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PoliSci 1050
Final Vocab
28
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
12/14/2010

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
political parties
Definition
Groups of like-minded people who band together in an attempt to take control of government. Parties represent the primary connection between ordinary citizens and the public officials they elect. p. 205
Term
single member simple plurality (SMSP) system
Definition
Electoral system in which the country is divided into geographic districts and the candidates who win the most votes within their districts are elected. p. 223
Term
proportional representation (PR)
Definition
Electoral system in which parties receive a share of seats in parliament that is proportional to the popular vote they receive. p. 223
Term
divided government
Definition
When one party holds the presidency but does not control both houses of Congress. (3 issues). p. 209
Term
congressional caucuses
Definition
A meeting of each party's members in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. p. 271
Term
presidential primaries
Definition
Elections held for the purpose of selecting or instructing national convention delegates. p. 270
Term
invisible primary
Definition
The extended period of campaigning during the permanent campaign.
Term
frontloading
Definition
The rush for states to have the earliest primary following Iowa and New Hampshire.
Term
professional legislature
Definition
Legislature whose members serve full-time and for long periods. (p. 306)
Term
incumbency advantage
Definition
The electoral advantage a candidate enjoys by virtue of being an incumbent, over and above his or her other personal and political characteristics. p. 211
Term
reapportionment
Definition
The allocation of House seats to the states after each decennial census. p. 307
Term
redistricting
Definition
Drawing new boundaries of congressional districts, usually after the decennial census. p. 307
Term
gerrymandering
Definition
Drawing boundary lines of congressional districts in order to confer an advantage on some partisan or political interest. p. 308
Term
business cycle
Definition
The alternation of periods of economic growth with periods of economic slowdown. p. 547
Term
recession
Definition
A slowdown in economic activity, officially defined as a decline that persists for two quarters (six months). p. 547
Term
inflation
Definition
A sustained rise in price levels such that people need more money to purchase the same amount of goods and services. p. 547
Term
fiscal policy
Definition
The sum total of government taxing and spending decisions, which determines the level of the deficit or surplus. p. 550
Term
deficit
Definition
The amount by which annual spending exceeds revenue. p. 550
Term
surplus
Definition
The amount by which annual revenue exceeds spending. p. 550
Term
monetary policy
Definition
The actions taken by government to vary the supply of money in an effort to stabilize the business cycle. p. 554
Term
the Federal Reserve System
Definition
The country's central bank, which executes monetary policy by manipulating the supply of funds that member banks can lend. p. 555
Term
foreign policy
Definition
Conduct of relations among nation-states. p. 572
Term
two-presidency theory
Definition
Theory that explains why presidents exercise greater power over foreign affairs than over domestic policy. p. 572
Term
War Powers Resolution
Definition
1973 congressional resolution requiring the president to notify Congress formally upon ordering U.S. troops into military action. p. 578
Term
treaties
Definition
Official agreements with foreign countries that must be ratified by the Senate. p. 580
Term
executive agreements
Definition
Legal contracts with foreign countries that require only a presidential signature. p. 580
Term
idealists
Definition
Those who say that U.S. foreign policy should be guided primarily by democratic principles-the spread of liberty, equality, human rights, and respect for international law throughout the world. p. 593
Term
realists
Definition
Those who say that U.S. foreign policy best protects democracy when it safeguards its own economic and military strength. p. 593
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