Week 7 Terms: Sociological and Rational Voting

Question 1

Postmaterialism

Answer 1

The transition of individual values from materialism to new values of self expression

Question 2

Social cleavages (Overlapping)

Answer 2

Social identities that separate us politically/might be politicized (overlapping means that those identities can overlap with each other i.e. race and class)

Question 3

Social cleavages (Cross Cutting)

Answer 3

Social identities that separate us politically/might be politicized (cross cutting means that those identities cannot over lap i.e. identifying as a christian and a muslim)

Question 4

Decline of class based voting

Answer 4

Self explanatory i.e. Alford Index

Question 5

Sociological Voting

Answer 5

A method of voting that pertains to objective and subjective group membership and identity

Question 6

Michigan School

Answer 6

School that published a theory of sociological voting that argues that group membership determines what party you’re likely to vote for

Question 7

Rational voting

Answer 7

A method of voting that infers that voters want to vote rationally in order to maximize their utility i.e. Downs Model of Voting

Question 8

Directional voting

Answer 8

Theory exercised by Revenowitz/McDonald that states that voters cannot simply vote to maximize their utility for there is often symbolism attached (“region of acceptability”)

Question 9

Proximity voting

Question 10

Model

Answer 10

An attempt to predict outcomes from inputs that are based on assumptions

Question 11

Hypothesis

Answer 11

An implication from a theory that is made testable by models

Question 12

Assumptions

Answer 12

Claims we need to make to get predictions of the model (i.e. Down’s Model makes assumptions about the goals of political parties)

Question 13

Predictions