Chapter 15
Government
By Boundless
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Political sociology studies the relation between state and society, authority and power, and the methods used to formulate social policy.
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Power is frequently defined as the ability to influence the behavior of others with or without resistance.
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Authority refers to the use of power that is seen as legitimate or socially approved/recognized.
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Max Weber conceived of the state as a monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force.
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Traditional authority refers to a form of leadership in which authority derives from tradition or custom.
Rational-legal authority is a form of leadership in which authority is largely tied to legal rationality, legal legitimacy, and bureaucracy.
Charismatic authority is power legitimized by a leader's exceptional personal qualities, which inspire loyalty and obedience from followers.
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In the United States, transfers of authority generally occur after presidential elections.
Various schools of thought consider the state to be either a neutral entity separated from society or an immoral partisan instrument.
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A state is an organized political community acting under a government. States differ in sovereignty, governance, geography, and interests.
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Citizenship carries both rights and responsibilities, as it describes a person with legal rights within a given political order.
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Theories explaining the origins and formation of states all revolve around the ability to centralize power in a sustainable way.
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States vary based on who holds power, who elects the empowered, and how authority is maintained.
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A monarchy is a form of government in which supreme power is absolutely or nominally lodged with an individual, who is the head of state.
An oligarchy is a form of government in which power effectively rests with a small elite segment of society.
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Dictatorships govern without consent of the people and in totalitarian dictatorships the power to govern extends to all aspects of life.
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Democracy is a form of government in which sovereignty is held by the majority of citizens within a country or a state.
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States are not necessarily the same as nations. New state spaces are redefining borders, and they may not be ruled by national governments.
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Democracy is an egalitarian form of government in which all the citizens of a nation together determine policy, laws, and state actions.
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Participatory democracy emphasized the broad participation of constituents in the direction and operation of political systems.
Monarchies, in which sovereignty embodied in a single individual, eventually gave way to liberal democracies.
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Liberal democracy requires universal suffrage, competitive politics, and the rule of law and is currently the dominant world political ideology.
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The United States is a federal constitutional republic in which the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.
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Women's political participation has increased due to landmark events—women's suffrage and the election of women to public office.
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Theories of democracy advocate different degrees of participation by the people with the government.
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The public sphere is composed of voluntary associations that promote social capital and social cohesion while enhancing democracy.
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The United States is a representative federal democracy driven by elections in which citizens' and lobbyists' diverse interests compete.
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Political parties seek to influence government policy by nominating select candidates to hold seats in political offices.
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Voter turnout depends on socioeconomic factors such as education, income, gender, age, and race.
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Lobbying describes paid activity in which special interest groups argue for specific legislation in decision-making bodies.
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Collectively, African Americans are more involved in the American political process than other minority groups.
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Hispanics have the ability to be an influential force in politics, a fact that is especially true in areas with high Hispanic populations.
Media are means of transmitting information, which is important for a democracy in which citizens must make their own informed decisions.
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There is a correlation between age and political activity/organization.
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War is an organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict that is carried on between states, nations, or other parties.
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Terrorism is an act of violence intended to create fear, which is then leveraged in order to achieve goals.
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Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict or war.