Chapter 15 Flashcards
Civic virtue
The tendency to form small scale associations for the public good
Social capital
Cooperative relationships that facilitate the resolution of collective problems
Interest groups
A collection of people or organizations that tries to influence public policy
Pluralist theory
The theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups
Disturbance theory
The theory that interest groups form as a result of changes in the political system
Transactions theory
The theory that public policies are the result of narrowly defined exchanges or transactions among political actors
Collective good
Something of value that cannot be withheld from a non-member of a group for example a tax write off or a better environment
Public interest group
An organization that seeks a collective good that will not selectively and materially benefit group members
Economic interest group
A group with the primary purpose of promoting the financial interest of its members
Political action committee
Officially recognized fund raising organizations that represent interest groups and are allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates campaigns
Lobbyist
Interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit he’s her or her organization or client through political and/or financial persuasion
Trade association
A group that represents a specific industry
Lobbying
The activities of a group or organization that seeks to persuade political leaders to support the groups position
Patron
Person who finances a group or individual activity
Free rider problem
Potential members fail to join a group because they can get the benefit or collected good, sought by the group without contributing the effort
