a fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory; in a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected a principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that they might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument a theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies the list of subjects or problems to which government officials, and people outside of government closely associated with those officials, are paying some serious attention at any given time a condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy; the result is that nothing may get done he effect a policy has on people and problems; impacts are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost the branches of government charged with taking action on political issues; the U

1. majority rule

a fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory; in a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected

2. minority rights

a principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that they might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument

3. pluralist theory

a theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies

4. policy agenda

the list of subjects or problems to which government officials, and people outside of government closely associated with those officials, are paying some serious attention at any given time

5. policy gridlock

a condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy; the result is that nothing may get done

6. policy impacts

the effect a policy has on people and problems; impacts are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost

7. policymaking institutions

the branches of government charged with taking action on political issues; the U.S. Constitution established three policymaking institutions - the Congress, the presidency, and the courts; today, the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most political scientists consider it a fourth policymaking institution

8. policymaking system

the process by which political problems are communicated by the voters and acted upon by government policymakers; the policymaking system begins with people's needs and expectations for governmental action; when people confront government officials with problems they want solved, they are trying to influence the government's policy agenda

9. political issue

an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and a public policy choice

10. political participation

all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue; the most common, but not the only means of political participation in a democracy is voting; other means include protest and civil disobediencepolitics: the art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs; "who gets what, when, and how"