Exam 2 prep Flashcards
first black member of Congress in RI
Gabe Amo
First female Philly mayor
Cherelle Parker
first black member of congress in RI
Gabe Amo
first female Philly mayor
Cherelle parker
first black woman on San Diego County board
Monica Montgomery-steppe
what is public opinion
those opinions held by private persons which governments find it prudent to heed
Why should politicians listen to public opinion
to win re-election and advance their preferences
what are ways you shouldn’t measure public opinion
at protests or ask anyone
why is polling difficult
no directory and some people wont respond and weighting is imperfect
why are polls good for democracy
help politicians learn about citizen’s preferences and help individuals coordinate and solve collective action
where does public opinion come from
attitudes, ideology, and partisanship
where do individual opinions come from
political socialization, media, movies, TV, and information
what are parties
coalition that seeks to control government by winning elections, solve collective action problems by coordinating group activities, promoting issue programs, translating public preferences into policies
what do parties do
coordinate, reduce transaction costs, win elections, provide cues, enforce collective action and responsibility
features of american parties
two party comp, decntralized parties, and professional politicians
what do elections do
give citizens a say in who represents them, motivates responsive agents, allows for fire alarm oversight
why arent people turning out
electoral outcomes are collective benefits, the paradox of voting
how voters decide
past performance and incumbency, issue and policy stances, cues and shortcuts
what do interest groups do
insider tactics; raise money, information and access- technical v political, mobilization efforts, drafting bills, commenting on regulation.
outsider tactics; promote information, demonstrations, protests, get media attention
federalism
separation of powers between federal and state governments
two types of federalism
dual federalism, shared federalism
nationalization
knowledge and attention to national politics at the expense of local politics, using the same criteria to evaluate local and national candidates, influence of president/national issues on congressional elections
where is nationalization coming from
voters are better sorted, candidates are better sorted, out of district, nationalized contributions, information environment is more polarized and national
