AP GOV - Unit 2

Super delegate

usually a party leader or activist who is not pledged to a candidate based on the outcome of the states primary or caucus.

Civil disobedience

intentionally breaking a law to call attention to an injustice.

Globalization

- the increasing interconnectedness of people, businesses, and counties throughout the world.

Political participation

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

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.

Free riders

individuals who enjoy collective goods and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining.

Fiscal policy

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

National convention

a meeting where delegates officially select their partys nominee for the presidency.

Iron triangle

the coordinated and mutually beneficial activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared policy goals.

Issue network

- the webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and policy advocates.

Revolving door

the movement of individuals between positions in government and lobbying positions.

Political ideology

- set of beliefs about what should happen as the result of the process of governance.

Protest

- a public demonstration designed to call attention to the need for change.

Recruitment

- the process through which political parties identify potential candidates.

Random digit dialing

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

Poll tax

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

Political culture

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

American core political values

individualism, equality of opportunity, free enterprise system, rule of law, limited government

Individualism

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

Laissez-faire / 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 individuals political values, attitudes, and behaviors

Political ideology

an individuals 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 persons age and stage in life on their political views

Globalization

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

Multinational corporations

companies that make, transport, and market goods and services in 2 or more countries

Nongovernmental organizations

independent groups outside the government that work toward a public cause

Intergovernmental organizations

consists of member states like EU

North American Trade Agreement

1993 increased trade between US, Canada, and Mexico

Trans-Pacific Partnership

regional trade agreement btwn 12 nations along pacific rim

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 group 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 underrepresented 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

margin of error in a poll, which is usually calculated to 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 conducting 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 issues throughout a campaign

Question order

the sequence of questions in public order polls

Question wording

the phrasing of a question in a public opinion poll

Political ideology

set of beliefs about what should happen as the result of the process of governance

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 partys philosophy about the proper role of government and its set of positions on major issues

Party identification

an individuals 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 greater regulation of businesses and of the economy

Libertarianism

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

Command-and-control economy

economic policy in which government dictates much of a nations economic activity, including the amount of production and price 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

the total value of goods and services produced by an economy

Economic recession

a period decline in economic activity, typically defined by 2 consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth

Unemployment rate

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

Inflation

the rise in prices of goods and services

Consumer price index

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

Keynesianism

because prices are somewhat rigid, fluctuations in any component of spending-consumption, investment, or government expenditures-cause output to change

Supply-side theory

an economic concept whereby increasing the supply of goods leads to economic growth

Monetary theory

the government should match the growth of the money supply to the growth in economic productivity

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 action committees

an organization that raises money to elect and defeat candidates and may donate money directly to a candidates campaign, subject to limits

Soft money loophole

money that could be donated to support a candidates campaign but not directly to their campaign

Linkage institutions

channels that connect individuals with gov, 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/suffrage

the right to vote

26th amendment

allows 18 year old and older to vote

24th amendment

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

Poll tax

payment required by a state or federal government before a citizen is allowed 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, race or ethnicity, and gender

Socioeconomic status (SES)

a measure of an individuals wealth, income, occupation, and educational attainment

Political efficacy

a persons belief that they 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

Rational choice voting

voting based on what a citizen believe is in their best interest

retrospective voting

voting based on an assessment of an incumbents 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 the slates of electors chosen in each state, who are pledged to vote for a nominee in the presidential election

Winner-takes-all system

a system of elections in which the candidate who wins the plurality of votes within a state receives all of that states votes in the electoral college

Battleground states

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

Swing state

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

Get out the vote (GOTV)

efforts to mobilize supporters

Political party

an organized group of party leaders and voters who work together to elect candidates to political office

Main roles

(1) recruit, nominate, and support candidates for political office (2) In the electorate, they provide labels that voters can use as shortcuts in identifying candidates closer to their political ideologies (3) In gov, they enact policy positions of its members and acts as an opposition to the majority party when it is in the minority

Party identification

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

Slight-ticket voting

voting for all 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