political culture

Flashcards about American Political Culture, Political Culture, General Expectations, Core Political Values, Political Trust, Political Efficacy, and Political Participation.

What is Political Culture?

A pattern of shared values, moral norms, beliefs, expectations, and attitudes that relate to politics and its social context.

What is a Political Subculture?

A political culture that deviates from the dominant culture in key respects.

What is a Stereotype?

An oversimplified image of a group of people.

What are the general expectations Americans tend to have from their government?

These expectations are highly contradictory and can differ drastically from individual to individual, leading to political conflict among political parties.

What are the American Core Political Values?

Liberty, Equality, and Democracy.

What is the American government predicated on?

A citizenry that is informed and active, demonstrates preferences, and holds officials accountable.

Why has trust in the American government decreased?

Partisan conflict over taxes and spending, the 1960s drop due to lying about war and Watergate, and the rise of investigative journalism.

What is Political Efficacy?

The belief that one has the ability to influence what government does.

What is political efficacy strongly correlated with?

Political efficacy is strongly correlated with college education and income.

What are the trends in American Political Participation?

Americans tend to have higher rates of participation in democratic activities but some of the lowest rates of voting.

Why is political knowledge important?

People will not believe they can affect government if they do not know much about it. Americans are not very knowledgeable about their government.

What is Citizenship?

Derived from the Greek ideal, refers to “enlightened political engagement.”

Why do citizens need political knowledge?

To understand how politics work if they are to shape outcomes and to understand what they can expect of their government.

What is the Collective Action Problem?

The problem describes the situation in which multiple individuals would all benefit from a certain action, but the associated cost makes it implausible any one individual can or will undertake and solve it.

What are Public Goods?

Benefit everyone, but no individual can afford to supply (defense, public order, currency, roads, education, radio, emergency services, water).

According to Aristotle, what are the virtuous forms of government?

Monarchy, Aristocracy, and Polity.

According to Aristotle, what are the degenerative forms of government?

Tyranny, Oligarchy, and Democracy.

What limits are there on government in a Totalitarian regime?

No limits.

What limits are there on government in an Authoritarian regime?

Recognize no limits, but may be constrained (church, military, political party).

What limits are there on government in a Constitutional regime?

Substantive and procedural limits.

What are Substantive limits on government?

What the government can do.

What are Procedural limits on government?

The methods they can employ to achieve what they can do.

What does liberal mean in the context of government?

Believing in limits on powers of government.

What is Liberalism (classical)?

A political philosophy that supports limited government, individual freedom, social toleration, and the redistribution of resources.

What is a Social Contract?

The idea that individuals give up sovereignty to government in return for which government agrees to uphold the rule of law.

What is Capitalism (economic liberalism)?

An economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and operated for profit, and in which people sell their labor for wages and prices are set by supply and demand.

What is a Democracy?

A political system in which government is based on a mandate from all qualified citizens of a state.

What is a Representative Democracy?

A system in which citizens elect others to represent their views and interests when decisions are made on law and public policy.

What is Pluralism?

The distribution of power in such a way as to allow government to be influenced by competing groups, values, and demands.

What do Delegates do?

Represent the will of the people.

What do Trustees do?

Make informed decisions for the people.

Define Nationhood.

The population of a given state shared significant commonalities other than control exercised upon it by the state; a national identity.

What is Liberty?

Freedom from government control; including personal freedom and economic freedom.

What is Equality?

Several meanings: equality of opportunity, equality of outcome, and political equality.