Words Matter
A plain-language glossary for the words that shape public life.
Political Systems & Ideologies
Government structures and political philosophies that shape how power is distributed, who makes decisions, and how authority is justified. These terms are often used loosely. This section pins down their actual meanings and explains how they function in practice.
Fiscal Responsibility
Fiscal responsibility refers to how governments manage public money to meet current obligations while maintaining long-term stability. It involves planning, tradeoffs, and balancing revenues and expenditures—not just spending cuts. The term appears often in debates about budgets, taxes, and public investment, sometimes without clear definition.
Structural Inequality
Structural inequality refers to patterns of unequal outcomes that are produced and sustained by social, economic, and political systems—not solely by individual actions. These inequities arise from rules, norms, and institutional practices that distribute opportunities and burdens unevenly across groups.