Chapters Vocabulary Flashcards
government
the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society.
public good
goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share.
single issue group
groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics. These features distinguish them from traditional interest groups.
public policy
a choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.
extradition
a legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.
federalism
a way of organizing a nation so that two levels of government have formal authority over the same land and people. It is a system of shared power between units of government.
civil rights
policies designed to protect people against arbitrary or discriminatory treatment by government officials or individuals
suffrage
the legal right to vote, extended to African Americans by the 15th amendment, to women by the 19th amendment, and people over the age of 18 by the 26th amendment.
demography
the science of population changes
reapportionment
the process of reallocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.
political idealology
a coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose. It helps give meaning to political events, personalities, and policies.
gender gap
a term that refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates. Women tend to be significantly less conservative than men and are more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.
investigative journalism
the use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, which at times puts reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders.
beats
specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House. Most top reporters work a particular beat, thereby becoming specialists in what goes on at that location.
talking head
a shot of a person’s face talking directly to the camera. Because this is visually unappealing, the major commercial networks rarely show a politician talking one-on-one for very long.
