Fed Gov Study Guide

Public opinion

citizen’s views on politics and government, provides valuable methods for lawmakers to gauge public preferences

How do we measure public opinion?

Surveys, polls, and interviews - designed to capture views of representative sample of the population

How is public opinion interpreted?

Analyzes data to understand trends/preferences/attitudes of population regarding political and social issues

Political socialization

The process by which individuals acquire their political views from their surroundings (family, media, friends, education)

Representative sample

Group of individuals selected from larger population that match characteristics of the overall population

Population

group to which you are generalizing your poll

Random sample

subset of population selected whereby each observation had an equal chance of being selected

Margin of error

Measure of the uncertainty or potential error in a survey’s result, indicating range where true value is expected to lie

Question wording

The phrasing of survey questions, which can influence responses and results - effective question wording ensures clarity and minimizes bias

Social desirability bias

respondents may answer questions in a manner that they believe will be viewed favorably by others - may lead to inaccurate or misleading results in surveys and polls

Citizen competence

if understanding of public policy is flawed, the level of political input could struggle

Mass media

sources that provide information to average citizens on a day-to-day basis

Participatory democratic theory

free from government control, intermediate between citizens and elites, forum for diverse views (watch dog)

Elite democratic theory

relatively free from government control, provide basic info to citizens for voting, unconcerned with diverse takes

Penny press

19th century practice, sold newspapers for a penny a piece to ensure the public could afford to be educated

Wire service

an organization that gathers, edits, and distributes news to subscribing media outlets

Yellow journalism

late 1800s, emphasizes sensationalization and hyperbole over facts to improve the circulation of news

Muckraking

Form of investigative journalism that exposed corruption and corporate shortcomings, like “The Jungle” exposing the meatpacking industry

Citizen journalism

Non-professionals reporting and gathering news - used to cover local events, promote accountability, and provide alternate perspectives

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

established in 1934, regulates interstate and international communications via radio, television, etc. - ensures public safety and fair competition amongst channels

Fairness Doctrine

1949-1987, requirement for balanced coverage of both sides of political events

Equal Time Provision

Requires non-news television stations to give equal time to political candidates from each party

Nonprofit media corporations

goal is to provide high-quality, noncommercial news and entertainment broadcasting (ex. NPR, PBS)

What norms do journalists follow in coverage?

• Objectivity (balance)

• Neutrality (no personal takes)

• Use of official sources

• Accuracy

Newsworthiness

Emphasis of news stories is placed on the conflict at hand

Hypodermic model

the theory that mass media “injects” messages into the public, overassumes media’s influence

Minimal Effects Model

Media primarily serves to reinforce existing ideas within voters, not change their opinions towards other political ideologies

Agenda-setting

Media only chooses select events to discuss - doesn’t tell you what to think, but does tell you what to think about

Priming

Media associates items with emotions, connecting your political thoughts to certain events or policies

Framing

the shaping of the perception of information based on how it is presented by the media

Subtle effects model

Media does not make radical changes, but slowly changes political ideals through agenda setting and the framing of information

Open primary

Political affiliation has no impact on the party of the candidates you can vote for - only one vote based on which party you choose, but determines the final candidates for a political race

Closed primary

Only allowed to vote for candidates in the party you’re a registered voter in

Winner-takes-all election

Representation in governing party is only rewarded to candidate or party that receives most votes

Proportional allocation election

Usually multiple members of different political representations are allowed to share governing power over a population

Caucus

Local public voting in a group - shifts to a ranked-choice style selection throughout voting process

Federal Election Commission

government agency that enforces and regulates election laws, made of 6 presidential appointees (no more than 3 of same party)

Hard money

money given directly to a political candidate’s campaign - often donated by individuals or PACs

Soft money

money given to a political party for use in “party-building” operations - usually given anonymously

Citizens United vs FEC (2010)

Supreme Court invalidated spending limits on “independent” political spending - “money is speech” - money not given specifically or money given to PACs for donations

Political actions committees (PACs)

pools campaign donations to support or oppose political candidates/legislation/ballot initiatives - the electioneering arm of interest groups

Voting Paradox Equation

Decision to vote = (probability of casting vote * benefits received if preferred candidate wins) - cost associated with voting + support for democracy/civic duty

V=PB-C+D

Prospective evaluation

Voters assess candidates on promises for the future, not past performance

Retrospective evaluation

Voters choose candidates based on the results from the last 4 years under the current political party

Median voter theorem

Policies by leading democratic leaders will likely meet the political wants of the average voter’s desires

National Voter Registration Act of ‘93

AKA “motor voter law”, required states to offer voter registration in state motor vehicle agencies

Political parties

groups organized to nominate candidates and try to win political power through elections by connecting coalition groups, boost political interest, and keep elected officials accountable in their policies

Interest groups

political groups that focus around one single topic, policy, or issue

Difference between political party and interest group?

Political party provides interest aggregation, interest groups provide interest articulation

Duverger’s Law

only one of two main parties likely to win an election

Economic interest group

organized associations that advocate for policies benefiting specific economic interests (ex: labor unions, American Farm Bureau Federation)

Gerrymandering

deliberate manipulation of electoral district boundaries to benefit a certain party

Citizen/public interest group

Seek to influence public policy to promote collective good or societal values (ex: Sierra Club or AARP)

Single-issue interest group

Focus their political persuasion on one specific policy issue (ex: NRA, National Right to Life)

Disturbance Theory

theory that interest groups form due to issues within society

Free riders

individuals who consume the benefits of lobbyist groups without putting in effort to help the interest

Solidary benefits of interest groups

nonmaterial, social, and emotional rewards of membership to an interest group - ex: networking

Purposive benefits of interest groups

Satisfaction or sense of purpose members feel when in an interest group - happiness with furthering of policies and support of civic engagement

Coercion of interest groups

Applying pressure on policy makers through interest groups to further the political success of their interest

Material incentives of interest groups

Tangible rewards for involvement and membership within interest groups - ex: insurance provisions, T-shirts, magazine subscriptions

Inside game

direct, personal contact between lobbyists and government officials

Outside game

mobilizing and influencing the public to pressure government officials

Factors that determine effectiveness of interest groups

• Size (freeloader issue)

• Membership requirements

• Organization/efficacy

• Money (funding = influence)

Lobbying

Campaigning for policy support among political leaders

Electioneering

getting people to vote for political leaders that are sympathetic to their policy causes

Litigating

bringing court cases to the Supreme Court around group interests

Public awareness

Getting the public to care about issues within the interest groups

What do PACs do?

survey candidates, manage endorsements, contact voters, donate to sympathetic campaigns, advertise against opposing candidates

Pluralism

the idea that groups with shared influence can positively change the government

Iron triangle

mutually beneficial, three-way relationship between congressional committees, executive agencies (bureaucracy), and interest groups that dominates policy-making

How does the iron triangle work?

Congressional committees provide funding and support to bureaucratic agencies

Bureaucratic agencies implement policies that favor desires of interest groups

Interest groups provide electoral support by lobbying for congressional committee members