Unit 2: The Branches of the Federal Government Flashcards
Political culture
A set of widely shared beliefs, values, and norms concerning the ways that political and economic life ought to be carried out
Individualism
giving priority to one’s own goals over group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications
Laissez-faire (free enterprize)
Theory that the less the goverment is involved in the economy, the better the business will be and by extension- society as a whole
Rule of law
“no one is above the law”
Political Socialization
how people develop their personal knowledge, values, and opinions
Political ideology
set of belifes, values, and opinions of a class or large group that explains how society should work best
Generational effect
the long-lasting effect of the events of a particular time on the political opinions of those who came of age at that time
Life cycle effect
changes in opinion/ pattern of behavior that occur among most people at major points in their life (ex. marriage, parenthood, retirement)
Globalization
Increasing connections between people, cultures, economies, and nations done by technology, trade, and cultural diffusion
Outsourcing
a process by which the government contracts with a private for-profit or nonprofit organization to provide public services, such as disaster relief
Focus group
small group of voters chosen by a political campaign for their demographic similarities; brought together to gauge how the group they represent feels about the candidate
Scientific poll
define population, make sample, construct unbiased questions, conduct poll, and analyze and report data
Sample
in a public opinion poll, a relatively small number of individuals are interviewed to estimate the opinions of an entire population
Random sample
a part of the sampling technique in which each sample has an equal probability of being chosen
Representative sample
a sample from a larger group that accurately represents the characteristics of a larger population
Weighting
adjustments to surveys during analysis so that selected demographic groups reflect their values in the population, usually as measured by the census
Sampling error
a measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll
Mass survey
A way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population
Entrance survey/poll
Voters being asked about which candidate they are going to vote for and why before walking into an election
Exit poll
a poll of people leaving a polling place, asking how they voted
Benchmark poll
surveys conducted to establish a baseline measurement of public opinion or sentiment on a particular issue, candidate, or topic
Tracking polls
continuous surveys that let a campaign/ news org. track a candidates daily rise or fall in support
Random digit dialing
A technique used by pollsters to play telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey
Question-wording
the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll
Question Order
the sequencing of questions in public opinion polls
Right
Something fundamental to which all have access
Privilege
Something subject to political processes
Party ideology
a party’s philosophy about the proper role of government and its consistent set of positions on major issues
Party identification
someone’s attachment to a political party
Conservatism
an ideology that favors more regulation of social behavior and less government intervention w economy
Liberalism
Ideology favoring less gov control on social behavior and more regulation of the economy
Libertarianism
Favors little government intervention besides protecting property and individual liberty
Command-and-control
when the government dictates much of a nation’s economic activity including the amount of production and price of goods
mixed economy
when many economic decisions are left to individuals and businesses, with the federal and state governments regulating economic activity
Gross domestic product (GDP)
total value of goods and services produced by American economic activity
Economic Recession
period of decline in economic activity
unemployment rate
% of people actively looking for jobs who cannot find work
inflation
rise in price of goods or services
Consumer price index (CPI)
A basket of fixed goods and services over time used to measure the cost of living
Fiscal policy
Government use of taxes and spending to try to lower unemployment and stabilize the economy
Political participation
the different ways in which individuals take action to shape the laws and policies of government
Political Action Committee (PAC)
organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns
Linkage institution
channels that connect individuals with the government including elections, interest groups, media, and political parties
Social Movement
Large groups of citizens organizing for political change
Franchise (sufferage)
Right to vote
26th amendment
lowered the voting age from 21 to 18
24th amendment
prohibits state and federal government from charging poll tax
Poll tax
the method used to suppress the poor from voting
Voter turnout
the number of eligible voters who participate in an election as a percentage of the total number of eligible voters
Demographic characters
age, race, ethnicity, gender,
Socioeconomic status
measure of someones wealth, income, occupation, or education
political efficacy
the confidence someone has that they can make effective political change
Political mobilization
efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote
Registration requirements
Set of rules that decide who can vote, how, when, and where they vote
Absentee ballot
voting is completed and submitted by a voter before an election without going to the polls
Rational choice voting
voting based off what someone belives is in their best intrest
retrospective voting
voting based on a candidates past performance
Prospective voting
voting for a candidate based on what they say they will enact
party-line voting
voting for candidates that are only in one political party
Electoral college
a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president
Winner-takes-all system
when a single political party or group can elect every office within a given district or jurisdiction
battle ground state
a state where polls show a close contest between the Republican and democratic candidates in presidential election
swing state
state where support for republican and democratic swings back and forth
Super PAC
a fundraising organization that can raise & spend unlimited amounts of money from individuals, corporations, and unions, CANNOT coordinate with candidates
Straight ticket voting
voting for all candidates on the ballot from one political party
split-ticket voting
voting for candidates from different parties in one election
party platform
set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to
recruitment
a process which political parties identify potential canidates
Party coalition
groups of voters who support a political party over time
realignment
when the groups of people that support one political party shift their support to a different one
critical election
major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties
party era
era where one party wins most national elections
era of divided government
when one party controls one or both houses of congress with the president being from the opposing party
nomination
formal process which parties choose their candidates for political office
delegate
a person who acts as the voters’ representative at a convention to select the party’s presidential nominee
Primary election
an election where states voters choose a delegate who supports a candidate for nomination
open primary
primary election where all voters can vote regardless of their party affiliation
closed primary
primary election where only registered voters from a party can vote
caucus
process where state-eligible voters meet to select delegates
superdelegate
a person who is chosen as a delegate to a political party’s presidential nominating convention because of his or her status as a leader or official within the party and who is free to vote for any candidate regardless of the results of the popular vote
front loading
when a state pushes for the primary or caucus to a date as early as possible to attempt to make it more impactful
national convention
meeting where delegates officially select their party nominee for the presidency
Candidate-centered compromise
a trend where candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party elite
two-party system
a system where two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections
proportional representation system
election system for legislation where citizens vote for parties, rather than people and parties are represented in legislature according to the percent of the vote they recieve
single-member plurality system
The candidate who gets more votes than any other candidate is declared the winner
third party
minor political party in competition with the two major parties
