AP Gov Unit 4 Terms

If my teacher didn't give me these, I'd cry 😭😭😭

conservative

A person who believes government power, particularly in the economy, should be limited in order to maximize individual freedom.

equality of opportunity

giving people an equal chance to succeed

free enterprise

Economic system in which individuals and businesses are allowed to compete for profit with a minimum of government interference

Individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

Laissez-faire

Idea that government should play as small a role as possible in economic affairs.

Limited Government

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.

Liberals

people who generally favor government action and view change as progress

political culture

commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and core values about how government should operate

Rule of Law

principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern

Globalization

Actions or processes that involve the entire world and result in making something worldwide in scope.

political socialization

the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

Baby Boomers (1946-1964)

The 78 million people born during the baby boom, following World War II and lasting until the early 1960s

Generation X (Gen X)

people born between 1965 and 1977

generational shifts

The culture and climate when and where we grow up fundamentally shapes preferences

lifecycle effects

changes over the course of an individual's lifetime, which affect their political attitudes and participation; as individuals develop from young people to adults to senior citizens, their concerns and values change

Millenials (Generation Y)

Generation: 1980s-2000s

Silent Generation

people born between the two world wars

Great Depression

the economic crisis beginning with the stock market crash in 1929 and continuing through the 1930s

New Deal Coalition

coalition forged by the Democrats who dominated American politics from the 1930's to the 1960's. its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.

Iraq Invasion

• Bush Jr invaded Iraq because he believed that they were oppressing its own people, frustrating the weapons inspectors, developing nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons of mass destruction, and supporting terrorist groups

• a liberated Iraq would be a beacon of hope to the Islamic world

• Bush and Britain launched the invasion in 2003

• Saddam was driven from power

Great Recession

severe economic downturn that lasted from late 2007 through mid-2009

approval rating

a measure of public support for a political figure or institution

benchmark polls

initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared

entrance polls

voters asked about which candidate they are going to vote for and why before walking into a caucus

exit polls

Polls conducted as voters leave selected polling places on Election Day.

focus group

A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues.

public opinion polls

interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population

push polling

a polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion

random digit dialing

A technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey.

random sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

representative sample

randomly selected sample of subjects from a larger population of subjects

sampling error (margin of error)

a measure of the accuracy of a public opinion poll

sampling techniques

The method used to select people from the population.

tracking polls

continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart a candidate's daily rise or fall in support

weighting (stratification)

making sure demographic groups are properly represented in a sample

bandwagon effect

a shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner

Bradley Effect

the difference between a poll result and an election result in which voters gave a socially desirable poll response rather than a true response that might be perceived as racist

non-response bias

Bias introduced into survey results because individuals refuse to participate.

conservative

A person who believes government power, particularly in the economy, should be limited in order to maximize individual freedom.

ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

Liberal

the belief that the government's proper role is to actively promote health, education, and justice

libertarian

One who believes in limited government interference in personal and economic liberties

Moderate

Person whose views are between conservative and liberal and may include some of both ideologies

populist

a member or adherent of a political party seeking to represent the interests of ordinary people.

saliency

an issue with importance to a group

Progressive

going forward to something considered better

valence issues

issues on which most voters and candidates share the same position

wedge issues

a controversial issue that one party uses to split the voters in the other party

agenda

Plan of action; purpose

majoritarian

system of policy making in which those with a numerical majority hold authority

bonds

Certificates of debt that carry a promise to buy back the bonds at a higher price

discount rate

The interest rate on the loans that the Fed makes to banks

Federal Reserve Board

A seven-member board that sets member banks reserve requirements, controls the discount rate, and makes other economic decisions.

fiscal policy

Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending.

flat rate

a single percentage that applies to the entire tax base

inflation

a general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money.

Internal Revenue Service

The branch of the U.S. Treasury Department in charge of collecting taxes

monetary policy

Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.

multiplier effect

An effect in economics in which an increase in spending produces an increase in national income and consumption greater than the initial amount spent.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Agreement that created a free-trade area among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

progressive tax

A tax for which the percentage of income paid in taxes increases as income increases

reserve requirement

the percentage of deposits that banking institutions must hold in reserve

Sixteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1913 that explicitly permitted Congress to levy an income tax.

supply side economics

An economic philosophy that holds the sharply cutting taxes will increase the incentive people have to work, save, and invest. Greater investments will lead to more jobs, a more productive economy, and more tax revenues for the government.

trade balance

the value of a nation's exports minus the value of its imports; also called net exports

entitlements

Policies for which Congress has obligated itself to pay X level of benefits to Y number of recipients. Social Security benefits are an example.

mandatory spending

Required govt spending by permanent laws

Medicaid

A federal and state assistance program that pays for health care services for people who cannot afford them.

Medicare

A federal program of health insurance for persons 65 years of age and older

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

health care reform law passed in 2010 that includes incentives and penalties for employers providing health insurance as a benefit

Social Security Act

(FDR) 1935, guaranteed retirement payments for enrolled workers beginning at age 65; set up federal-state system of unemployment insurance and care for dependent mothers and children, the handicapped, and public health

social welfare

A nation's system of programs, benefits, and services that help people meet those social, economic, educational, and health needs that are fundamental to the maintenance of society.