PO111 Midterm: Weeks 1- 5.docx
Document Summary
Politics originates over scarce resources and/or differing values. It involves struggle among different groups in society who want different things. Government: the activity of individuals and institutions that: Make and enforce collective decisions: conflict manager. Concept: a general idea, tends to be abstract, involves interpretation, so it can be interpreted in various ways, key concepts must be defined, definition is usually debated. Political science concepts: democracy, justice, citizenship, security, power. In canada: democratic government: concern for equality, regular elections to choose citizen representatives, other mechanisms for encouraging citizens to participate in decision-making. Power is the concept of why things are not always fair. Achieving an objectives by influencing behaviour of others: getting someone to do something they would have not otherwise done. Involves a relationship but depends on the circumstances. Coercion: involves using threats or fear to get your way, used to intimidate people.
