GESM Final

Dixiecrats

Any of the Southern Democrats who seceded from the party in 1948 in opposition to its policy of extending civil rights; they later switched to Republican.

Culture War

Conflict between groups (liberal/conservative) that have different cultural ideals, beliefs, or philosophies.

Issue activists

Individuals who advocate for or oppose a controversial issue through direct action (protests, lawsuits, lobbying, petitions, or strikes).

Conflict Extension

Polarization of the parties along multiple issue dimensions, where activists affect politicians across a wide range of topics.

Median voter theory

The theory that in a one-dimensional spectrum, any voting method compatible with majority-rule will elect the candidate preferred by the median voter.

Advocacy explosion

Increase in the number of advocacy groups, interest groups, and lobbying groups influencing government decisions.

Membership-based associations

Organizations of individuals who join to pursue shared goals, interests, or causes, relying on active participation and dues.

Advocacy organizations

Lobby groups and interest groups that influence public opinion and public policy through advocacy or lobbying.

Rational choice theory

The theory that people make choices based on individual preferences, seeking to maximize gain while minimizing loss.

Politicization

The process of assigning a political tone or character to ideas, entities, or facts associated with a particular group or party.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts for solving problems quickly, delivering results that are sufficient enough to be useful under time constraints.

Partisan reasoning

The process in which citizens' thinking about politics is biased by their partisanship.

The Big Sort

The phenomenon of Americans sorting themselves into like-minded communities.

The Creative Class

A group of occupations focused on creating new ideas and technology, contributing significantly to economic growth.

Haidt’s moral foundations

A framework outlining six moral foundations through which humans view politics and policy: Care/Harm, Fairness/Cheating, Loyalty/Betrayal, Authority/Subversion, Sanctity/Degradation, and Liberty/Oppression.

Fixed worldviews

Preference for stability and order, resisting change and prioritizing security.

Fluid worldviews

Openness to change and diversity, viewing social and cultural evolution as opportunities rather than threats.

Imagined communities

Communities where members share a sense of belonging based on common identity, history, and culture, despite never meeting.

The atomistic blind spot

The tendency to focus excessively on individuals while overlooking the broader social, cultural, and institutional contexts in political behavior.

Homophily

The tendency of people to associate with others who share similar political views.

Belief structure

An interconnected network of political beliefs that describe how various opinions relate to each other in a person's overall political perspective.

The minimal group paradigm

The phenomenon where people favor their own group even when group divisions are arbitrary, leading to bias against others.

Issue-based polarization elements

Division of public opinion and political alignment along specific policy issues or topics.

Cross-cutting cleavages

Social divisions that overlap across different groups, promoting diversity and reducing single-group unity on issues.

Social-based polarization elements

Divisions in society based on group identities and social affiliations, rather than purely on policy or ideological disagreements.