American Government Exam 4

Terms involved with the matching section of Exam 4

Pluralism

Theory that emphasizes interest groups

Interest Groups

Organizations that advocate for specific causes or interests, influencing public policy through lobbying, campaign contributions, and grassroots mobilization.

Rational Choice

Theory that emphasizes re-election comes before all else

Conflict Theory

Theory that emphasizes how political parties choose “winning issues” to entice middle ground voters for choosing them in an election.

Political Ideology

A set of beliefs and values that shape a person's political views and preferences. It guides their stance on issues like government, economy, and social issues. Examples include liberalism, conservatism, socialism, and libertarianism.

Political Culture

The shared beliefs, values, and attitudes that shape a society's political behavior and institutions. It influences citizens' perception of government, their level of political participation, and their expectations of democracy. It can vary across different countries and impact the functioning of political systems.

Founders’ View on Democracy

Belief that democracy should be limited to educated, property-owning citizens. Argued that only those with knowledge and stability could make informed decisions for society.

Republic/Representative Democracy

A form of government where citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.

Direct Democracy

A form of government where citizens have the power to make decisions and participate directly in the legislative process, without the need for elected representatives or intermediaries.

Federalism

System of government where power is divided between a central authority and regional governments. Allows for shared and separate powers, promoting balance and cooperation.

Unitary Government

A form of government where power is centralized in a single governing body, with little to no power given to local or regional authorities.

Federal Government

A system of government where power is divided between a central authority and individual states, with the central authority having the final say on certain matters.

Locke’s State of Nature

The hypothetical condition where individuals live in a society without government or laws, where everyone has equal rights and freedom. It is characterized by the absence of a central authority and the potential for conflict and insecurity.

Locke’s Perfect Freedom

The state where individuals have the freedom to do as they please within the bounds of natural law, without being subject to the arbitrary will of others.

Popular Consent

The principle that the legitimacy of a government is derived from the approval and support of the people it governs.

Political Parties

Organizations that seek to gain and exercise political power by nominating candidates for public office, mobilizing voters, and shaping public policy. They represent different ideologies and interests, and play a crucial role in democratic systems by providing choices for voters and promoting political competition.

Plurality

A term referring to the highest number of votes obtained by a candidate or option in an election, even if it falls short of an absolute majority.

Virginia Plan

Proposed by James Madison, the _________ was a blueprint for the structure of the United States government. It called for a bicameral legislature, with representation based on population, and a strong central government with the power to tax and regulate commerce.

New Jersey Plan

Plan proposed at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Favored by small states. Called for equal representation in Congress, regardless of state size.

Connecticut Compromise

A compromise reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that established a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate and proportional representation in the House of Representatives. It balanced the interests of both large and small states, ensuring fair representation and strengthening the federal government's power.

Bicameralism

A system of government with two legislative chambers or houses, such as the Senate and the House of Representatives in the United States. This division of power helps balance interests and prevents the concentration of power in one body.

Separation of Powers

Division of government into three branches - legislative, executive, and judicial - to prevent concentration of power. Each branch has distinct responsibilities and checks and balances on the others to ensure a system of limited government and protect individual rights. Promotes accountability and prevents abuse of power.

Checks and Balances

A system in which the different parts of an organization (such as a government) have powers that affect and control the other parts so that no part can become too powerful.

Fragmented Powers

____________ is the fragmentation of the political landscape into different parties and groups, which makes it difficult to deliver effective governance. __________ can apply to political parties, political groups or other political organizations.

Confederal Government

A type of government made up of a league of independent nations or states. Each state is independent and has its own authority and autonomy, but they come together for some sort of shared government.

Natural Rights

Rights that are not dependent on the laws or customs of any particular culture or government, and so are universal, fundamental and inalienable (they cannot be repealed by human laws, though one can forfeit their enjoyment through one's actions, such as by violating someone else's rights).

Locke’s Equality

Every human being regardless of rational capacity, each possessing rights to life, liberty, and property. The second is “law-abiding equality,” which includes the subset of people who adequately recognize the dictates of natural law.

Independent Expenditures

Spending by political action committees, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them.

Issue Network

an alliance of various interest groups and individuals who unite in order to promote a common cause or agenda in a way that influences government policy

Negative Advertising

campaign advertising that serves as an attack on an opponent's personality, record, or opinion

Soft Money

contributions made outside the limits and prohibitions of federal law. This means that it is direct corporate and union contributions and large individual and PAC contributions.

Hard Money

Political contributions given to a party, candidate, or interest group that are limited in amount and fully disclosed.

Open Primary

a primary election in which any registered voter can vote in any party's primary. In a closed primary, only voters registered for the party which is holding the primary may vote.

Closed Primary

primary election in which only voters registered for the party which is holding the primary may vote.

Political Socialization

the process in which people develop their political values, beliefs, attitudes and ideology

Polarization

cases in which an individual's stance on a given issue, policy, or person is more likely to be strictly defined by their identification with a particular political party

Party Identification

refers to the political party with which an individual identifies.

Safe Seat

An elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other, so the success of that party's candidate is almost taken for granted

Selective perception

the phenomenon where we tend to only notice, accept, or remember information aligned with our political views

Factions

A term the founders used to refer to political parties and special interests or interest groups

Lobbyist

A person who is employed by and acts for an organized interest group or corporation to try to influence policy decisions and positions in the executive and legislative branches

Political Action Committee

A tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation

Issue Advocacy

promoting a particular position or an issue, paid for by interest groups or individuals but not by candidates

Direct Primary

The selection of party candidates through ballots of qualified voters rather than party nomination conventions

Winner-take-all System

An Electoral system in which the party that receives at least one more vote than any other party wins the election.

Selective Exposure

The process by which individuals screen out messages that do not conform to their own biases

Primary Elections

Election in which voters decide which of the candidates within a party will represent the party in the general election.

General Elections

Election in which voters decide which candidates will actually fill elective public offices

Single-member District

An electoral district in which voters choose one representative or official.

Agenda Setting

The power of the media through news coverage to focus the public's attention and concern on particular events, problems, issues, personalities, and so on.

Issue Framing

The way that the media, politicians, or interest group leaders define an issue when presenting it to others

Executive Branch

the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state.

Bureaucracy

a body of non-elected governing officials or an administrative policy-making group.

Legislative branch

an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.

“The power of the purse”

the ability of one group to control the actions of another group by withholding funding, or putting stipulations on the use of funds.

Redistricting/Gerrymandering

the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries with the intent to create undue advantage for a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency.

Stare Decisis

a principle or rule established in a previous legal case relevant to a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems often view precedent as binding or persuasive, while civil law systems do not.

Fiscal Policy

the use of government revenue collection and expenditure to influence a country's economy.

Monetary Policy

the policy adopted by the monetary authority of a nation to affect monetary and other financial conditions to accomplish broader objectives like high employment and price stability.

National Debt

the total amount of money that a country's government has borrowed, by various means.

Social Policy

a plan or action of government or institutional agencies which aim to improve or reform society.

Unitary Executive

a normative theory of United States constitutional law which holds that the President of the United States possesses the power to control the entire federal executive branch.

Judicial Branch

the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law in legal cases.

Judicial Review

review by the US Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act.

Economic Policy

The economy of governments covers the systems for setting levels of taxation, government budgets, the money supply and interest rates as well as the labour market, national ownership, and many other areas of government interventions into the economy.

Income and Outlays

any costs incurred to acquire an asset or execute a strategy, but can also be costs paid to vendors for goods or services.

Federal Budget Deficit

the difference between government revenues and spending.

Social Welfare Programs

Laws that enact programs to address the needs of citizens (such as the poor and elderly) entitlement programs. financial benefits provided to citizens by the government.

Foreign Policy

Policy that involves decisions in relations with the rest of the world. United Nations: Created in 1945 and currently including 192 member nations, with a central peacekeeping mission and programs in areas including economic development and health, education, and welfare.