AP Gov Unit 1 Vocab Quiz & Test

political culture

political culture

the shared set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that define the relationship between citizens and government

individualism

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

equality of opportunity

equal rights of people to pursue life, liberty, and happiness

laissez-faire or 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

limited government

consent of the governed; unalienable rights & Bill of Rights; social contract; checks and balances; federalism

need-based assistance

social welfare programs whose benefits are allocated to individuals demonstrating specific needs

political socialization

the experiences and factors that shape our political values, attitudes, and behaviors

political ideology

an individual's 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 person's age and stage in life on his or her political views

globalization

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

multinational corporations (MNCs)

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

non governmental organizations (NGOs)

independent groups outside of government that work toward a public cause (mainly environmental, health, or natural disaster aid related)

intergovernmental organizations (IGOs)

member states join because benefits from membership outweigh loss of sovereignty over decision making (EU, WTO, UN, WHO, NATO, TPP)

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

nonresponse bias

bias introduced to a sample when a large fraction of those sampled fails to respond

"Shy Trumper" effect

voting for Trump is socially undesirable

likely voter error

when a pollster model doesn't accurately capture
those likeliest to vote.

opinion saliency

even if someone is informed, they may not care about certain issues

opinion stability

public's opinion changes quickly due to current events and media

opinion-policy congruence

the level of correspondence between government action and majority sentiment on an issue

valence issue

an issue about which the public is united and rival candidates or political parties adopt similar positions in hopes that each will be thought to best represent those widely shared beliefs

wedge/position issue

a divisive political issue, especially one that is raised by a candidate for public office in hopes of attracting or alienating an opponent's supporters.

class-consciousness

shared belief that working hard means opportunity for success

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 size

the number of individuals in a sample

random selection

a method of choosing all poll respondents in a way that does not over- or underrepresent 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

the margin of error in a poll, which usually is calculated to plus or minus three percentage points

mass survey

a survey designed to measure the opinions of the population, usually consisting of more than 1,500 responses

entrance survey

a poll conducted of people coming to an event

exit poll

a survey conducted 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 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 issue throughout a campaign

random digit dialing

the use of telephone numbers randomly generated by a computer 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

right

something fundamental to which all have access

privilege

something subject to political process

party ideology

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

party identification

an individual's attachment to a political party

conservatism

an ideology favoring more regulation of social behavior 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 nation's 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 federal government regulating economic activity

gross domestic product (GDP)

the total value of goods and services produced by an economy

economic recession

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

unemployment rate

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

inflation

the rise in the prices of goods and services

consumer price index (CPI)

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

Keynesianism

government should inject money into the economy to counteract a contraction

supply-side theory

lower taxes on people and businesses is most effective tool to combat contractions

fiscal policy

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

monetary policy

a set of economic policy tools designed to regulate the amount of money in the economy

RR (reserve requirement)

the amount of funds that a bank holds in reserve to ensure that it is able to meet liabilities in case of sudden withdrawals

DR (discount rate)

the rate of interest which a central bank charges on its loans and advances to a commercial bank

OMOs (open market operations)

the purchase and sale of securities in the open market by a central bank

Federal Reserve System

a board of governors, Federal Reserve Banks, and member banks responsible for monetary policy

Medicare

a federal program that provides health insurance to seniors and the disabled

Medicaid

a federal program that provides health care for the poor

reliability

consistency

veracity

conformity to facts; accuracy