UInit 4 - American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

Free Enterprise (Lassiez-faire)

economic theory in which the government plays as small or limited role as possible in the economy.

Rule of Law

no one, including public officials, is above the law; the government should be open and transparent

Political Socialization

the process by which we gain our political beliefs and how our ideology is shaped through different factors.

Political Ideology

a set of ideas held by a group or individuals about the scope and role of the government in people’s lives.

Influences on Political Ideology

generational effects, life-cycle effects, and globalization

Tracking Polls

ask people the same or similar questions to “track” the path of public opinions over time.

Exit Polls

conducted on election day outside voting sites. Pollsters ask people who have just voted who they voted for in order to predict the outcome of an election and analyze voting trends

Public Opinion Poll

survey or inquiry designed to measure the public’s views regarding a particular topic or series of topics

Benchmark Polls

conducted by a campaign as a race for office begins. Used to gauge a candidate’s chance of winning.

Bradley Effect

answers reveal socially undesirable traits or opinions; questions that would reveal racism, sexism, or homophobia could be answered with lies, which messes up data.

Bandwagon Effect

support for a candidate/issue increases because the candidate or issue has been reported to be popular.

Gender Gap

american women are more likely to vote for the Democratic Party. women tend to be more supportive of social welfare programs and less on spending for national defense.

Party Ideology

a party’s philosophy about the proper role of government and its set of positions on major issues.

Democratic Party

less government control over social behavior; more regulation of business/the economy

Republican Party

more control over social behavior; fewer regulation on business and less government intervention in the economy

Libertarianism

very little government regulation and intervention in social behavior or business/the economy

GDP

total value of goods and services produced by a country’s economic activity

CPI

measures the cost of a basket of fixed goods and services over time

Supply-side Economics

idea that lowering taxes on individuals and businesses will lead to more spending/growth

Fiscal Policy

government use of taxes and spending to attempt to lower unemployment, support economic growth, and stabilize the economy

Monetary Policy

set of economic policy tools designed to regulate the amount of money in the economy. They often do this by setting the national interest rate.