midterm 2 (PW 9/10/11 VB 2/3/5/7) Flashcards
(vb 2) alliances
When individuals or groups agree to combine resources and abilities for a purpose that benefits the members of the alliance individually. agreements between nations to aid and protect one another
(vb 2) anarchists
people who oppose all forms of organized government
(vb 2) anarchy
a lack of government and law; confusion
(vb 2) authority
a person or organization having power or control in a particular, typically political or administrative, sphere.
(vb 2) collective action
action taken together by a group of people whose goal is to enhance their status and achieve a common objective. It is enacted by a representative of the group.
(vb 2) government
The formal & informal institutions, people, & processes used to create & conduct public policy
(vb 2) group identity
Encouraging a group to adopt a unique identity and engage in competition with others can increase cohesiveness
(vb 2) hierarchy
A group organized by rank
(vb 2) individual security
Focus on the continued safety of the individual
(vb 2) national security
Protection of Interest, or survival of ethnic groups, that people identify with
(vb 2) the other
Someone who is identified as an outsider and not part of the group, defined as a means of initiating conflict, and is therefore identified as the enemy
(vb 2) political capital
the amount of overall public approval that a president can use to win support for major decisions and proposals
(vb 2) power
political control and influence
(vb 2) regime security
The leaders’ ability to protect their hold on power
(vb 2) security
The ability to protect, preserve, or maintain control of something of value
(vb 2) state security
necessary that the state has sufficient powers to counter threats to the security of the nation, it is also important that the powers granted are confined to real threats to the state and do not impinge more than is necessary on individual freedoms and rights. In order to be able to evaluate the work of the security forces it is therefore necessary to have a definition of state or national security
(vb 3) atomization
The deliberate isolation of people from each other in society to keep them from forming a group that could threaten a leader’s hold on power.
(vb 3) crosscutting cleavages
Divisions in society that overlap already established voting blocs essentially setting up a situation in which the voter must decide between two competing political influences
(vb 3) legitimacy
A characterization of elections by political scientists meaning that they are almost universally accepted as a fair and free method of selecting political leaders.
(vb 3) panopticon
A circular building composed of an inner ring and an outer ring designed to serve as a prison in which the detainees can always be seen and the observer, housed in the inner ring, is hidden from those being observed
(vb 3) peer policing
A system in which people police each other
(vb 3) preference falsification
means not revealing one’s true preferences in public
(vb 3) public goods
Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share.
(vb 3) revolution
An overthrow and replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.
(vb 3) safety valve
A mechanism that allows people to blow off steam in order to avoid larger conflict
(vb 3) self policing
A social mechanism where only a few enforcers are needed to maintain control of the population because the fear of being punished keeps people in line.
(vb 3) totalitarian
A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution or laws or opposition etc.) a form of government that tries to control ever aspect of life, sometimes down to the level of thought
(vb 5) aristocracy
A government in which power is in the hands of a hereditary ruling class or nobility
(vb 5) confederal system
A system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states.
(vb 5) democracy
A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
(vb 5) dictatorship
A form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority.
(vb 5) federal system
A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments
(vb 5) institutions
Complex social organizations such as governments, economies, and education systems
(vb 5) oligarchy
A government ruled by a few powerful people
(vb 5) political culture
an overall set of values widely shared within a society
(vb 5) polity
an organized society, such as a nation, state, church, or other organization, having a specific form of government
(vb 5) republic
A form of government in which citizens choose their leaders by voting
(vb 5) structures
something that has been built
(vb 5) unitary system
A government that gives all key powers to the national or central government
(vb 5) aristocracy
A government in which power is in the hands of a hereditary ruling class or nobility
(vb 5) confederal system
A system consisting of a league of independent states, each having essentially sovereign powers. The central government created by such a league has only limited powers over the states.
(vb 5) democracy
A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them
(vb 5) dictatorship
A form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority.
(vb 5) federal system
A government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments
(vb 5) institutions
Complex social organizations such as governments, economies, and education systems
(vb 5) oligarchy
A government ruled by a few powerful people
(vb 5) political culture
an overall set of values widely shared within a society
(vb 5) polity
an organized society, such as a nation, state, church, or other organization, having a specific form of government
(vb 5) republic
A form of government in which citizens choose their leaders by voting
(vb 5) structures
something that has been built
(vb 5) unitary system
A government that gives all key powers to the national or central government
(vb 7) bicameral legislature
a legislature with two houses
(vb 7) cohabitation
under the french political system, when the president is from one political party while a different political party controls the legislature
(vb 7) delegate
representative who attempts to do exactly what his or her constituents want.
(vb 7) divided government
when one political party controls the presidency and another party controls either all or part of legislature
(vb 7) filibuster
a delaying tactic used by a senator or a group of senators-who indefinitely talk about the bill-to frustrate the proponents of the bill and ensure defeat of the measure
(vb 7) first-past-the-post-system
an electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether that person has a majority of the votes cast; there is no runoff election
(vb 7) geographic representation
a legislature divided according to geography, in which people are represented by the area they live in
(vb 7) gerrymandering
the process of intentionally drawing districts to gain a partisan advantage
(vb 7) gridlock
when the checks and balances within the presidential system work too well so that they not only prevent one institution from overwhelming the others but also prevent anyone from doing much of anything
(vb 7) ideological representation
representation in which people’s belief is the main concern of leadership
(vb 7) immobilism
when, because of the complexity and fragility of a ruling coalition, it becomes nearly impossible to enact any kind of coherent policies out of fear that a coalition party will break away and force the government to collapse
(vb 7) imperial presidency
the accumulation of tremendous power in the presidency at the expense of the other branches of government, especially the legislative branch
(vb 7) minority government
when the majority party does not share power with any other party but relies on an agreement where another party will provide support or will abstain from voting if there is ever a no-confidence vote
(vb 7) multiparty systems
systems comprised of multiple, distinct, and officially recognized groups, otherwise known as political parties
(vb 7) policy stability
when the social and economic environments within the country tend to be very consistent over time
(vb 7) politicos
people who are active in party politics
(vb 7) pork barrel politics
where representatives use their political office to bring federal money to their districts through projects and jobs
(vb 7) proportional representation
a system in which there is representation of all parties in a legislature in proportion to their popular vote
(vb 7) shadow government
a type of oversight or checking performed in a parliamentary system by those members of the minority party who would take the office if that party were to capture the majority
(vb 7) trustee
a country or government charged with the oversight of a trust territory
(vb 7) two-party system
a system that favors moderate political parties that can create coalitions to gain sizeable amounts of voters
(vb 7) unicameral legislature
a legislature with one house
(vb 7) unity government
when the two major parties, though in opposition, work together to achieve a higher national purpose
(vb 7) vote of no confidence
a parliamentary device by which the government can be dissolved by a simple majority vote of legislature
(pw 9) catchall parties
parties that make broad electoral appeals
(pw 9) center-periphery cleavage
Some areas or regions are more politically, economically, or socially influential in a country
(pw 9) church state cleavage
conflict between church followers and secular interests; usually emerged in Catholic countries
(pw 9) conditional party government
the degree of authority delegated to and exercised by congressional leaders; varies with and is conditioned by the extent of election-driven ideological consensus among members
(pw 9) critical realigment
periods when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties
(pw 9) cross-pressured
pulled between opposing political forces
(pw 9) cleavage
divisions within society that can lead to at least a degree of polarization between the groups
(pw 9) dominant-party systems
systems where a single party dominates elections in governance
(pw 9) duverger’s law
refers to the reasons that America has a two-party system: first, only one party’s candidate can win (and all other candidates end up as losers regardless of how close the vote was); second, third parties end up undersupported because people do not want to support a loser
(pw 9) effective number of parties
a way to gauge the relative number and size of the parties that compete, which is measured by the share of the vote each party receives; it represents how many parties have any real competitive strength in a democracy
(pw 9) far-right parties
parties with nationalistic leanings and some fascist tendencies
(pw 9) fascism
a form of radical authoritarian nationalism that came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe
(pw 9) materialist values
values about things such as wages, employment, and social order
(pw 9) multiple-party systems
systems that have numerous parties regularly competing in elections
(pw 9) owner-worker cleavage
the split that developed between the owner class and the working class in new industrialized cities
(pw 9) party government
when parties have an extremely significant role in driving the political agenda and affecting the behavior of political leaders
(pw 9) postmaterialist values
values about things such as civil rights, social equality, and having more say in democracy
(pw 9) scarcity
in this context, the economic difficulties and threat to survival from war
(pw 9) silent revolution
a revolution that occurred in advanced industrial democracies that introduced a new social division that would lead to weakening of these cleavage-based parties and likely lead to the development of new parties
(pw 9) two-party systems
like the United States would provide more democratic voice to citizens than dominant party systems. Only 2 parties are lead contenders for presidential elections.
(pw 9) urban-rural cleavage
political divisions that arise out of livelihood and lifestyle differences
(pw 9) xenophobic
anti-immigrant
(pw 9) political parties
groups that organize people with at least roughly similar political aims and opinions to elect candidates to public office
(pw 10) absolute majority
fifty percent plus one
(pw 10) alternative vote system
strive to elect candidates with more than 50 percent of the vote
(pw 10) ballot structure
refers to the way parties/candidates are listed on a ballot and the sequence and number of elections in which voters can participate
(pw 10) closed primary
primaries where only registered members of a particular party can vote in that party’s primary election
(pw 10) coalition
where parties band together to obtain more seats in a parliament with the hope of gathering a majority of the seats or at least enough that no other group could call a vote of no confidence
(pw 10) confidence and supply
agreement where groups will back each other in certain votes
(pw 10) descriptive representation
the idea that an elected body should mirror demographically the population it represents
(pw 10) disproportionality
occurs when the relative number of governing seats a party receives is not nearly in proportion to the percentage of votes the party earned
(pw 10) district magnitude
distinguishes the number of representatives elected from a constituency, or voting district
(pw 10) electoral college
the body that elects the president and vice president of the United States based on the results of the popular election in each state
(pw 10) electoral formula
a formula used for translating the number of votes a party receives into the number of seats the party gets in government
(pw 10) first past the post (FPTP)
elections where whether a candidate wins by a little or a lot does not matter; what matters is winning more votes than any other candidate
(pw 10) gender quota
the mandate that women must constitute a certain number of percentage of the members of a body, whether it is a candidate list, a parliamentary assembly, a committee, or a government
(pw 10) general election
the main election
(pw 10) grand coalition
a group containing two major parties
(pw 10) instant run-off-voting
In this system, voters rank order all candidates on a ballot, from first to last choice. If the voter’s number one candidate does not have enough votes to be elected, the voter’s vote can be “transferred” to the voter’s second choice. Because computation can be difficult, special counting software is most often used.
(pw 10) junior coalition partner
the party with fewer seats
(pw 10) (gender) legislative quotas
the most common type of gender quota; mandatory provisions that apply to all political groupings that require a certain proportion of female candidates to address party selection
(pw 10) list pr systems
where parties place as many candidates on their party lists as the district magnitude; then whatever percent of votes that party receives, the same percent of the top candidates on that list enter the legislature
(pw 10) majority systems
the name for both two-round and alternative voting systems because they strive to elect candidates with more than fifty percent of the vote
(pw 10) mixed-member electoral systems
systems that combine elements of SMP and PR systems
(pw 10) open primary elections
primaries where any registered voter can vote
(pw 10) parity
equality
(pw 10) (gender) party quota
pledges by parties to aim for a particular proportion of women among their candidates to political office
(pw 10) portfolio assignments
the policy areas to which politicians are assigned
(pw 10) primary system
where primary elections occur among members of the same party to choose the candidate who will stand for office
(pw 10) proportional representation (pr)
systems where parties receive seats in the legislature in relative proportion to the vote they received from the public
(pw 10) ranked choice voting
In Maine, a voter ranks gubernatorial candidates from one to six. If no candidate gets an absolute majority of first-choice votes, the last-placed candidate is dropped. Ballots for the dropped candidate move to the next-ranked person on each ballot. The process repeats
(pw 10) (gender) reserved seats quota
establishes seats for which only women are eligible to compete
(pw 10) single-member plurality (SMP)
an electoral system in which candidates run for a single seat from a specific geographic district; the winner is the person who receives the most votes, whether or not they amount to a majority; these systems, unlike systems of proportional representation, increase the likelihood that two national coalition parties will form
(pw 10) single transferable vote (STV)
also called the alternative vote system, preferential voting, ranked choice voting, or instant run-off voting; a structure where voters rank order all candidates on a ballot, and then if the voter’s number one candidate does not have enough votes to be elected, the voter’s vote can be “transferred” to the voter’s second choice
(pw 10) stability
refers to a single-party government that will be strong enough to control policy, have stable leadership, and will serve for an established period
(pw 10) substantive representation
when a member of Congress represents constituents’ interests and policy concerns despite demographic differences
(pw 10) threshold
a minimum percentage a party must achieve to gain any seats in the legislature
(pw 10) two round ballot
structure where voters first choose the candidate they prefer and then the top two vote-getters face off in a second election later; they are designed to bring more representation to a stability-designed system
(pw 11) australian ballot
a secret ballot. kept parties from handing out preprinted party ballots to voters, and laws disallowing party appointments to bureaucratic positions also weakened American parties’ ability to mobilize voters.
(pw 11) electoral hevaior
how electoral institutions, coupled with political culture and a country’s electoral environment, influence whether and how citizens vote for their electoral preferences
(pw 11) electoral context
an environment that includes electoral laws, rules, strategies, and acceptable practices that affect how voters think about and participate in elections
(pw 11) electoral mandates
how closely policy follows election results. the perception that an election victory signals broad support for the winner’s proposed policies
(pw 11) electoral volatility
how much governing control swings among parties, as well as citizens’ overall satisfaction with democracy following election results
(pw 11) gerrymandering
the process of drawing district lines in such a way as to create noncompetitive seats
(pw 11) instrumental political evaluations
short-term factor that affects voting more in multiparty democracies
(pw 11) midterm elections
congressional elections that do not coincide with a presidential election; also called off-year elections
(pw 11) negative partisanship
the idea that voters are mobilized to vote against the opposing party more than they actually vote for their own party
(pw 11) political effiacy
a feeling that voters can influence the political system and that it will be receptive to them
(pw 11) social-psychological model
a model that explains that individuals identify with political parties in ways similar to how they identify with their nationality or religious denomination; this model better explains American voting behavior
(pw 11) sociological model
a model that explains that citizens join parties and vote based on social group identity
(pw 11) swing states
states that are not clearly pro-Republican or pro-Democrat and therefore are of vital interest to presidential candidates, as they can determine election outcomes
