txgov ch5+6 vocab

interest groups

a voluntary organization that strives to influence public policy; sometimes known as a pressure group.

lobbying

directly contacting public officials to advocate for a public policy.

implementation

administrative agencies carrying out broad public policies, enforcing state laws, providing public services, and managing day-to-day government activities.

discretion

wide latitude to make decisions within the broad requirements set out in the law.

texas register

the official publication of the state that gives the public notice of proposed actions and adopted policies of executive branch agencies.

clientele groups

the groups most affected by a government agency's regulations and programs; frequently these interest groups form close alliances with the agency based on mutual support and accommodation.

co-optation

such a close alliance develops between state regulatory agencies and their clientele group that the regulated have, in effect, become the regulators; the interest group has captured such complete control of their regulatory agency that they are essentially self-regulated.

access

the ability to "get in the door" to sit down and talk to public officials. campaign contributions are often used to gain access.

astroturf lobbying

special interest groups orchestrating demonstrations to give the impression of widespread and spontaneous public support.

umbrella organizations

associations formed by smaller interests joining together to promote common policy goals by making campaign contributions and hiring lobbyists to represent their interests.

iron triangles

long-standing alliances among interest groups, legislators, and bureaucrats held together by mutual self-interest that act as subsystems in the legislative and administrative decision-making process.

issue networks

dynamic alliances among a wide range of individuals and groups activated by broad public policy questions.

political movement

a mass alliance of like-minded groups and individuals seeking broad changes in the direction of government policies.

pluralist theory

the view that, in a free society, public policy should be made by a multitude of competing interest groups, ensuring that policies will not benefit a single elite at the expense of the many.

elitist theory

the view that the state is ruled by a small number of participants who exercise power to further their own self-interest.

revolving door

the interchange of employees between government agencies and the private businesses with which they have dealings.

conflict of interest

a situation in which public officers stand to benefit personally from their official decisions.

late train contributions

campaign funds given to the winning candidate after the election up to 30 days before the legislature comes into session. such contributions are designed to curry favor with winning candidates.

two party system

a political system characterized by two dominant parties competing for political offices. in such systems, minor or third parties have little chance of winning.

pragmatism

the philosophy that ideas should be judged on the basis of their practical results rather than on the purity of their principles.

valence issues

issues on which virtually all of the public agree, for instance, such as peace and prosperity.

position issues

issues on which the public is divided.

decentralization

exercise of power at the state and local levels of government in addition to the national level.

party realignment

the transition from one dominant party system to another.

partisan identification

a person's attachment to one political party or the other.

dealignment

when increasing numbers of voters choose not to identify with either of the two parties and consider themselves to be independents.

evangelical (fundamentalist) christians

a bloc of conservative christians who are concerned with such issues as family, religion, abortion, gay rights, and community morals, and often support the republican party.

party platform

the formal issue positions of a political party; specific elements are often referred to as planks in the party's platform.

tea party

a faction or groups of very conservative republicans generally resistant to compromise of its principles.

tipping

a phenomenon that occurs when a demographic group grows large enough to change the political balance in the electorate.

swing voters

voters who are not bound by party identification and who support candidates of different parties in different election years.

precinct convention

a gathering of citizens within a precinct- where people vote- who voted in the party's primary.

presidential preference primary

a primary election that allows voters in the party to vote directly for candidates seeking their party's presidential nomination.