All Ap Govt Vocab

political culture

the dominant set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that define the relationship between citizens and government

individualism

the belief that individuals should be responsible for themselves and for the decisions they make

laissez-faire or free enterprise

an economic system in which government intrudes as little as possible in the economic transactions among citizens and businesses

rule of law

the principle that no one, including public officials, is above the law.

political socialization

the experiences and factors that shape an individual's political values, attitudes, and behaviors

political ideology

an individual's coherent set of beliefs about government and politics

generational effect

the impact of historical events experienced by a generation upon their political views

life-cycle effect

the impact of a person's age and stage in life on his or her political views.

globalization

the increasing interconnectedness of people, businesses, and countries throughout the world

outsourcing

when a company moves its business to a place where labor costs are cheaper or production is more efficient because workers work longer hours.

public opinion

the sum of individual attitudes about government, policies, and issues.

focus group

a small group of individuals assembled for a conversation about specific issues

scientific poll

a representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size, using neutral language

sample

a subgroup of individuals from a larger population used to measure public opinion

random selection

a method of choosing all poll respondents in a way that does not over- or under-represent any group of the population

representative sample

a sample that reflects the demographics of the population

weighting

a procedure in which the survey is adjusted according to the demographics of the larger population

sampling error

the margin of error in a poll, which is usually calculated to around plus or minus three percentage points

mass survey

a survey designed to measure the opinions of the population, usually consisting of 1,500 responses

entrance survey

a poll conducted of people coming to an event

exit poll

a survey conducted outside a polling place in which individuals are asked who or what they just voted for and why

benchmark poll

a survey taken at the beginning of a political campaign in order to gauge support for a candidate and determine which issues are important to voters

tracking poll

a survey determining the level of support for a candidate or an issue throughout a campaign

random digit dialing

the use of telephone numbers randomly generated by computer to select potential survey respondents

question order

the sequencing of questions in public opinion polls

question wording

the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll.

right

something guaranteed, that the government cannot take away

privilege

something a person may obtain or receive, but that the government can take away.

party ideology

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

party identification

an individual's attachment to a political party.

conservatism

an ideology favoring more control of social behavior, fewer regulations on businesses, and less government interference in the economy.

liberalism

an ideology favoring less government control over social behavior and more regulation of businesses and of the economy.

libertarianism

an ideology favoring very little government regulation and intervention beyond protecting private property and individual liberty.

laissez-faire economy

economic policy in which governments intrude as little as possible in the economic transactions between citizens and businesses

command-and-control economy

economic policy in which government dictates much of a nation's economic activity, including the amount of production and prices for goods

mixed economy

economic policy in which many economic decisions are left to individuals and businesses, with the government regulating economic activity

gross domestic product (GDP)

the total value of goods and services produced by an economy

economic recession

a period of decline in economic activity, typically defined by two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth

unemployment rate

the percentage of people actively looking for work who cannot find jobs.

inflation

the rise in the prices of goods and services

consumer price index (CPI)

the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services over time, used to measure the cost of living

fiscal policy

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

Federal Reserve System

a board of governors, Federal Reserve Banks, and member banks responsible for monetary policy

monetary policy

a set of economic policy tools designed to regulate the amount of money in the economy.

Medicare

a federal program that provides health insurance to seniors and the disabled.

Medicaid

a federal program that provides health care for the poor.

political participation

the different ways in which individuals take action to shape the laws and policies of a government

linkage institution

channels that connect individuals with government , including elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media

social movement

the joining of individuals seeking social or political change with the goal of placing issues on the policy agenda.

franchise (or suffrage)

the right to vote

poll tax

a payment required by a state or federal government before a citizen is allowed to vote

Twenty-Fourth Amendment

prohibits Congress and the states from imposing poll taxes as a condition for voting in federal elections

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

allows those eighteen years and older to vote

voter turnout

the number of eligible voters who participate in an election as a percentage of the total number of eligible voters

demographic characteristics

measurable characteristics of a population, such as economic status, education, age, race or ethnicity, and gender

socioeconomic status (SES)

a measure of an individual's wealth, income, occupation, and educational attainment

political efficacy

a person's belief that he or she can make effective political change

political mobilization

efforts by political parties to encourage their members to vote

registration requirements

the set of rules that govern who can vote and how, when, and where they vote

absentee ballot

voting completed and submitted by a voter before the day of an election without going to the polls.

rational choice voting

voting based on what a citizen believes is in his or her best interest

retrospective voting

voting based on an assessment of an incumbent's past performance

prospective voting

casting a ballot for a candidate who promises to enact policies favored by the voter in the future

party-line voting

voting for candidates who belong only to one political party for all of the offices on the ballot.

Electoral College

a constitutionally required process for selecting the president through slates of electors chosen in each state, who are pledged to vote for a nominee in the presidential election

winner-take-all system

a system of elections in which the candidate who wins the plurality of votes within a state receives all of that state's votes in the Electoral College

battleground state

a state where the polls show a close contest between the Republican and Democratic candidate in a presidential election

swing state

a state where levels of support for the parties are similar and elections swing back and forth between Democrats and Republicans.

Get out the vote (GOTV)

efforts to mobilize supporters.

super PAC

an organization that may spend an unlimited amount of money on a political campaign, as long as the spending is not coordinated with a campaign.

political party

an organized group of party leaders, officeholders, and voters that work together to elect candidates to political office.

party identification

the degree to which a voter is connected to and influenced by a particular political party

straight-ticket voting

voting for all of the candidates on the ballot from one political party.

split-ticket voting

voting for candidates from different parties in the same election

party platform

a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to

recruitment

the process through which political parties identify potential candidates.

party coalition

groups of voters who support a political party over time

realignment

when the groups of people who support a political party shift their allegiance to a different political party

critical election

a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties

party era

a time period when one party wins most national elections

era of divided government

a trend since 1969, in which one party controls one or both houses of Congress and the president is from the opposing party.

nomination

the formal process through which parties choose their candidates for political office

delegate

a person who acts as the voters' representative at a convention to select the party's presidential nominee

primary election

an election in which a state's voters choose delegates who support a candidate for nomination

open primary

a primary election in which all eligible voters may vote, regardless of their partisan affiliation

closed primary

a primary election in which only registered voters from a political party may vote.

caucus

a process through which a state's eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process

superdelegate

usually a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of the state's primary or caucus

front-loading

a decision by a state to push its primary or caucus to a date as early in the season as possible to become more influential in the nomination process

national convention

a meeting where delegates officially select their party's nominee for the presidency

candidate-centered campaign

a trend in which candidates develop their own strategies and raise money with less influence from the party elite.

two-party system

a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections

proportional representation system

an election system for a legislature in which citizens vote for parties, rather than individuals, and parties are represented in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote they receive.

single-member plurality system

an election system for choosing members of the legislature where the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes, even if the candidate does not receive a majority of the votes

third party

a minor political party in competition with the two major parties.

news media

a broad term that includes newspapers, magazines, radio, television, Internet sources, blogs, and social media postings that cover important events

social media

forms of electronic communication that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking

agenda setting

the media's ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public.

mass media

sources of information designed to reach a wide audience, including newspapers, radio, television, and Internet outlets

wire service

an organization that gathers and reports on news and then sells the stories to other outlets