Chapter 9 Flashcards
what is special interest?
a pejorative term, often used to designate an interest group whose aims or issue preferences one does not share
what is an interest group?
an organization whose goal is to influence government
what are the 5 differences between interest groups and social movements?
interest groups:
- professional membership
- more formally organized
- focus on single/narrow set of issues
- don’t present candidates for elections, but may endorse them
- rely on narrow base of supporters
what are interest groups like in US?
pluralist, grassroots, low barriers for entry
what are the 3 goals of interest groups?
- inform members about political developments
- communicate members’ views to government officials (often through lobbyists)
- mobilize the public and encourage people to act politically
what is a lobbyist?
a person who contacts government officials on behalf of a particular cause or issue
what is pluralism?
an open, participatory style of government in which many different interests are represented (by interest groups)
what are the 2 concerns of pluralism?
- hyperpluralism
2. power elite theory
what is hyperpluralism?
the collective effect of the vast number of interest groups slowing and stalemating American policymaking
what is the power elite theory?
the view that a small handful of wealthy, influential Americans exercise control over government decisions
how do interest groups form?
pluralism and corporatism
how does pluralism form interest groups?
a pattern of interest group mobilization in which societal interests organize freely in an unregulated fashion, decentralized, happens in US
Based on group-specific factors: the existence of a common core political interest
how does corporatism form interest groups?
the state plays an active role in organizing groups and mediating between them, in Germany
what are the 3 major interest groups in Germany?
labor, business, church
what are the 4 types of interest groups and what do they do?
- economic groups: serve members’ financial interests, like business and labor groups, and trade associations
- citizen groups: organized to advance public interest or political cause
- intergovernmental groups: one level of government working to influence another
- reverse lobbying: attempts by government officials to influence interest groups on behalf of their preferred policies
what are the 5 roles of lobbyists?
- researchers
- witnesses
- position takers
- coalition builders
- social butterflies
what is an iron triangle?
the cozy relationship in one issue area between interest-group lobbyists, congressional staffers, and executive branch agencies
what is the revolving door?
the tendency of Washington’s most seasoned lobbyists to move from government work to lobbying and back again
what is the issue network?
shifting allegiances of public and private interest groups, lawmakers, and other stakeholders all focused on the same policy area
how do interest groups influence the courts?
lobbying on judicial confirmations, filing “Amicus Curiae” or friend of the court briefs, and sponsoring litigation
what are the 4 concerns about interest groups?
- corruption
- division and hyperpluralism
- accountability (or lack thereof)
- restricted access
what are the 4 defenses of interest groups?
- more democratic representation
- communication and information
- mobilizing and organizing the public
- stability
what are the 5 things political parties do?
- champion ideas
- select candidates
- mobilize voters
- organize governing activity after the election
- help integrate new groups into political process
why did political parties emerge in the US?
to solve the collective action dilemma since it took so long to organize coalitions to get anything done before
what is the party system?
the broad organization of US politics, comprising the 2 main parties, the coalition of supporters backing each, the positions they take on major issues, and each party’s electoral achievements
what is the first party system, from 1789-1828?
set the pattern of 2 main parties contesting elections and building coalitions, between the federalists and the democratic republicans, debate over states’ rights vs stronger national government
what was the 2nd party system, from 1828-1860?
the patronage system, between democrats and whigs, divided over slavery
what was the 3rd party system, from 1860-1896?
antislavery republican party vs racist democrats, beginning of party machines and party bosses, civil service reform eventually cleaned out corruption
what are party bosses?
the senior figure in a party machine
what is a party machine?
a hierarchical arrangement of party workers, often organized in an urban area to dominate power politics; helped integrate immigrants into political system but at the price of bias and corruption, most active between mid 19th and early 20th centuries
what was the 4th party system, from 1896-1932?
debates between support for business and economic equality: the Great Debate, prohibition was unequally enforced by the KKK, ended by Great Depression
what was the 5th party system, from 1933-1968?
defined by the FDR presidency and the New Deal, conversion of Democrats to liberalish and establishment of racist GOP
what was the New Deal?
a broad series of economic programs and reforms introduced between 1933 and 1936 and associated with the FDR administration
what is the 6th party system, from 1972-present?
the parties at equal strength, established pattern of very close races
what is party identification?
strong attachment to one political party, often established at young age
what are straight ticket voters?
vote for same party for all offices on a ballot
what are split ticket voters?
votes for at least one candidate from each party
what are base voters?
party members who vote loyally for the party’s candidates
what are the 6 republican party factions?
- populists/trumpists
- religious traditionalists
- fiscal conservastives
- libertarians
- neoconservatives
- moderates
what are the 4 democratic factions?
- progressives
- civil rights caucus
- organized labor
- centrists
what is the party platform?
the written statement of a party’s core convictions and issue priorities, revised every 4 years
what is a party organization?
the portion of a political party that includes the activists, state/local leaders, and affiliated professionals
what is the party in government?
the portion of a political party’s organization that comprises elected officials and candidates for office
what is the party in the electorate?
the largest and least organized component of a political party, drawn from the public at large: registered members and regular supporters
what is the party caucus?
a meeting of all House or Senate members of one or the main party, usually to discuss political and policy strategies
what is partisanship?
taking the side of a party, cheered by political scientists and booed by political reformers
what is a divided government?
periods during which at least one house of congress is controlled by a party different that that of the White House
what are the 3 popular proposals to reform the political system?
- regulate interest groups
- proportional representation
- reduce partisanship in government
what is a gift ban?
a regulation that eliminates or sharply reduces the dollar amount of gifts from interest groups to lawmakers
what are the 4 functions of political parties in terms of what they do for the people?
- responsiveness
- representation
- accountability
- realization of public good
what are 4 multipurpose function of political parties?
- structure political world- legislative process
- recruit and socialize political elite
- mobilize and socialize the masses
- provide a link between the rulers and the ruled
how do identities influence party emergence?
the more diverse the society, the more parties usually
what creates the demand for political parties?
social cleavages
what do non-proportional electoral systems do for society?
act as a brake on tendency for social cleavages to translate into new parties
what does the lack of party cohesion to do US elections?
leads to candidate centered politics
what 6 things happen in candidate centered politics?
- voters vote for individuals, not parties
- party does not control the candidates that seek to run
- party meets all the candidates’ election expenses
- party does not determine policy
- party does not set legislative agenda
- party does not control how elected representative vote
