People and Politics – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
public opinion
answer
A body of attitudes, beliefs, and views pertaining to specific issues held by a significant proportion of a society.
question
demography
answer
the scientific study of population characteristics
question
census
answer
A periodic and official count of a country's population.
question
reapportionment
answer
The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census
question
political socialization
answer
The process by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs.
question
random sampling
answer
a method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected
question
sampling error
answer
an error that occurs when a sample somehow does not represent the target population
question
gender gap
answer
A term that refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates. Women tend to be significantly less conservative than men and are more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.
question
civil disobedience
answer
a form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences.
question
mass media
answer
Those means of communication that reach large audiences, especially television, radio, printed publications, and the Internet
question
print media
answer
Includes such forms as newspapers, periodicals, magazines, books, newsletters, advertising, memos, business forms, etc.
question
broadcast media
answer
Agencies or instruments such as radio and television that use verbal communication to share a message with the public.
question
narrowcasting
answer
targeting media programming at specific populations within society
question
sound bites
answer
short snippets of information aimed at dramatizing a story rather than explaining its substantive meaning
question
policy agenda
answer
agenda that results from the interaction of linkage institutions
question
policy entrepreneurs
answer
Citizens, members of interest groups, or public officials who champion particular policy ideas
question
political party
answer
a group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy
question
linkage institutions
answer
the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.
question
rational choice theory
answer
A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.
question
party machines
answer
A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.
question
patronage
answer
(politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support
question
closed primaries
answer
elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party's candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty
question
open primaries
answer
elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.
question
blanket primaries
answer
elections to select party nominees in which voters are presented with a list of candidates from all the parties. Voters can then select some Democrats and some Republicans if they like.
question
national convention
answer
A national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules.
question
national committee
answer
one of the institutions that keep the party operating between conventions. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories.
question
national chairperson
answer
individual elected by the national committee who manages the daily operations of the national party
question
coalition
answer
a group of individuals with a common interest upon which every political party depends
question
critical election
answer
an electoral "earthquake" whereby new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. These are sometimes marked by a national crisis and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era
question
party realignment
answer
the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.
question
party dealignment
answer
a shift away from the major political parties to a more neutral, independent ideological view of party identification.
question
third parties
answer
electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections.
question
proportional representation
answer
An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote
question
coalition government
answer
When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature. This form of government is quite common in the multiparty systems of Europe.
question
responsible party model
answer
a view favored by some political scientists about how parties should work. According to the model, parties should offer clear choices to the voters, who can then use those choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates. Once in office, parties would carry out their campaign promises.
question
nomination
answer
the act of officially naming a candidate
question
campaign strategy
answer
the master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign
question
caucus
answer
a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office
question
presidential primaries
answer
elections in which voters in a state vote for a candidate (or delegates pledged to him or her). Most delegates to the national party conventions are chosen this way.
question
McGovern-Fraser Commission
answer
a commission formed at the 1968 democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.
question
superdelegates
answer
National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention.
question
frontloading
answer
the recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention
question
national primary
answer
A proposal by critics of the caucuses and presidential primaries, which would replace these electoral methods with a nationwide primary held early in the election year.
question
regional primaries
answer
A proposal by critics of the caucuses and presidential primaries to replace these electoral methods with a series of primaries held in each geographic region.
question
party platform
answer
A political party's statement of its goals and policies for the next four years. The platform is drafted prior to the party convention by a committee whose members are chosen in rough proportion to each candidate's strength. It is the best formal statement of a party's beliefs.
question
Federal Election Campaign Act
answer
law passed in 1974 for reforming campaign finances. The act created the Federal Election Commission (FEC), provided public financing for presidential primaries and general elections, limited presidential campaign spending, required disclosure, and attempted to limit contributions.
question
Federal Election Commission
answer
Federal Election Commission, issues regulations & adviosry opinions that control PAC activities, A six-member bipartisan agency created by the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974. The federal Election Commission administers and enforces campaign finance laws.
question
soft money
answer
political contributions made in such a way as to avoid the United States regulations for federal election campaigns (as by contributions to a political action committee)
question
political action committees
answer
Funding vehicles created by the 1974 campaign finance reforms. A corporation, union, or some other interest group can create a political action committee (PAC) and register it with the Federal Election Commission, which will meticulously monitor the PAC's expenditures.
question
selective perception
answer
the phenomenon that people often pay the most attention to things they already agree with and interpret them according to their own predispositions
question
legitimacy
answer
political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution
question
referendum
answer
a legislative act is referred for final approval to a popular vote by the electorate
question
initiative petition
answer
A process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on petitions calling for such a referendum.
question
suffrage
answer
a legal right guaranteed by the 15th amendment to the US constitution
question
political efficacy
answer
The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference
question
civic duty
answer
a belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs
question
voter registration
answer
A system adopted by the states that requires voters to register well in advance of Election Day. A few states permit Election day registration.
question
Motor Voter Act
answer
Passed in 1993, this act went into effect for the 1996 election. It requires states to permit people to register to vote at the same time they apply for their driver's license.
question
mandate theory of elections
answer
The idea that the winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics. Politicians like the theory better than political scientists do.
question
policy voting
answer
electoral choices that are made on the basis of the voters' policy preferences and on the basis of where the candidates stand on policy issues
question
electoral college
answer
group of persons chosen in each State and the District of Columbia every four years who make a formal selection of the President and vice president
question
interest group
answer
an organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy
question
pluralist theory
answer
A theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies.
question
elite theory
answer
A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization.
question
hyperpluralist theory
answer
A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened.
question
subgovernments
answer
A network of groups within the American political system that exercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas. Also known as iron triangles, they are composed of interest group leaders interested in a particular policy, the government agency in charge of administering that policy, and the members of congressional committees and subcommittees handling policy.
question
potential group
answer
All the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest.
question
actual group
answer
The part of the potential group consisting of members who actually join
question
collective good
answer
something of value (money, a tax write-off, prestige, clean air, and so on) that cannot be withheld from a group member
question
free rider problem
answer
the problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups.
question
Olson's law of large group
answer
Advanced by Mancur Olson, a principle stating that "the larger the group, the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good"
question
selective benefits
answer
Goods (such as information publications, travel discounts, and group insurance rates) that a group can restrict to those who pay their annual dues.
question
single issue group
answer
a group that has a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics
question
lobbying
answer
direct contact made by an interest group representative in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors
question
electioneering
answer
the campaign of a candidate to be elected, Direct group involvement in the electoral process. Groups can help fund campaigns, provide testimony, and get members to work for candidates, and some form political action committees (PAC)
question
amicus curiae briefs
answer
Legal briefs submitted by a "friend of the court" for the purpose of raising additional points of view and presenting information not contained in the briefs of the formal parties. These briefs attempt to influence a court's decision.
question
class action lawsuits
answer
lawsuits permitting a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other people similarly situated
question
union shop
answer
a company allowed to hire nonunion workers on the condition that they will join the union within a specified time
question
right to work laws
answer
legislation that gives workers the right, under an open shop, to join or not join a union if it is present
question
public interest lobbies
answer
according to Jeffrey Berry, organizations that seek "a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activities of the organization."
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New