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| What are the functions of Government |
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Definition
Protect citizens from unlawful activity
Defends the country from foreign aggressors
Regulates social and economic relations
Provides services |
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| supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person. |
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| the government or rule of a tyrant or absolute ruler. |
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| a class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility. |
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| a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few. |
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| Monarchy, Tyranny, Aristocracy, Oligarchy |
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| system in which governmental power is widely shared among the citizens, usually through free and open elections |
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| ordinary people are the government and making all laws themselves |
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| form of indirect democracy, in which the people choose representatives |
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| Preliminary election that narrows the number of candidates by determining who will be the party nominees in the general election |
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| Final election that selects the office holder |
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| Proposed laws or state constitutional amendments placed on the ballot by citizen petition |
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| Proposed laws or state constitutional amendment that is proposed by a legislature or city council but does not go into effect unless the required majority of voters approve it |
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Line between campaigning and governing has disappeared
Governing becomes campaign strategy
Public officials may sacrifice long-term good for short-term electoral advantage |
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| A philosophy that elevates and empowers the individual as opposed to religious, hereditary, governmental, or other forms of authority |
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Definition
Focus on the effort and moral worth of the individual.
Major component of classical liberalism
Belief in individual achievement and responsibility is not closely tied with the actual social and economic circumstances that Americans find themselves in — rich or poor
Some argue individualistic values have undermined efforts to address poverty through public policy |
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Definition
Equality of opportunity
equal chance to advance
Equality of condition
All individuals have a right to a more or less equal part of the material goods that society produces
While most support the first, few support the latter |
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| Surveys, ask questions of the population about a range of issues, events, and people. |
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| poll that determines opinion at one time point. |
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| poll that spreads negative information about an opposing candidate |
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| poll conducted periodically to track opinion over time. |
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| conducted at polls during election days to determine winner. |
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Definition
Limited Response Options
Lack of Information
Lack of Intensity |
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| 1992 American Jewish Committee Survey. What problem did it have? |
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Definition
| Later study revealed a change in question wording led the numbers to drop considerably. |
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| Population (in regard to polls) |
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Definition
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every person in sample has an equal probability of selection.
Telephone survey
Personal interviews |
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| randomly sampling within particular groups |
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The amount of error attributed to any poll estimate.
Generally, the larger the sample, the smaller the margin of error |
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The error that occurs when a sample systematically includes or excludes people with certain attitudes
If a survey has a selection bias it will NOT be representative of the larger population |
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Term
| 1936 Literary Digest Poll. What were some of its problems? |
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Definition
Incorrectly predicted outcome of 1936 election
A landslide for Franklin D. Roosevelt over Alf Landon
Sampling Problems
Surveyed Literary Digest subscribers
Surveyed from list of registered car owners and telephone listings |
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Term
| 1948 Gallup Poll. What problem did it have? |
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Definition
Gallup predicted the 1948 presidential campaign incorrectly.
Predicted Thomas Dewey would defeat Harry Truman in presidential race.
Stopped polling in mid-October
Truman won narrowly |
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Term
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Definition
group of people particularly affected by, or concerned with, a specific issue
These people find relevant information valuable and can gather it more cheaply |
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Term
| 1948 Gallup Poll. What problem did it have? |
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Definition
Gallup predicted the 1948 presidential campaign incorrectly.
Predicted Thomas Dewey would defeat Harry Truman in presidential race.
Stopped polling in mid-October
Truman won narrowly |
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Term
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Definition
group of people particularly affected by, or concerned with, a specific issue
These people find relevant information valuable and can gather it more cheaply |
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Term
| What are some common characteristics among Americans as it concerns their public opinion? |
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Definition
| they are generally uninformed? idk..im uninformed |
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Term
| What are the different sources of media Americans’ consume? |
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Definition
| newspaper, radio, television, internet, magazine |
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Term
| What is the most popular media sources in America? |
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Definition
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Term
| What was the first source of media in the United States? |
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Definition
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Definition
Appealed to larger audience
Inexpensive
Sustained by advertising
Not partisan |
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Definition
| the type of journalism that relies on sensationalism and lurid exaggeration to attract readers |
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Term
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Definition
| The term muckraker refers to reform-minded journalists who wrote largely for popular magazines, continued a tradition of investigative journalism reporting |
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Definition
| The equal-time rule specifies that U.S. radio and television broadcast stations must provide an equivalent opportunity to any opposing political candidates who request it. This means, for example, that if a station gives one free minute to a candidate on the prime time, it must do the same for another candidate. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), introduced in 1949, that required the holders of broadcast licenses to both present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was, in the Commission's view, honest, equitable and balanced. The FCC decided to eliminate the Doctrine in 1987, and in August 2011 the FCC formally removed the language that implemented the Doctrine.[ |
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Term
| How do most sources of media in the United States fund themselves? |
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Definition
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Term
| What source of media have Americans increasingly used over the last decade? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the forms of news bias? |
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Definition
Ideological bias, spin
Selection bias
Professional bias |
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Term
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Definition
| Occurs when the media shape the standards people use to evaluate political figures |
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Definition
Occurs when the media induce people to think about an issue along particular lines, as opposed to others
Effort at persuasion |
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Term
| How do interest groups vary? |
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Definition
Vary in degree of funding
Vary in organization
Vary in issues of interest |
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Definition
| individuals make voluntary contributions |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
The free-rider problem arises when people can enjoy the benefits of group activity without bearing any of the costs
Individuals perceive that attainment of the group goal has little relationship to their personal contribution
Individuals perceive their efforts will have little impact
Problem effects larger groups to a greater degree
For small groups, social pressure creates an incentive to contribute
The free-rider problem becomes more serious as the abstractness of the benefit the group seeks to achieve increases
Public goods
Goods that you can enjoy without contributing, by free-riding on the efforts of those who do
Private goods
Goods that you must purchase to enjoy, and your consumption of which means that others cannot consume them |
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Term
| Are smaller or larger interest groups more successful? |
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Definition
Problem effects larger groups to a greater degree
For small groups, social pressure creates an incentive to contribute |
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Term
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Definition
| Goods that you can enjoy without contributing, by free-riding on the efforts of those who do |
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Term
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Definition
| Goods that you must purchase to enjoy, and your consumption of which means that others cannot consume them |
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Term
| What types of incentives are associated with interest groups? |
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Definition
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Term
| What methods do interest groups use to overcome the freerider problem? |
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Definition
Coercion
Social pressure or force to make people join in a collective effort
Social Movements
Broad-based demand for government action on some problem or issue
Increasing Perceived Impact
Groups may reformulate their appeals in order to suggest that even small contributions have a concrete impact
Selective Benefits
Side benefits of belonging to an organization that is limited to contributing members of the organization
Example: AARP offers access to mail order pharmacy services, low cost auto, health and life insurance, discounts on hotels, airfares, and car rentals, etc.
Political Entrepreneurs
people willing to assume the costs of forming
and maintaining an organization even when
others may free-ride on them |
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Term
| Political entrepreneur (What is their significance?) |
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Definition
Political Entrepreneurs
people willing to assume the costs of forming and maintaining an organization even when others may free-ride on them |
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Term
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Definition
Side benefits of belonging to an organization that is limited to contributing members of the organization
Example: AARP offers access to mail order pharmacy services, low cost auto, health and life insurance, discounts on hotels, airfares, and car rentals, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
Lobbying: interest group activities intended to influence directly the decisions that public officials make
May draft bills, testify before congressional committees, meet with elected officials and present their cases, provide information |
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Term
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Definition
| Influence elected officials indirectly by mobilizing their constituents |
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Term
| Political Action Committees |
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Definition
Political Action Committees
Specialized organizations for raising and contributing campaign funds
Donating to the members of key committees regardless of party |
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Term
| Which groups tend to acquire more money from political action committee? |
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Definition
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Term
| How do groups seek to persuade the public? |
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Definition
Focus primarily on issue advocacy
Advertising campaigns that attempt to influence public opinion on an issue
Direct mail is a tool interest groups use
Computer-generated letters, faxes, and other communications to people who might be sympathetic to an appeal for money or support
Generating media coverage for the group and its agenda |
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Term
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Definition
| involves everything from peaceful sit-ins and demonstrations to riots and even rebellion |
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Term
| What methods may groups use to influence the courts? |
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Definition
Filing amicus curiae briefs is another strategy that involves participation in the legal system.
- Intended to influence litigation outcome |
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Term
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Definition
| Alliance of a congressional committee, the executive agency, and interest groups |
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Term
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Definition
| A loose constellation of larger numbers of committees, agencies, interest groups, and policy experts active in a particular policy area |
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Term
| Pluralism (What are the problems with the conception of pluralism as applied to interest group politics?) |
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Definition
Pluralism, School of thought holding that politics is the clash of groups that represent all important interests in society and that check and balance each other
But pluralism has been criticized
Interest groups do not reflect full universe of interests
Interest groups hold varying degrees of power within the political system.
Groups can distort political discussions; undercut moderation |
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Term
| What is the function of political parties? |
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Definition
| Parties connect ordinary citizens to the public officials they elect |
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Term
| What separates political parties from interest groups? |
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Definition
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Term
| What contributions do political parties make to the American political process? |
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Definition
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Term
| What was the first mass-based party in the United States? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| major shifts in political parties views |
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Term
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Definition
| elections that are considered to be the turning point to a new party system |
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Term
| What sort of electoral system does America have? |
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Definition
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Term
| Is the American electoral system similar to other democracies? Why? |
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Definition
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Term
| Single-member, plurality system |
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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 |
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Term
| Proportional representation |
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Definition
| Electoral system in which parties receive a share of seats in parliament that is proportional to the popular vote they receive |
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Term
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Definition
| Plurality systems tend to lead to two-party systems. |
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Term
| What are some of the barriers to 3rd party success? |
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Definition
Ballot access laws
Texas, at least 5 percent of vote in last state election
At least1 percent of total votes cast in last gubernatorial election must sign a petition.
Campaign finance laws (presidential elections)
Must have at least 5 percent of popular vote
Patterns of media coverage |
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Term
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Definition
The Voters, Had declined between 1964 and 1974
Today, ticket-splitting and party defection rates are down |
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Term
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Definition
| Partisan voting among elected officials is high |
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Term
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Definition
| republicans, democrats etc.. |
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Term
| What changes have taken place in party organizations over the last century? |
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Definition
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