Ch 15

Question 1

Social movements

Answer 1

large groups of citizens organizing for political change.

Question 2

Interest groups

Answer 2

voluntary association of people who come together with the goal of getting the policies that they favor enacted.

Question 3

Theory of participatory democracy

Answer 3

the belief that citizens impact policymaking through their involvement in civil society.

Question 4

Civil society

Answer 4

which is made up of groups outside the government that advocate for policies.

Question 5

Pluralist theory

Answer 5

a theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of groups in the policymaking process.

Question 6

Elitist theory

Answer 6

theory of democracy that the elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process.

Question 7

Policy agenda

Answer 7

the set of issues to which government officials, voters, and the public are paying attention.

Question 8

Collective action

Answer 8

political action that occurs when individuals contribute their energy, time, or money to a larger group goal.

Question 9

Collective good

Answer 9

also called a public good; a public benefit that individuals can enjoy or profit from even if they do not help achieve it.

Question 10

Free riders

Answer 10

individual who enjoys collective goods and benefits from the actions of an interest group without joining.

Question 11

Selective benefits

Answer 11

benefit available only to those who join the group.

Question 12

Economic interest groups

Answer 12

a group advocating on behalf of the financial interests of members.

Question 13

Public interest groups

Answer 13

group that acts on behalf of the collective interests of a broad group of individuals.

Question 14

Single-issue groups

Answer 14

association focusing on one specific area of public policy, often a moral issue about which they are unwilling to compromise.

Question 15

Government interest groups

Answer 15

organization acting on behalf of local, state, or foreign governments.

Question 16

Lobbying

Answer 16

interacting with government officials in order to advance a group’s public policy goals.

Question 17

Revolving door

Answer 17

the movement of individuals between government and lobbying positions.

Question 18

Amicus curiae brief

Answer 18

a brief filed by someone who is not a party to a case in an attempt to persuade the court to agree with the arguments set forth in the brief.

Question 19

Iron triangle

Answer 19

coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals.

Question 20

Issue network

Answer 20

webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates.

Question 21

Grassroots lobbying

Answer 21

mobilizing interest group members to pressure their representatives by contacting them directly through phone calls, email, and social media.

Question 22

Protest

Answer 22

a public demonstration designed to call attention to the need for change.

Question 23

Civil disobedience

Answer 23

the intentional refusal to obey a law to call attention to its injustice.