Poli Sci 100 - UNC - Exam 1 Terms
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1. Politics the process of making collective decisions to allocate public resources and to create
and enforce rules for the operation of society
2. Political System the way a society organizes and manages its politics across various levels of public
authority
3. Preferences needs or wants of people
4. Institutions rules or sets of rules or practices that determine how people make collective
decisions (Includes the rules and procedures for passing laws, interpreting laws,
enforcing laws, counting votes and electing governments, and appointing govern-
ment employees)
5. Types of political branches of government, organizations, rules and procedures
institutions
6. Federal Systems multiple levels of government with independent authority over important areas of
policy
7. Collective dilem- when there is a conflict between group goals and individual goals or self-interest
ma
8. Public good refers to a benefit provided to a group of people that each member can enjoy
without necessarily having to pay for it and one person's enjoyment of it does not
inhibit the enjoyment of it by others
9. Private good a product or benefit provided such that its enjoyment can be limited to specific
people and one individuals consumption of it precludes others from consuming it
10. Free riding benefiting from a public good while avoiding the costs of contributing to it
11. Collective-action a situation in which people would be better off if they all cooperated - however any
problem individual has an incentive not to cooperate as long as others are cooperating
1/7
, Poli Sci 100 - UNC - Exam 1 Terms
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_2la6hb
12. Prisoner's dilem- an interaction between two strategic actors in which neither actor has an incentive
ma to cooperate even though both would be better off if they both cooperated
13. Coordination a situation in which two or more people are all better off if they coordinate on a
problem common course of action , but there is more than one possible course of action to
take
14. Minimum win- the smallest size - coalition necessary to achieve a goal
ning collection
15. Unstable coali- an instance in which three or more people must make collective choice from a set
tions of alternative, but any voting coalition in favor of an alternative can be divided by
consideration of another alternative
16. Agenda Setter an authority that controls what options are decided on by a group
17. Principle - agent an instance in which one actor, a principal, contracts another actor, an agent, to act
problem ( delega- on the principal;s behalf, but the actors may not share the same preferences, and
tion problem ) the principal lacks the means to observe all of the agents behavior
18. Bureaucrat any government employee which is not part of ruling powers
19. Bureaucracy an agency or office devoted to carrying out tasks for the government in a manner
consistent with the law
20. Public Policies programs and decisions by the government that are enforced by the rule of law
21. Path dependence the notion that earlier events or decisions deeply affect current and future policy
decisions or outcomes
22. Authoritarianism a political system in which there is no expectation that the government represents
the people, and the institutions of government do not give the people a direct
voice in who will lead
2/7
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_2la6hb
1. Politics the process of making collective decisions to allocate public resources and to create
and enforce rules for the operation of society
2. Political System the way a society organizes and manages its politics across various levels of public
authority
3. Preferences needs or wants of people
4. Institutions rules or sets of rules or practices that determine how people make collective
decisions (Includes the rules and procedures for passing laws, interpreting laws,
enforcing laws, counting votes and electing governments, and appointing govern-
ment employees)
5. Types of political branches of government, organizations, rules and procedures
institutions
6. Federal Systems multiple levels of government with independent authority over important areas of
policy
7. Collective dilem- when there is a conflict between group goals and individual goals or self-interest
ma
8. Public good refers to a benefit provided to a group of people that each member can enjoy
without necessarily having to pay for it and one person's enjoyment of it does not
inhibit the enjoyment of it by others
9. Private good a product or benefit provided such that its enjoyment can be limited to specific
people and one individuals consumption of it precludes others from consuming it
10. Free riding benefiting from a public good while avoiding the costs of contributing to it
11. Collective-action a situation in which people would be better off if they all cooperated - however any
problem individual has an incentive not to cooperate as long as others are cooperating
1/7
, Poli Sci 100 - UNC - Exam 1 Terms
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_2la6hb
12. Prisoner's dilem- an interaction between two strategic actors in which neither actor has an incentive
ma to cooperate even though both would be better off if they both cooperated
13. Coordination a situation in which two or more people are all better off if they coordinate on a
problem common course of action , but there is more than one possible course of action to
take
14. Minimum win- the smallest size - coalition necessary to achieve a goal
ning collection
15. Unstable coali- an instance in which three or more people must make collective choice from a set
tions of alternative, but any voting coalition in favor of an alternative can be divided by
consideration of another alternative
16. Agenda Setter an authority that controls what options are decided on by a group
17. Principle - agent an instance in which one actor, a principal, contracts another actor, an agent, to act
problem ( delega- on the principal;s behalf, but the actors may not share the same preferences, and
tion problem ) the principal lacks the means to observe all of the agents behavior
18. Bureaucrat any government employee which is not part of ruling powers
19. Bureaucracy an agency or office devoted to carrying out tasks for the government in a manner
consistent with the law
20. Public Policies programs and decisions by the government that are enforced by the rule of law
21. Path dependence the notion that earlier events or decisions deeply affect current and future policy
decisions or outcomes
22. Authoritarianism a political system in which there is no expectation that the government represents
the people, and the institutions of government do not give the people a direct
voice in who will lead
2/7
