Political Parties and Interest Groups

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to political parties and interest groups.

Political Parties

Coalitions of people who form a united front to win control of government and implement policy.

Partisanship

Identification with or support of a particular party or cause.

Interest Groups

Organized groups that use advocacy to influence public policy without seeking to control government.

Duverger’s Law

The principle that plurality voting systems tend to favor a two-party system.

New Deal Coalition

A coalition of various groups that formed during the New Deal, making the Democratic Party a majority party for nearly 60 years.

Affective Polarization

The emotional disliking of members of the opposing political party.

Collective Goods

Benefits that are available to all individuals, regardless of whether they contributed to acquiring them.

Ranked Choice Voting (RCV)

A voting system where voters rank candidates in order of preference, helping to reduce the impacts of minor party candidacies.

Iron Triangle

A stable, cooperative relationship that develops among a congressional committee, an administrative agency, and supportive interest groups.

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Private groups that raise and distribute funds for election campaigns, often associated with interest groups.

Minor Parties

Political parties that are not one of the two major parties, often representing specific interests.

Pluralism

The theory that multiple interests compete for influence in government, leading to compromise.