ch.15 flashcards
What are interest groups?
Voluntary associations of people who come together with the goal of getting the policies that they favor enacted.
What are social movements?
Diffuse groups that educate the public and put pressure on policymakers in an effort to bring about societal change.
What is the theory of participatory democracy?
The belief that citizens impact policymaking through their involvement in civil society.
What is civil society?
Groups outside the government that advocate for policy.
What is pluralist theory?
A theory that political power is distributed among many competing groups, which means that no single group can grow too powerful.
What is elitist theory?
A theory that the wealthy elite class has a disproportionate amount of economic and political power.
What is a policy agenda?
The set of issues to which government officials, voters, and the public are paying attention.
What is collective action?
Political action that occurs when individuals contribute their energy, time, or money to a larger group goal.
What is a collective good?
Also called a public good; a public benefit that individuals can enjoy or profit from even if they do not help achieve it.
Who are free riders?
Individuals who enjoy collective goods and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining.
What are selective benefits?
Benefits available only to those who join the group.
What are economic interest groups?
Groups advocating on behalf of the financial interests of their members.
What are public interest groups?
Groups that act on behalf of the collective interests of a broad group of individuals.
What are single-issue groups?
Associations focusing on one specific area of public policy, often a moral issue about which they are unwilling to compromise.
What are government interest groups?
Organizations acting on behalf of local, state, or foreign governments.
What is lobbying?
Interacting with government officials in order to advance a group’s public policy goals.
What is the revolving door?
The movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions.
What is an amicus curiae brief?
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.
What is an iron triangle?
The coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals.
What is an issue network?
The webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates.
What is grassroots lobbying?
Mobilizing interest group members to pressure their representatives by contacting them directly through phone calls, email, and social media.
What is a protest?
A public demonstration designed to call attention to the need for change.
What is civil disobedience?
Intentionally breaking a law to call attention to an injustice.
