terms Flashcards
public opinion
citizens’ attitudes about political issues, personalities, institutions and events.
individual public opinion
what one person thinks about issues, personalities, institutions and events.
aggregate public opinion
the accumulation of individual beliefs as expressed in polls, votes, town meetings, and protests.
socialization
a process where individuals take on their communities’ perspectives and preferences through social interaction.
ideology
a comprehensive way of understanding political or cultural situations.
political identities
distinctive characteristics or group associations that individuals carry, reflecting their social connections or common values and interests with others in that group.
agenda-setting effect
the power of the media to focus attention on issues
priming
the use of media coverage to make the public take a particular view of an event or a public figure.
framing
the influence of the media over how events and issues are interpreted.
adverse selection
the problem of incomplete information, of choosing alternatives without fully knowing the details of available options
moral hazard
problem of not knowing all aspects of the actions taken by an agent
turnout rate
number of people who vote in a given election divided by the number of people who are allowed to vote.
Australian ballot
an electoral format that presents the names of all the candidates for any given office on the same ballot
single-member district
the electorate is allowed to elect only one representative from each district
plurality rule
an electoral system where victory goes to the individual who gets the most votes, but not necessarily a majority of the votes cast.
majority rule
to win office, a candidate must receive a majority of all votes cast.
Duvergers law
plurality rule electoral systems will tend to have two political parties.
referendum
when the electorate votes directly on a proposed law that has been passed by the legislature or on a specific governmental action
initiative
a process by which citizens may petition to place a policy proposal on the ballot for a public vote.
recall
the removal of a public official by popular vote.
issue voting
basing decision on extent to which they agree with the candidate or party on specific issues.
spatial issues
which a range of options or policies can be ordered
valence issues
those for which all voters prefer a higher value
political parties
organized group that attempt to control the government by electing their members to office.
nomination
process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office
closed primary
only those voters who have registered their affiliation with the party by a specified time can participate
open primary
voters can choose on the day of the primary which partys primary to vote in.
majority party
hold the majority of seats in a legislative chamber and elect leaders.
party identification
attachment voters form to one party based on upbringing, ideology on policy, past experiences.
party activist
one who contributes time and energy beyond voting to support a party and its candidates.
caucuses
meetings of a political or legislative group to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions about legislative matters.
winner takes all
form of voting in which the candidate with the largest percentage of votes, regardless of it is a majority, wins the race.
proportional representation
a multimember district system that awards seats to political parties in proportion to the percentage of the vote each party won.
interest group
an organized group of people that attempt to influence government policies.
pluralism
the theory that all interest are and should be free to compete for influence in the government
selective benefits
are benefits that do not of to everyone but are distributed selectively, to only those who contribute to the group
lobbying
refers to the efforts by individuals or groups to influence the actions of government officials.
grassroots lobbying
mobilizing interest group membership to contact government officials in support of the groups position
news deserts
areas of the country in which no general news publications exist.
equal time rule
broadcasters must provide candidates for the same official an equal opportunity to communicate their messages to the public.
right of rebuttal
broadcasters must give individuals the opportunity to respond to their airing of personal attacks against them
