Unit 4 Flashcards (PART 1) (not w/ cases)
Political Culture
- the dominant set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that define the relationship between citizens and the government.
- Includes individualism, equality of opportunity, the free enterprise system, rule of law, and limited government.
individualism
the belief that individuals should be responsible for themselves and the decisions they make.
Declaration of Independence (AP REQUIRED)
- Philosophical statement of natural rights
- Argument that governments are put in place to protect natural rights
- Argument that citizens have the right to rebel when government infringes on citizens’ rights
Federalist No. 51
- Explanation of checks and balances
- Argument that checks and balances limit the power of the government and prevent it from taking away citizens’ rights
Federalist No. 78
- Discussion of the independent judiciary
- Argument that an independent judiciary prevents other branches of government from becoming too powerful and protects citizens’ rights and the rule of law
Equal Opportunity / Equality of Opportunity
- Americans value equality of opportunity, but they do not support equality of result
- We don’t have economic equality , but instead the opportunity to be rewarded.
Laissez-faire / Free enterprise
an economic system in which government intrudes as little as possible in the economic transactions among citizens and businesses.
Rule of Law
- the principle that no one, including public officials, is above the law.
- involves Fed. 51 - “if all men be angels…”
United Government
Government must be limited to prevent it from taking away rights and liberties, and the government’s legitimacy is based on public support.
Need - Based Assistance
- One of the biggest areas of disagreement is need-based assistance welfare programs
- Entitlement programs - such as Social Security and Medicare
- Funded through payroll taxes (paid by the employer and employee on a percentage of salaries)
Political Socialization
the experiences and factors that shape an individual’s political values, attitudes, and behaviors
Political Ideology
an individual’s coherent set of beliefs about government and politics
Things that play a role in political socialization:
- Families, Schools, and Peers
- Civic and Religious Organizations
- Generational and Life-Cycle effects
Generational Effect
the impact of historical events experienced by a generation upon their political views
Life-cycle effect
the impact of a person’s age and stage in life on they political views
Globalization
the increasing interconnectedness of people, businesses, and countries throughout the world.
Individuals, businesses, and countries are becoming more interconnected
Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
- are independent groups outside of the government that work toward a public cause
Doctors Without Borders - Can be a lifeline for people in need
How can Globalization help?
Globalization can spread democratic ideals, and technology can help citizens hold their governments more accountable
Outsourcing
when a company moves its business to a place where labor costs are cheaper or production is more efficient because workers work longer hours
Individualism (2)
Individuals should be self-reliant and valued/respected
Tension about collectivity + how much government should help individuals
Equal Opportunity (2)
Ability to succeed and be successful based on abilities
Differences over equal opportunity vs outcomes
Free Enterprise (2)
Generally value a market economy with individual choice
Questions over how much regulation is necessary
Rule of Law (2)
- No one individual is above the law
- Equal application of law regardless of power, race, class, etc.
- Is this actually true in practice?
- Continuing debate about fairness and application of laws in our system
Limited Government
- Value checks and balances that limit government scope and power
- Questions arise involving freedom v. security
- Ex: Patriot Act, decisive executive in war time, etc.
Younger vs Older Americans - Life Cycle Changes in Voting
—- Younger Americans: Tend to be more open to new social change
Main issues are education costs, jobs, etc.
—— Older Americans: Tend to be less open to social reform and change
Main issues involve retirement, social security, etc
How does the Media shape public opinions?
Priming (before) and Framing (during)
Who shapes public opinion?
Gov, private interest groups, and the media shapes public opinion
Political Efficacy
the feeling that political and social change is possible and that the individual citizen can play a part in bringing about this change
The citizens’ trust in their ability to change the government and belief that they can understand and influence the government
Democratization (globalization)
Increase in democracy since the end of the Cold War (
Free Markets (globalization)
Increase in capitalist or market economics
Cultural Diffusion (globalization)
Spread of new cultures, religions, ideas, and values through global trade and immigration
Democratic Backslide
Some countries moving towards authoritarian views / away from democratic views
Public Opinion
- Public opinion involved two components: individual attitudes and aggregation of individual attitudes
- Public opinion is important in a representative democracy because it helps policy makers understand citizens’ pereferences.
- Even though individuals sometiems lack the information they need to form opinions, they can find ways to overcome or work around these challenges by making inferences based on cues from their political ideology, peers, or political parties.
What can affect polling?
- random sampling
- way that questions are worded / phrased / framed
Focus Group
a small group of individuals assembled for a conversation about specific issues
Scientific Poll
a representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size, using neutral language
Sample
a group of individuals from a larger population used to measure public opinion
Random Selection
a method of choosing all poll respondents in a way that does not over- or underrepresent any group of the population.
Representative sample
a sample that reflects the demographics of the population
Weighing
a procedure in which the survey is adjusted according to the demographics of the larger population
Sampling Error
the margin of error in a poll, which usually is calculated to plus or minus three percentage points
Mass Survey
a survey designed to measure the opinions of the population, usually consisting of 1,500 responses
Entrance Survey
a poll conducted of people coming to an event
Exit Poll
a survey conducted outside a polling place in which individuals are asked who or what they just voted for and why
Benchmark Poll
a survey taken at the beginning of a political campaign in order to gauge support for a candidatee and determine which issues are important to voters
Tracking Poll
a survey determining the level of support for a candidate or an issue throughout a campaign
Random Digit Dialing
the use of telephone numbers randomly generated by computer to select potential survey respondents
Question Order
the sequencing of questions in public opinion polls
Question Wording
the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll
How is Public Opinion / Polling Used?
- Public opinion polling is uses by researchers, candidates, elected officials, interest groups, the media, and others who are interested in public policy to measure Americans’ viewpoints about government and politics
- Elected offocials use polling to figure out what the public wants and to shape the way the public views issues.
Criticism of Polling
Critics of the use of polling to make policy decisions argue that public officials are leected to lead, and not to follow the whims of the public.
pros of polling
- Can create public opinion consensus on complex issues
- Influence and inform policy makers through consituent opinions
- Influence and inform voters avout favorability of candidates
cons of polling
- Voters are usually uninformed about major political issues
- Lack of understanding of government and functions
Skewed results due to bias in questions or social bias - Ex: Obama’s support was lower than expected because many did not want to openly oppose first black candidate
Opinion Poll
Measures public opinions on particular topics
Ex: Support for policy or feelings on current events
Tracking Polls
Follows level of support for candidate or issue over time
Neutral Framing Questions
Does not contain biased or leading language
Accurate Reporting
Conclusions can be clearly connected to data.
Democratic Party / Liberal - Ideologies
- In the US, democrats are mostly/are liberal
- Often favor national policy as opposed to local/state policy
- Tend to favor government intervention in economic issues
- Minimum wage, taxes, federal spendings
- Generally oppose government intervention in social issues
Republican Party / Conservative - Ideologies
- Often favors local/state policy as opposed to national
- Tend to favor less government intervention in economic issues
- Tax cuts, business incentives, low gov spending
Generally approve of local intervention in social issues
Third parties ….
… tend to be single issue parties
Green Party
- Limit climate change, sustainability, social justice
- Regulate businesses, limit military spedning (non-violence)
Libertarian Party
- No government involvement in social or economic issues
- Eliminate regulations for business, and no gov in any social issue
(Ron Swanson in Parks and Rec)
Other third parties
Constitution party, communist party, alliance party, etc.
Right
something guaranteed that the government cannot take away
Privilege
something a person may obtain or receive, but that the government can take away
Party Ideology
a party’s philosophy about the proper role of government and its set of positions on major issues
Party identification
an individual’s attachment to a political party
Conservatism
an ideology favoring more control of social behavior, fewer regulations on businesses, and less government interference in the economy.
Liberalism
an ideology favoring less government control over social behavior and more greater regulation of businesses and of the economy
Libertarianism
an ideology favoring very little government regulation and intervention beyond protecting private property and individual liberty
Laissez-faire economy
economic policy in which governments intrude as little as possible in the economic transactions between citizens and businesses
Command-and-control-economy
economic policy in which government idctates much of a nation’s economic activity, including the amount of production and price for goods
Mixed economy
economic policy in which many economic decisions are left to individuals and businesses, with the government regulating economic activity
Gross domestic product (GDP)
the total value of goods and services produced by an economy
Economic recession
a period of decline in economic activity, typically defined by two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth
Unemployment rate
the percentage of people actively looking for work who cannot find jobs
Inflation
the rise in the prices of goods and services
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services over time, used to measure the cost of living
an index of the variation in prices paid by typical consumers for retail goods and other items
Fiscal Policy
government use of taxes and spendings to attempt to lower unemployment, support economic growth, and stabilize the economy
Monetary Theory
Use the money supply as a tool to influence economic growth and productivity
Keynesianism
Stimulate the economy during times of economic recession by spending money to encourage economic growth
Supply-Side Theory
Stimulate the economy by cutting taxes to encourage businesses to grow and taxpayers to spend more money
Federal Reserve System
- a board of governors, Federal Reserve Banks, and member banks responsible for monetary policy
- The Federal Reserve System influences the economy by selling treasury billys, setting the interest rate for banks to borrow money from the federal government, and requiring that baks keep a certain amount of deposits on hand
Monetary Policy
a set of economic policy tools designed to regulate the amount of money in the economy
Monetary policy is using the amount of money in circulation to influence the economy
Medicare
a federal program that provides health insurance to seniors and the disabled
Medicaid
a federal program that provides health care for the poor
Liberal Economic Policy
Demand Side + Keynesian
Demand Side (Liberal Economic Policy)
provide more money and benefits to consumers
Keynesian (Liberal Economic Policy)
- Use government spending to help grow economy (in lower times - like the great depression)
- Ex: Increasing **minimum wage, provide subsidy, regulate business and increase taxes
*minimum wage isn’t paid for by the government - it’s a requirement for businesses to pay you that amount - if the minimum wage goes up, that’s not paid for by your tax dollars. It’s just a regulation for businesses.
- Ex: Increasing **minimum wage, provide subsidy, regulate business and increase taxes
Conservative Economic Policy
Supply Side + Reaganomics
Supply Side (Conservative Economic Policy)
Provide money and benefits to producers
Reaganomics (Conservative Economic Policy)
- Reduces tax and government spending, wealth will “trickle down” to middle class
- Ex: Lower tax rates, oppose wage increases and regulations, dc. Government spending
Based a lot on “ifs” - the idea that it does not always trickle down
Fiscal Policy (know the diff. between this and monetary policy!!)
- Actions taken by Congress and the President to influence the economy
- Use of government spending and tax policy to impact economic growth and trends
Tax Policy (monetary policy)
Increases or decreases can be used to grow or slow economy by impacting discretionary income of businesses and consumers
Federal Spending (monetary policy)
- Can be used to stimulate economic growth through subsidies
- These can impact government revenue, deficits, and overall debt
- Government cheese
Monetary Policy
- Controlled by the Federal Reserve Bank (The Fed) - -
- Chair appointed every 10 years
- Control the amount of money available through banking interest rates
- Seeks to balance full employment and price stability (2% inflation)
- Fed decides interest basically
Expansionary Policy (Fed. rsv. bnk Policy / Monetary Policy)
- Increases supply of money by lowering borrowing costs
- More access to money → buy more → increases inflation/decreases Unemployment
Contractionary Policy (Fed. rs. bnk. Policy / Monetary Policy)
- Decreases money supply by increasing borrowing costs
- Less access to money → buy less → decreases inflation/increases unemployment
Means Testing
the idea that you create a social safety/welfare program but you only provide it to those who NEED it - to those who do not have the financial means to pay for it on their own
Public Education - [ LIBERAL POLICY ]
Favors public education & national standards
Public Education - [ CONSERVATIVE POLICY ]
Favors local control of policies & private education
Public Education [ LIBERTARIAN POLICY]
Opposes all government-run schools
School Vouchers - [ LIBERAL POLICY ]
Opposes school vouchers
School Vouchers - [ CONSERVATIVE POLICY ]
Supports school choice (public or private)
School Vouchers - [ LIBERTARIAN POLICY ]
Favors school choice/vouchers
School vouchers
School vouchers give parents the freedom to choose a private school for their children, using all or part of the public funding set aside for their children’s education.
Higher Education - [ LIBERAL POLICY ]
Government-funded college & loan forgiveness
Higher Education - [ CONSERVATIVE POLICY ]
Individuals held responsible
Higher Education - [ LIBERTARIAN POLICY ]
Oppose any government funding
Healthcare - [ LIBERAL POLICY ]
National subsidy or public healthcare option
Healthcare - [ CONSERVATIVE POLICY ]
Private healthcare and personal decisions for coverage
Healthcare - [ LIBERTARIAN POLICY ]
Opposes all gov. involvement
Abortion - [ LIBERAL POLICY ]
National protection for access to abortion
Abortion - [ CONSERVATIVE POLICY ]
State decision for policy / favor national ban
Abortion - [ LIBERTARIAN POLICY ]
Opposes any regulation for abortion
Drug Policy - [ LIBERAL POLICY ]
Focus on rehabilitation and treatment
Drug Policy - [ CONSERVATIVE POLICY ]
Harsher punishments and criminalization
Drug Policy - [ LIBERTARIAN POLICY ]
Full legalization of drugs
