DE Gov MCQ Vocab

concurrent powers

powers shared by the national and state governments

checks and balances

authority shared by three branches of government

faction

a group with a distinct political interest

federalists

those who favor a stronger national government

anti-federalists

those who favor a weaker national government

coalition

an alliance of groups

habeas corpus

an order to produce an arrested person before a judge

bill of attainder

a law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a crime

issue

a conflict, real or apparent, between the interests, ideas, or beliefs of different citizens

politics

the activity by which an issue is agitated or settled

power

the ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person’s intentions

authority

the right to use power

democracy

the rule of many

direct/participatory democracy

a government in which all or most citizens participate directly

representative democracy

a government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote

elite

persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource, such as money, prestige, or expertise

class view

view that the government is dominated by capitalists

power elite view

view that the government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside of government

bureaucratic view

view that the government is dominated by appointed officials

pluralist view

view that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy

creedal passion view

view that morally impassioned elites drive important political changes

political agenda

issues that people believe require governmental action

cost

a burden that people believe they must bear if a policy is adopted

benefit

a satisfaction that people believe they will enjoy if a policy is adopted

majoritarian politics

a policy in which almost everybody benefits and almost everybody pays

interest group politics

a policy in which one small group benefits and another small group pays

client politics

a policy in which one small group benefits and almost everybody pays

pork-barrel legislation

legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return

log-rolling

a legislator supports a proposal favored by another in return for supports of his or hers

entrepreneurial politics

a policy in which almost everybody benefits and a small group pays

policy entrepreneurs

activists in or out of government who pull together a political majority on behalf of unorganized interests

Articles of Confederation

a weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War

Constitutional Convention

a meeting in Philidelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution

Shay’s Rebellion

a 1787 in which ex-Revelotionary War soldiers attmepted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes

Virginia Plan

proposal to create a strong national government

New Jersey Plan

proposal to create a weak national government

Great Compromise

plan to have a popularly elected House based on state population and a state-selected Senate, with two members for each state

republic

a government in which elected representatives make the decisions

judicial review

the power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional

federalism

government authority shared by national and local governments

enumerated powers

powers given to the national government alone

ex post facto law

a law that makes an act criminal although the act was legal when it was committed

Bill of Rights

first ten amendments to the Constitution

line-item veto

an executive’s ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature

nullification

the doctrine that a state can declare null and void a federal law that, in the state’s opinion, violates the Constitution

dual federalism

doctrine holding that the national government is supreme in its sphere, the states are supreme in theirs, and the two spheres should be kept seperate

cooperative federalism

idea that the federal and state governments share power in many policy areas

laboratories of democracy

idea that different states can implement different policies, and the successful ones will spread

initiative

process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot

referendum

procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by the legislature

recall

procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office

categorical grants

federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport

conditions of aid

terms set by the national government that states must meet if they are to receive certain federal funds

mandates

terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants

waiver

a decision by an administrative agency granting some other part permission to violate a law or rule that would otherwise apply to it

public opinion

how people think or feel about particular things

media

sources of news and information that have the potential to influence public opinion

poll

a survey of public opinion

random sample

method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected

sampling error

the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time

exit polls

polls based on interviews conducted on election day with randomly selected voters

questionable wording

the way in which survey questions are phrased, which influences how respondants answer them

political socialization

process by which background traits influence one’s political views

impressionable years hypothesis

argument that political experiences during the late teens and early 20s powerfully shape attitudes for the rest of the life cycle

gender gap

difference in political views between men and women

partisanship

an individual’s identification with a party; whether they consider themselves a Democrat, Republican, or Independent

party sorting

the alignment of partisanship and issue positions so that Democrats tend to take more liberal positions and Republicans tend to take more conservative ones

political ideology

a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue

sound bite

a radio or video clip of someone speaking

blog

a series, or log, of discussion items on a page of the World Wide Web

agenda-setting/gatekeeping

the ability of the news media, by printing stories about some topics and not others, to shape the public agenda

priming

the ability of the news media to influence the factors individuals use to evaluate political elites

framing

the way in which the news media, by focusing on some aspects of an issue, shapes how people view that issue

watchdog

the press’s role as an overseer of government officials to ensure that act in the public interest

game frame

the tendency of media to focus on political polls and strategy rather than on the issues

politcal party

a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office

primary elections

an election held to determine the nominee from a particular party

mugwumps/progressives

Republican party faction of the 1890s to the 1910s, composed of reformers who opposed patronage

realignment periods

a period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coaltion supporting one or both parties

closed primary

a primary election where only registered party members may vote for the party’s nominee

open primary

a primary election where all voters (regardless of party membership) may vote for the party’s nominee

super-delegates

party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

invisible primary

process by which candidates try to attract the support of key party leaders before the election begins

national convention

a meeting of party delegates held every four years

national committee

delegates who run party affairs between national conventions

congressional campaign committee

a party committee in Congress that provides funds to members and would-be members

national chair

day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee

politcal machines

a party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage

two-party system

an electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections

plurality system

an electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not receive majority; used in almost all American elections

interest group

an organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence public policy

social movement

a widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the social or political order

public good

something of value that all individuals share, whether or not they contribute to it

free rider problem

the tendency of individuals to avoid contributing to public goods

material incentives

money or things valued in monetary terms

solidary incentives

the social rewards that lead people to join political organizations

purposive incentive

a benefit that comes from serving a cause or principle

political cue

a signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how that issue fits into his or her own political views or party agenda

ratings

assessment of a representative’s voting record on issues important to an interest group

grassroots lobbying

using the general public (rather than lobbyists) to contact government officials about a public policy