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public opinion

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A body of attitudes, beliefs, and views pertaining to specific issues held by a significant proportion of a society.

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demography

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the scientific study of population characteristics

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census

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A periodic and official count of a country's population.

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reapportionment

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The process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census

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political socialization

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The process by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs.

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random sampling

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a method of poll selection that gives each person in a group the same chance of being selected

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sampling error

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an error that occurs when a sample somehow does not represent the target population

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gender gap

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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.

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civil disobedience

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a form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer the consequences.

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mass media

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Those means of communication that reach large audiences, especially television, radio, printed publications, and the Internet

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print media

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Includes such forms as newspapers, periodicals, magazines, books, newsletters, advertising, memos, business forms, etc.

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broadcast media

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Agencies or instruments such as radio and television that use verbal communication to share a message with the public.

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narrowcasting

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targeting media programming at specific populations within society

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sound bites

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short snippets of information aimed at dramatizing a story rather than explaining its substantive meaning

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policy agenda

answer

agenda that results from the interaction of linkage institutions

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policy entrepreneurs

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Citizens, members of interest groups, or public officials who champion particular policy ideas

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political party

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a group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy

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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.

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rational choice theory

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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.

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party machines

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A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.

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patronage

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(politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

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closed primaries

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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

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open primaries

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elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.

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blanket primaries

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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.

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national convention

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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.

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national committee

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one of the institutions that keep the party operating between conventions. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories.

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national chairperson

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individual elected by the national committee who manages the daily operations of the national party

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coalition

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a group of individuals with a common interest upon which every political party depends

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critical election

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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

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party realignment

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the displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

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party dealignment

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a shift away from the major political parties to a more neutral, independent ideological view of party identification.

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third parties

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electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections.

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proportional representation

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An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote

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coalition government

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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.

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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.

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nomination

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the act of officially naming a candidate

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campaign strategy

answer

the master game plan candidates lay out to guide their electoral campaign

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caucus

answer

a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates for office

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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.

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McGovern-Fraser Commission

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a commission formed at the 1968 democratic convention in response to demands for reform by minority groups and others who sought better representation.

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superdelegates

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National party leaders who automatically get a delegate slot at the Democratic national party convention.

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frontloading

answer

the recent tendency of states to hold primaries early in the calendar in order to capitalize on media attention

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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

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legitimacy

answer

political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution

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referendum

answer

a legislative act is referred for final approval to a popular vote by the electorate

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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.

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suffrage

answer

a legal right guaranteed by the 15th amendment to the US constitution

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political efficacy

answer

The belief that one's political participation really matters - that one's vote can actually make a difference

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civic duty

answer

a belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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interest group

answer

an organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy

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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.

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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.

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hyperpluralist theory

answer

A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened.

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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.

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potential group

answer

All the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest.

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actual group

answer

The part of the potential group consisting of members who actually join

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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

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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.

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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"

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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.

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single issue group

answer

a group that has a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics

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lobbying

answer

direct contact made by an interest group representative in order to persuade government officials to support the policies their interest group favors

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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)

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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.

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class action lawsuits

answer

lawsuits permitting a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other people similarly situated

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union shop

answer

a company allowed to hire nonunion workers on the condition that they will join the union within a specified time

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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

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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."

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