Politics (governance)

Politics is the activity through which people and institutions exercise power, make collective decisions, and shape public life. It includes competition over authority and the rules and institutions that organize collective affairs.

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Power: The capacity to influence actions, decisions, or outcomes. Politics concerns how people and institutions acquire, exercise, and contest this capacity.
State: A political organization claiming authority over a territory and its population. The state is a major institution through which politics organizes public authority.
Technocracy: Governance in which technical experts hold substantial decision-making authority. It favors expert judgment where political contestation may emphasize public choice and accountability.
Political party: An organization that seeks political power by advancing candidates and a program. Parties aggregate interests and compete to control government.
Political economy: The study of how political institutions and economic activity shape one another. It reveals how political choices distribute resources and structure economic power.
Political legitimacy: The recognized right of a person or institution to exercise political authority. Legitimacy helps explain why political power is accepted as rightful rather than merely imposed.
Government: The institutions and officials that make and carry out decisions for a political community. Government is a central arena where political authority is exercised.
Authoritarianism: A political system concentrating power while restricting meaningful political competition and participation. It narrows the contestation and participation found in more pluralistic politics.
Election: A formal process in which people choose representatives or decide public questions. Elections translate political competition into choices over office and policy.
Civil society: The associations and organizations operating outside the state, family, and market. Civil society can organize public debate, collective interests, and challenges to authority.