AP GOV VOCAB

Constitutional Democracy

A system of government based on popular sovereignty in which the structures, powers, and limits of government are set forth in a constitution

Popular Consent

Where people give permission to be ruled so as to receive protection

Majoritian Democracy

Democracy based on a majority view of the citizens

Plurality

The excess of votes received by the leading candidate

Supermajority

A requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple majority

Necessary and Proper

An enlargement of the powers granted Congress; also known as the Elastic Clause

Separation of Powers

The principle or system of vesting in separate branches the executive, legislative, and judicial powers of a government

Checks and Balances

Limits imposed on all branches of a government by vesting in each branch the right to amend or void those acts of another that fall within its purview

Bicameralism

The practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers compromise bills

Federalism

A constitutional system that divides and shares the powers and authorities between a national government and subunits (states)

Unitary System

A way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government

Confederation

The national government is weak and most or all of the power is in the hands of the individual components

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress, and by implication, the executive, are in accord with the Constitution

Government

The institutions and processes through which public policies are made for society

Democracy

A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences

Public Policy

A choice that government makes in response to a political issue

Political System

A set of institutions and activities that link together people, politics and policy

Policy Agenda

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time

Policymaking system

The process by which political problems are communicated by the voters and added upon by government policymakers

Pluralism

A theory of government and policies emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups all pressing for preferred policies

Politics

The process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies are pursued

Political Issue

An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and a public policy choice

Bureaucratic Theory

A theory that believes policy is dominated by the federal bureaucracy

Hyperpluralism

A theory of government contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened

Elite Theory

A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided among class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule

Representative Democracy (Republic)

Variety of democracy based on representatives rather than direct democracy

Enumerated Powers

Powers of the federal government that are specifically addressed by the Constitution

Delegated Powers

Powers of Congress expressed in Article 1, Section 8

Inherent Powers

Powers that a sovereign entity can assume to have as a necessity to the working ability of the governme

nt or office

Concurrent Powers

Powers in nations with a federal system of government that are shared by both the states and the federal government

Reserved Powers

Powers given to the states and not the federal government by the United States Constitution

Block Grants

Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs

Categorical Grants

Federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes or categories of state and local spending

Project Grants

Federal grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications

Revenue Sharing

A government unit's apportioning of part of its tax income to other units of government

Restrictions

A regulation or limitation

Mandates

A command or an authorization given by a political electorate

Preemption

A doctrine based on the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution that holds that certain matters are of such a national, as opposed to local, character that federal laws preempt or take precedence over state laws

Dual Federalism

A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres

Marble Cake Federalism (Cooperative Federalism)

A concept of federalism in which national, state, and local governments interact cooperatively and collectively to solve common problems, rather than making policies separately

Permissive Federalism

A form of federalism that states that the national government is supreme and the states only have those powers which the national government permits them to exercise

Centralized Federalism

A type of federalism that arose after the Civil War; this is more centralized in the central government

Regulatory Federalism

A form of federalism focusing on extensive federal regulations mandating functions for states and localities to perform

New Federalism

A political philosophy of devolution, or the transfer of certain powers from the United States federal government back to the states

Fiscal Federalism

A form of federalism depending on how competencies (expenditure side) and fiscal instruments (revenue side) are allocated across different (vertical) layers of the administration

Carrot and Stick

A policy offering a combination of rewards and punishment to induce behavior

Devolution

The statutory granting of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to government at a subnational level, such as a regional, local, or state level.

Centralists

Concentration of power and authority in a central organization, as in a political system

Decentralists

The distribution of the administrative functions or powers of (a central authority) among several local authorities

Privatization

The process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency, public service or public property from the public sector (a government) to the private sector

Decentralization

The process of dispersing decision-making governance closer to the people and/or citizens

Implied Powers

Powers of the federal government not specifically listed in the Constitution

Political Culture

An overall set of values widely shared within a society.

Political Equality

Granting equal citizenship to all members of the state,and also, to ensure conditions that allow the citizens to participate in the affairs of the state

Equality of Opportunity

An equal chance for all persons in such areas as education, employment, and political participation.

Capitalism

An economic system in which individuals and corporations, not the government, own the principal means of production and seek profits. Pure capitalism means the strict noninterference of the government in business affairs

Democratic Consensus

The application of consensus decision-making to the process of legislation in a democracy. It is characterized by a decision-making structure which involves and takes into account as broad a range of opinions as possible.

Social Mobility

The movement of individuals or groups in social position over time

Class Consciousness

A term used in social sciences and political theory to refer to the beliefs that a person holds regarding one's social class or economic rank in society, the structure of their class, and their class interests.

Political Efficacy

Citizens' trust and faith in government and their own belief that they can understand and influence political affairs, commonly measured by surveys and used as an indicator of the broader health of civil society

Political Socialization

According to Richard Dawson,"the process through which an individual acquires his/her particular political orientation-his/her knowledge, feelings, and evaluations regarding his/her political world."

Condensation Symbol

A name, word, phrase, or maxim which stirs vivid impressions involving the listener's most basic values

Demographics

The statistical data of a population, especially those showing average age, income, education, etc.

Ideology

A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose. It helps give meaning to political events, personalities, and policies.

Liberalism

A political ideology whose advocates prefer a government active in dealing with human needs, support individual rights and liberties, and give higher priority to social needs than military needs.

Conservatism

A political or theological orientation advocating the preservation of the best in society and opposing radical changes.

Moderate

Many are dillusioned with big government programs, general belief that politics has become too partisan and too shrill, look to leadership by individuals and common sense policies, and have grown weary of the bickering and like solution-oriented policies.

Neoconservative

Aggressive foreign policy, democracy is the end of the evolution of governments, strongly anti-communism, anti-totalitarian, can install a democracy after a conflict to end a dictatorship, and belief in moral clarity and moral certainty. Believe we can accelerate the inevitable end.

Centrism

A political philosophy of avoiding the extremes of left and right by taking a moderate position or course of action

Libertarian

The group of political philosophies that advocates minimizing coercion and emphasizes freedom, liberty, and voluntary association. Libertarians generally advocate a society with a small government compared to most present day societies.

Public Opinion

The distribution of the population's beliefs about politics and policy issues.

Population/ Universe

A particular section, group, or type of people or animals living in an area or country.

Distribution

The action of sharing something out among a number of recipients

Consensus

Agreement. Reflected by an opinion distribution in which a large majority see eye-to-eye

Intensity

How strongly an individual feels about something. A psychological advantage that can be enjoyed by small/large groups.

Latency

A measure of time delay experienced in a system, the precise definition of which depends on the system and the time being measured.

Salience

The state or condition of being prominent.

Wedge Issue

A social issue, often of a divisive or controversial nature, which splits apart a population or political group.

Random Digit Dialing

A technique used by pollsters to place telephone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey.

Sampling Error

The level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. The more people interviewed, the more confidence one can be of the results.

Gender Gap

A term that refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates. Women tend to be significantly less conservative than men and more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.

Cross Pressures

Demographic characteristics of an individual that create conflicting pressures on the individuals political beliefs and behaviors.

Halo Effect

The tendency to like (or dislike) everything about a person-including things you have not observed-is known as the halo effect The halo effect is a good name for a common bias that plays a large role in shaping our view of people and situations.

Hot Button Issue

A social, economic, theological, spiritual, scientific or legal issue which has become a political issue, as a result of deliberate action or otherwise, whereby people become politically active over that issue.

Attentive Public

Small groups of people who follow one or more particular issue very closely.

Mass Media

Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and other means of popular communication.

Broadcasting

Television and radio, covering all topics.

Narrowcasting

As opposed to traditional "broadcasting", the appeal to a narrow, particular audience by channels such as ESPN, MTV, and C-SPAN.

Selective Exposure

A concept in media and communication research that refers to individuals' tendency to favor information that reinforces pre-existing views while avoiding contradictory information.

Selective Perception

The phenomenon that people often pay the most attention to things they already agree with and interpret them according to their own predispositions.

Selective Retention

The process when people more accurately remember messages that are closer to their interests, values and beliefs, than those that are in contrast with their values and beliefs, selecting what to keep in the memory, narrowing the informational flow

News Making/ Newsmakers

One whose actions make the headlines of news reports; one who effects the course of public discourse.

Image Making

Making an effort to have a good public reputation.

Issue Framing

Presenting an issue in a way that will likely get the most agreement from others

Agenda Setting

Policy goals typically set by political parties.

Gatekeeper

Process through which information is filtered for dissemination, whether for publication, broadcasting, the Internet, or some other mode of communication.

Scorekeeper

The role the press plays by keeping track of and helping make political reputations, note who is being mentioned as a presidential candidate, and help decide who is winning and losing in Washington politics.

Watchdog

The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.

Adversarial Press

A person or group of persons that acts as a protector or guardian against inefficiency, illegal practices