POLS102 Exam 3

Dr. Morris's 3rd exam

Political intermediary

political player NOT part of the group they’re trying to influence; a middle man

Interest group

An organized group seeking to influence public policy

which does not nominate its own candidates to run in elections

economic interest groups

groups that seek to influence policy regarding the monetary issues of their members, ex. 

equal opportunity interest groups

groups that seek to influence the government on behalf of people who feel unrepresented

public interest groups

groups that try to change policy based on values that they believe are good for everyone 

government interest groups

groups hired by governments to lobby other governments

NIMBY groups

stands for “not in my backyard”, typically short-lived, based around specific issues in a specific area

what do interest groups do for/in democracy?

1. Participation

2. Amplifying an individuals voice

3. Education

4. Agenda building (publicizing issues so they’re on Congress’s radar)

5. Provision of program alternatives (suggesting policy solutions)

6. Program monitoring (evaluating policies implemented)

grassroots lobbying

a form of indirect lobbying; interest group asks the public to contact + persuade government officials

Amicus Curiae

latin for “friend of the court”, a brief filed by someone not participating in the case in order to influence the court’s ruling

face-to-face contact

DIRECT LOBBYING: meeting with legislators formally/informally to form bonds and relationships

providing testimony + expertise

DIRECT LOBBYING: happens during congressional subcommittee hearings

giving money

DIRECT LOBBYING: can help to run advertisements/promote candidates

building coalitions

DIRECT LOBBYING: strengthens one group by combining/teaming up with another

“free rider” problem

the social dilemma faced when someone can benefit from a community good without needing to contribute to it

collective goods

benefits that can be enjoyed by all, regardless of if they were members of the group that contributed to getting those benefits

selective incentives

benefits offered to induce people to join groups

material benefits, solidary benefits, expressive benefits

political party

group bound by a common interest(s) that seek to use the political system to attain their goals from inside the system by controlling the government

what is the role of political parties in democracy?

1. Connection

2. Cohesion

3. Voice

4. Symbolism 

5. Heuristic (informational shortcut)

ideology

a system of beliefs about how to improve society; arranged along a left-to-right spectrum

liberalism

ideology that generally prioritizes equality, government intervention, re-distributive programs, and non-maintenance of social norms

conservatism

ideology that generally prioritizes freedom, limited government, free markets, and a maintenance of social norms

polarization

increasing ideological distance between political parties

why do we have the 2-party system?

it arose as a natural consequence of the rules of American government elections (groups of people organized around shared interests to maximize political influence)

V.O. Key and the Party Tripartite

1. Party in the electorate: how voters identify with a party

2. Party in government: the party affiliation of candidates elected to office; organizational (minority/majority leadership)

3. Party as organization: State parties, local parties, RNC/DNC + everything these parties do to help their candidates win elections

the party network model

3 parts of the party PLUS

1. Affiliated interest groups

2. Media outlets

3. Think tanks

4. Political consultants

partisan sorting

the process through which citizens align themselves with a political party; leads to more extreme stances rather than central

critical election

election signalling a significant change in popular allegiance from one party to another

initiative

a policy proposed + voted on by citizens

referendum

a policy proposed by legislators and voted on by citizens

primary election

an election to determine the nominee of a party for an elected office

caucus

a meeting where members of a political party share their preferences for candidates

how many electoral votes does indiana have?

11

how many votes does a candidate need to win?

270

what states DON’T give all their votes to the plurality winner in their state?

Maine + Nebraska

how are electoral votes distributed?

based on the state’s number of members in Congress (including senators)

republican party strengths

• White evangelical protestants

• Latter-Day Saints

• White voters w/o a college degree

• Rural residents

• White men

• Born in 1940s

democratic party strengths

• Women with college degrees

• Urban residents

• Hispanics

• Asians

• Born in 1990s

• African Americans

• Religiously unaffiliated

swing voters

~1/3 of electorate who are undecided at the start of a campaign

swing states

states in which the outcome of the election is not easy to predict

wedge issue

a controversy that one party uses to split the voters in another

house vs senate

House of Representatives:

• 2 year term, no limits

• 25+ years old 

• # per state depends on population

• 20 standing committees

• Limits debates using a rules committee

Senate:

• 6 year term, no limits

• 30+ years old

• 2 members per state

• 16 standing committees

• Doesn’t limit debate, allows filibusters