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American politics 010
final flash cards
27
Political Studies
Undergraduate 3
12/08/2013

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Term
Mass media
Definition
the way that media is given to large populations. it influences political opinions. Includes newspaper, magazines, internet, television, radio, etc.  Helps to inform voters.  Used largely in national elections. *importance - it allows voters to see how a presidential candidate and party will address certain problems in the nation (presidential debates)(Mitt Romney v. President Obama)
Term
Sound bites
Definition
Short video or audio cut from a politician’s longer speech.  Typically used in a negative context against a certain politician. type of paid advertising. Sound bites are used because tv coverage of campaigns are shrinking and sound bites fit into the time of commercials of television shows that people usually watch. Significance- Used to persuade voters, used as an important component for media propaganda that highlights one party negatively and simultaneously makes the other party seem more adequate
Term
Interest Groups
Definition
an organization formed from like-minded individuals that band together to influence public policy, public opinion, or governmental officials (such as AARP or the NRA) and is concerned with  protecting its members' interests or rights.  *importance - [think National Rifle Association (NRA) protects gun rights because its members are often gun enthusiasts]. influences policy. Interest groups provide money to political candidates and allows a majority or minority to influence policy.
Term
Solidary Incentives
Definition
(service-oriented voluntary organizations and social clubs) are places where people make contributions in return for sociability and status (Scott p. 173). Executive efforts are at securing prestige, publicity, or good fellowship. The organizational goals are non-controversial and socially acceptable. These organizations tend to be less flexible and more public in actions and decisions.
Term
Purposive Incentives
Definition
Intangible reward given to people who join a group they support and work with to advance an issue they believe. They do things for a purpose like holding blood drives to that give them a sense that they are doing good or saving lives. Significance ??These incentives are reasons why people join interest groups.
Term
Material Incentives
Definition
  • Benefits that have concrete value or worth. Material benefit changes a person’s behavior such as discounts or clothing, E.G. AARP has discounts for members on things like health insurance. Significance ??These incentives are reasons why people join interest groups.

Term
Lobbying
Definition
the action of seeking to influence politicians on an issue. A lobbyist is generally a representative of an interest group. two kinds of lobbying, inside and outside. Inside lobbying is actually going to dc and talking to staff or members. It allows the lobbyist to gain access and talk to the politician directly. Outside lobbying is advertising or influencing the masses to talk to the politician. Lobbying allows people and politicians to be informed of policies that need to be made or fixed.
Term
Free-rider problem
Definition
public goods can be enjoyed by everyone even though only taxpayers pay for these goods. Public goods suffer from this because people don’t pay for these goods, but use them anyway. For example, an environmentalist group might work to help improve the air and the people benefit from it, but we do not help in the process of it. It forces groups to think of ways to make people join their coalitions, because if you can get the benefits without joining, why bother wasting time joining at all? E.g. Emergency Room Services, police protection
Term
14th amendment
Definition
Ratified July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States," including former slaves, and provided all citizens with “equal protection under the laws,” extending the provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states.
Term
Fifteenth Amendment
Definition
As a member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, William Stewart of Nevada guided the Fifteenth Amendment through the Senate. Ratified February 3, 1870, the amendment prohibited states from disenfranchising voters “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The amendment left open the possibility, however, that states could institute voter qualifications equally to all races and many former confederate states took advantage of this provision, instituting poll taxes, and literacy tests, among other qualifications.
Term
19th amendment
Definition
  • (ratified in the 1920’s) gave women the right to vote *importance - extends the right to vote, allows women to be more independent.

Term
Candidate centered era (1952)
Definition
  • Beginning in the 1950’s, candidates began to portray themselves as independent from party politics even though there ran under a party. Voting based on the candidate rather than party or platform. *importance - we no longer run candidacy like this (pro-party). I.E. “I Like Ike!” Eisenhower v. Stevenson (1952) *importance - after being elected, these politicians saw no need to follow the party caucus so there was less policy coherence and less efficient legislative processes

Term
Distribution
Definition
Government providing things of value to specific groups such as wealth services or benefits. For example, a city offers to help with the cost of the construction of a stadium, the city is distributing the public’s resources to private businesses.
Term
Regulatory
Definition
legal rules create by government agencies to limit or control behavior. for example, because of the efforts of environmentalist groups, industries must now limit how much pollution they can put into the air. This allows limitations to make sure nothing is taken advantage of. Cap and Trade. In the United States we have a regulatory system.
Term
Redistribution
Definition
  • Government providing a broad segment of the society with something of value. For ex: Welfare or unemployment, Government gives people social security that people pay into. What you give to the government is less or more than what you receive back. *importance - it recycles funds that people pay into to a larger portion of the population

Term
Focusing events
Definition
Moments that capture attention and highlight the existence of a problem, media usually covers this event immensely. *importance - it brings problems to the attention of both the public and policy makers because the problem is just that big. For ex: 9/11 brought to the attention of everyone that there was a threat of terrorism.
Term

Issue attention cycle

Definition
The pattern of problems that quickly gain importance and attention then are forgotten. Because the media is dependent on ratings to make money, it tends to only cover issues that are currently a hot topic for people. When the media moves on to the next “new” thing, the coverage for whatever topic was previously being covered is reduced or lost completely. You do not have this cycle without focusing events.*importance - some issues are meant to stay on the agenda but some fade away because public interest in them decreases and lack support. E.g. Deepwater Horizon
Term
Rule-making authority
Definition
brings up to question whether the executive branch or the legislative branch has the authority to make rules. Agencies are allowed to create rules in the implementation of a passed law. For example, when the Affordable Care Act was passed, the Department of Human Services decided that they needed to create a website in order to implement the ACA.*importance - powers have been imbalanced because some court rulings or laws passed would give more power to the executive branch while others would give more power to the legislative branch
Term
Inflation
Definition
  • an increase of prices over time while wages stay the same. E.g. Groceries. *importance - it is bad, because it can undermine and distort all other aspects of the economy. It can wipe out middle class savings and decrease the value of the dollar, causing much unrest.

Term
CPI
Definition
  • consumer price index - measures the changing costs of specific goods and services. Measures how much it costs to live in a country at any given time. “basket products” = milk, cheese, bread”, transportation, goods, etc.  *importance - it measures the inflation rate at regular intervals

Term
GDP
Definition
Gross Domestic Product - the value of all goods and services in one nation*importance - measures economic growth (production). amount of stock you produced in a country in a year Ex. THE UNITED STATES HAS THE HIGHEST GDP
Term
Deficit
Definition
a negative savings related to our budget. We have a $1 trillion deficit every year.*importance - it measures how much a nation owes or is behind, for example if you import more than you export, you might be at a deficit because you buy more than you sell.
Term
Kyoto protocol
Definition
An international agreement to address the problem of global warming, concerned mostly with reducing emissions from automobiles by creating standards for MPG in many countries. Signed, but not ratified by the United States because of costs.
Term
Covert action
Definition
Any action the United States takes in secret to try to influence the political, economic, or military regime in another country.” Efforts to secretly influence affairs in another state (nation) that may include propaganda, disinformation campaigns, bribery, fomenting political and economic unrest and assassination. For example, Drone Strikes, Bay of Pigs. *importance - intended to create a political effect which can have implications in the military, intelligence or law enforcement arenas
Term
Containment -
Definition
  A Cold War Strategy after WWII by Truman, that sought to control and encircle the Soviet Union rather than defeat it militarily. Trying to stop the spread of communism. For example, the Marshall plan, Vietnam,. *importance - was meant to stop the spread of communism without going into war with the Communists.
Term
Marshall plan
Definition
The United States gave economic support to rebuild European economies after the end of World War II in order to prevent the spread of Soviet Communism. *importance - Weakened countries are more likely to fall to communism. Also, the money comes with influence and makes them indebt to the US. Also, the Communists cannot step in first to try to help Europe because the US has already stepped in. Ex. West Germany during WWII
Term
Genocide
Definition
the action of trying to make a certain ethnic or cultural group extinct.*importance - the most extreme category of human rights violation. Ex: Jews were victims of genocide because over 6 million of them were killed in the holocaust.
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