Political Participation and Economic Policy

Flashcards: Review of Lecture Notes

Rational Choice Voting

Voting based on what is in the citizen's individual interest.

Retrospective Voting

Deciding whether or not a party/candidate should be reelected based on their past performance.

Prospective Voting

Voting based on the potential performance of a party/candidate.

Party-Line Voting

Voting for candidates from a single political party for all offices.

Political Parties

Organizations with similar ideologies that try to influence election outcomes and legislative problems.

Party Platform

A list of goals that outlines a party's issues and priorities.

Two-Party System

A political system dominated by two major parties, like Democrats and Republicans.

Bipartisan System

Supported by two parties

Party Among the Electorate

Voters who identify with and enroll in parties, voting for candidates from their party

Party in Government

Officials who belong to parties and pursue goals together.

Party Organization

A group of people, political professionals, who recruit voters and candidates, organize events, and raise money for the party.

National Conventions

National party meetings every four years to nominate a presidential candidate.

Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) Drives

Efforts to mobilize voters and increase turnout.

Party Coalition

Political parties made up of multiple groups and individuals; a larger coalition increases the likelihood of a candidate winning.

Party Realignment

Occurs when coalitions making up parties split off, often signaled by a critical election and resulting in a new dominant party.

Dealighnment

A trend where party members become disaffected due to policy positions, leading them to join no party and vote for candidates instead.

Splinter/Bolter Parties

Third parties formed to represent constituencies disenfranchised by major parties.

Doctrinal Parties

Third parties formed to represent an ideology that major parties consider too radical.

Single-Issue Parties

Third parties formed to promote one principle or issue.

Independent Candidates

Candidates who run without party affiliation.

Interest Groups

Organizations dedicated to a particular political goal whose members lobby, educate, write legislation, and mobilize.

Lobbying

The act of influencing legislators and government agencies to promote specific goals.

Economic Groups

Interest groups promoting and protecting members’ economic interests, including business and labor groups.

Public Interest Groups

Nonprofit groups organized around a set of public policy issues, including consumer, environmental, religious, and single-issue groups.

Government Interest Groups

Interest groups representing localities like states and cities, lobbying in D.C.

Direct Lobbying

Meeting privately with government officials to present arguments supporting legislation.

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Committees formed by corporations, unions, or trade groups to donate to candidates and parties.

Class Action Lawsuits

Legal actions filed by interest groups to advance their interests.

Influence peddling

Using friendships and inside information to get political advantage.

Hard Money

Regulated contributions to candidates.

Soft Money

Unregulated, unlimited contributions to parties for activities.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA)

Regulated campaign finance and PAC donations, prohibiting soft money to national parties.

Super PACs

PACs with no fundraising limits as long as they do not coordinate with candidates.

527 Groups

Tax-exempt organizations that promote a political agenda but cannot advocate for/against a specific candidate.

Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA - 1974)

Act aimed to regulate campaign finance.

Incumbent Advantage

The tendency for representatives who run for reelection to win a high percentage of the time

Nominations

The process by which parties choose candidates for general election

Delegates

Individuals pledged to a presidential candidate

State Caucuses

Meetings of party members.

Conventions

A national meeting of a party to nominate a candidate.

Plurality

The greatest number of votes

Runoff Primary

A primary election held between the top two candidates if no candidate gets the required number of votes

Superdelegates

Elected Party Leaders.

McGovern-Fraser Comission

Created in 1968 to promote diversity in delegate pool.

Closed Primary

Only registered members of a political party can vote.

Open Primary

Voters can vote in one of any party primary of their choice.

Blanket Primary

Voters can vote for one candidate per office of either party.

General Elections

Elections when voters decide who will hold office

Presidential Elections

Elections when the president is being selected.

Midterm Elections

Elections between presidential elections.

Federal Matching Funds

Money given to qualified presidential candidates.

Super Tuesday

When many hold primaries on the same day.

Brokered Conventions

Held when no candidate has received the pledge of a majority of delegates and conventions must decide the nominee.

Electoral College

A group of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president.

Voter Turnout

The percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election

Mandate

A clear message sent by the voters.

Split-Ticket Voting

Voting for a presidential candidate of one party and legislators of another.

Divided Government

When one party controls the Senate and/or House and the other controls the executive branch.

Gridlock

Two branches work against each other or can result in the creation of moderate policy.

Dealighnment

Encourages party Dealighnment because voters do not clearly align with their parties

Issue-Attention Cycle

Public attention requires policy makers to act quickly before the public gets bored and loses interest.

Incrementalism

Slow, step-by-step way of making policy

Policy Fragmentation

Many pieces of legislation deal with parts of policy problems but never address the whole problem.

Mixed Economies

Made of capitalist free-market systems where government and private industry play a role

Laissez-faire

Government should never get involved in the economy.

Keynesian Economics

The government can smooth out business cycles by influencing individuals’ income amounts and the amounts businesses can spend on goods and services.

Fiscal Policy

Government action of raising/lowering taxes, resulting in more/less consumer spending or enacting of government spending programs.

Defict Spending

Funds raised by borrowing, not taxation.

Supply-Side Economics

Government should cut taxes and spending on programs to stimulate more production

Monetary Policy

How the government controls the supply of money in circulation and credit through actions of the Federal Reserve Board.

Federal Reserve Board

Controls the supply of money in circulation and credit.

Reserve Requirement

Raises/lowers the amount of money banks are required to keep on hand.

Discount Rate

Raises/lowers interest banks pay to the Federal Reserve Board to borrow money.

Open Market Operations

Federal Reserve buys/sells US government bonds.

House Ways and Means Committee

Taxing aspects of budget.

Authorization Committees

Decide which programs Congress wants to fund.

Appropriations Committees

Decides how much money should be spent for those programs that have been authorized.

Mandatory Spending

Required by law to fund programs such as entitlement programs

Entitlement Programs

Social Security, Medicare, payment on national debt, and veterans’ pensions.

Discretionary Spending

Not required by law, programs include research grants, education, defense, highways, and all government operations.

Balance of Trade

Ratio of imported products to exported products.

Trade Deficits

When imports are greater than exports.

Social-Welfare Programs

Programs designed to help those in need.

Great Society Programs

Expanded government welfare programs.

Social Insurance Programs

National insurance programs to which employees and employers pay taxes.

Public Assistance Programs

Not paid for by recipients, result of condition and government responsibility to help the needy.

Social Security

Originally provided benefits to only retired people beginning at age 65.