Unit 4 AP Gov Vocab

Political Culture

the relationship between the government and the citizens is defined by the dominant set beliefs, customs, traditions, and values

Individualism

a belief that individuals should be responsible for themselves and make their own decisions

Laissez-Fair or Free Enterprise

an economic system where the government barely puts themselves in between the transactions among the citizens and businesses.

Rule of Law

the principle that no one, not even the public officials is above the law

Political Socialization

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

Political Ideology

an individuals consisten set of beliefs about politics and the government

Generational Effect

a generations political views impacted by historical events that took place

Life-Cycle Effect

an individuals political view which is impacted by their age or stage in life

Globalization

the rising interconnections among people, businesses and countries throughout the world

Outsourcing

when a company or business moves their location to a place where labor is cheap or production is more effective due to workers working longer.

Public Opinion

the sum of an individuals attitude about the government, policies, and issues

Sampling Error

the margin error in a poll, which tends to be calculated by either adding or subtracting 3 percentage points

Mass Survey

a survey that is made in order to measure the opinions of large populations, tend to be about 1,500 responses

Entrance Survey

a poll made for people who are coming to an event

Exit Poll

a survey that is taken outside of a polling area in order to ask individuals who they voted for and why

Focus Group

a small group of people that are assembled in order to communicate about a specific issue

Scientific Poll

a representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size

Sample

a smaller group of individuals taken from a large population used in order to measure the public opinion

Random Selection

a way of choosing all poll respondents without over- or underrepresented a certain group of the population

Representative Sample

a sample that reflects the demographics of the population

Weighting

a way in which a survey is adjusted according to the demographics of the large population

Benchamark Poll

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

Tracking Poll

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

Random Digit Dialing

using telephone numbers to randomly generate, by computer, in order 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

Political Ideology

the set of beliefs about desired goals and outcomes of a process of governance

Right

something that is guaranteed and the government cannot take it away

Privilege

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

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

it is used to measure the cost of living and is the cost of a fixed basket of goods/services overtime

Fiscal Policy

the government using tax money and spending in order to attempt in lowering unemployment, support economic growth, and stabilize the economy

Medicare

a federal program that provides health insurance to seniors and those with disabilities

Medicaid

a federal program that provides health care for the poor

Inflation

the rise in price for goods and services

Command- and- Control Economy

an economic policy in which government dictate most of the nation's economic policy

Mixed Economy

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

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

the total value of goods and services produced by the economy

Economic Recession

a period of decline in the economic activity which tends to be defined by the 2 consecutive quarters of -GDP growth

Unemployment Rate

a percentage of people who are constantly looking for jobs but cannot find work

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 that are designed to regulate the amount of money in the economy

Party Ideology

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

Party Identification

an individuals attachment to a certain politcal party

Conservatism

an ideology that favors more control of social behavior, fewer regulations, and less government interference in the economy

Liberalism

an ideology that favors less government control over social behavior and more greater regulation of businesses and of the economy

Libertarianism

an ideology that favors the very little government regulation and intervention beyond protecting the private property and individual liberty