Studied by 2 people
political culture
the dominant set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that define the relationship between citizens and government
individualism
the belief that individuals should be responsible for themselves and for the decisions they make
free enterprise
an economic system in which government intrudes as little as possible in the economic transactions among citizens and businesses
control and command economy
the government dictates much of the nation’s economic activity; setting wages, prices, and production
rule of law
the principle that no one, including public officials is above the law
freedom of information act
allows citizens to access documents and info kept by the government
political socialization
the experiences and factors that shape an individual’s political values, attitudes, and behaviors
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 his or her political views
globalization
the increasing interconnectedness of people, businesses, and countries throughout the world
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
public opinion
the blending of individuals’ preferences into a larger concept
gut rationality
can assist people in making meaningful political choices
wisdom of crowds
individuals who lack complete information can come up with a meaningful assessment of a problem as a group
political ideology
what we believe and why
political socialization
the process by which we are taught and develop our individual and collective political belief
political culture
the widely shared beliefs values and norms concerning the relationship of citizens to government and to one another
focus group
a small group of individual 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 under represent any group of the population
representative sample
a sample that reflects the demographics of the population
weighting
a procedure in which the survey is adjusting 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 candidate 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
political ideology
a set of beliefs about the desired goals and outcomes of a process of governance
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
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 and cannot find jobs
inflation
the rise in 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
fiscal policy
government use of taxes and spending to attempt to lower unemployment, support economic growth, and stabilize the economy
federal reserve system
a board of governors, Federal Reserve Banks, and member banks responsible for monetary policy
monetary policy
a set of economic policy tools designed to regulate the amount of money in the economy
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Flashcard (69)