independent, and coequal
Ÿ Executive power: the power to execute, enforce, and administer law
Ÿ Judicial power: the power to interpret the law, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes within the society
Ÿ Constitution: the body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structures, and processes of a government
Ÿ Dictatorship: a form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority
Ÿ Democracy: a form of government in which the supreme authority rest with the people
The 3 kinds of government power:
àLegislative àlaw makers
àExecutive àlaw enforcers
àJudicial àlaw interpreters
4 Theories of Origin of States:
→Force = military dominance
→Evolutionary = rise of family clans
→Divine Right = god’s chosen leader to the people
→Social Contract = agreement between people and government (Thomas Hobbes, James Harrington, John Locke were all supporters of social contract)
Purpose of Government:
○ Develop a strong union
○ Equal Justice
○ Ensure of Domestic Tranquility
○ National defense
○ Promote general welfare
○ Secure blessing of liberty
The Characteristics of State:
▫ Population
▫ Territory
▫ Sovereignty
▫ Government
¡ The Social contract theory is the most significant of the theories of the origin of the states in American political system
¡
The preamble to
the Constitution stated the six purpose of
¡
¡ The European Union is an example of modern-day confederation
¡ President is elected directly by the people
¡ Prime minister is elected by the legislatives, who are elected by the people
¡ Direct Democracy works best at small communities, because fewer problems occur among each other
¡ Democracy is firmly based upon a belief in the fundamental importance of the individual
¡ Republic is an indirect form of Democracy, which people elect representatives to govern
¡ Democratic concept means equality opportunity and opportunity before the law
¡ Majority rule and minority right
¡ Anarchy is when no government is occupied
¡ John Locke wrote the “Second Treatise on Government” (1690)
¡ People need to trade off personal freedom, right, and property in order to live under a peaceful and stable government society