- bully pulpit
- the national podium presidents have to speak on issues they believe are important and from which they can attempt to gain support for their position
- bureaucracy
- an institution that is hierarchal in nature and exists to formulate, enact, and enforce public policy in an efficient and equitable manner
- cabinets
- formal groups of advisors to the chief executive
- coalition government
- within a parliamentary regime, a government in which two or more parties have aligned together to rule
- confidence vote
- a procedural move in a parliamentary regime in which ministers vote on whether to continue to support the prime minister; sometimes called a “no confidence vote”
- formal powers
- powers specifically granted an executive by statute or by the country’s constitution
- formalized rules
- established regulations within a bureaucracy, often called standard operating procedures (SOP)
- gridlock
- a stalemate between competing parties that prevents governments from passing major legislation
- head of government
- performed by a country’s leader, a political role in which the individual leads the country’s government
- head of state
- performed by country’s leader, a ceremonial role in which the individual symbolically represents the country
- hierarchical authority
- the chain of command that exists within a bureaucracy; officials at the top have authority over those in the middle, who have authority over those at the bottom
- impersonality
- within bureaucracies, treating individuals fairly, equally, and impartially
- informal powers
- powers that emerge through tradition or custom or are inherent in the office
- iron triangle
- the relationship among bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and Congress that works to fashion public policy; focuses on the shared interest the members have and protecting that interest
- issue networks
- relationships among varied actors—policy experts, bureaucrats, and media—that form to address an issue and affect public policy; unlike iron triangles that form around a shared interest, issue networks form around an issue and attempt to address the issue through public policy
- job specialization
- the explicit definition of job responsibilities within bureaucratic organizations; also referred to as division of labor
- kitchen cabinet
- an informal group of advisors to a chief executive
- majority government
- within a parliamentary regime, when one party holds a clear majority and forms the government
- merit system
- the hiring and promotion of individuals based upon formal, competitive examination
- neutral competence
- the idea that bureaucrats are policy experts who follow set procedures and do not consider personal, political, or professional loyalties in performing their responsibilities
- parliamentary regimes
- democratic government systems in which the chief executive is selected by the legislative body and is a member of that legislature
- patronage
- the hiring and promotion of individuals based upon political loyalty
- plurality voting
- a voting system in which the winning candidate is the one who receives the most votes even if the candidate does not receive more than 50 percent of the vote; also known as “first-past-the-post”
- populism
- political approach that uses emotional appeals to promise the masses a political voice in a system that has been perceived to be run by elites
- presidential regimes
- democratic governments in which the chief executive is selected separately from the legislative body and there exists a separation of powers between the presidency and the legislature
- prime minister
- the chief executive and head of government in a parliamentary regime
- semi-presidential regimes
- democratic government systems in which executive power is split between a prime minister (selected by the legislature) and a president (directly elected by the citizenry)
- single-member districts
- electoral districts in which only a single individual is elected to represent an area
- spoils system
- primarily used in the 1800s, this system filled government positions based on party loyalty; see patronage