govt: ch. 1
Terms
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- Government:
- the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies
- Public policies:
- all of those things a government decides to do. Covers matters ranging from taxes, defense, education, crime, health care, transportation, etc.
- Legislative power:
- The power to make laws and to frame public policies
- Executive power:
- The power to execute, enforce, and administer law
- Judicial power:
- The power to interpret laws, to determine their meaning, and to settle disputes that arise within the society
- Constitution:
- The body of fundamental laws setting out the principles, structure, and processes of a government.
- Dictatorship:
- All power held by a single person or by a small group.
- Democracy:
- [The responsibility for the exercise of these powers rests with a majority of the people.] Supreme authority rests with the people.
- ____ observed that "man is by nature a political animal"
- Aristotle
- Politics:
- The process by which the society decides how power and resources will be distributed within that society
- State:
- A body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically (with government), and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority.
- Four characteristics of a state:
- Population, territory, sovereignty, and government