Unit 4 APGOV

Let’s talk key terms:




Socialization

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

  • Factors that shape a person’s political ideology, or their beliefs about government and politics

  • Socialized in family, school, peers, group membership

Individualism

  • Individuals should be responsible for themselves and the decisions they make

Laissez-faire/ Capitalism

  • an economic system in which the government intrudes as little as possible in the transactions among citizens and businesses.

Rule of law

  • No one, including public officials, is above the law

Political socialization

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


Political ideology

  • A set of comprehensive and mutually consistent ideas

  • refers to a set of beliefs, values, and ideas that shape an individual's views on government, politics, and society. People with similar ideologies tend to support similar policy positions, such as conservatism, liberalism, or libertarianism.

  • Valence Issue

    • viewed across ideologies

  • Wedge Issues

    • dividing issues

  • Saliency Issues 

    • important for a specific group

Generational effect

  • events that occur during a person’s lifetime shape opinions on an individual and national level

Life-cycle effect

  • viewpoints are shaped by the stage of life that you are in when you experience them

Globalization

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

  • Blurs line between domestic and international politics 

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.

Focus group

Scientific poll

Sample

Random selection

Representative sample

Weighting

Sampling error

Entrance survey

  • Survey when you enter a polling station


Exit poll

  • Survey when you exit a polling station

Benchmark poll

  • initial polling for a candidate, usually before they even announce they are running for office

  • Before election season

  • Gauge if candidate will have enough support

Tracking poll

  • series of surveys that are given over time

  • Ex: president approval ratings

Question order & wording

  • Wording used in push polls to sway people into choosing a certain answer or to plant an idea

Push poll

  • attempt to push or sway voters with loaded questions

  • Use wording to plant ideas in people’s heads

Party ideology

  • an individual’s coherent set of beliefs about government and politics.

Party identification

  • A coalition of voters you ally with to win office

Conservatism

  • More defense spending

  • Status quo

  • Law and order

  • Traditional values over individual freedom

  • Less fed regulation in education - state issue

  • Less focus on establishment clause in public schools

  • More govt in social issues

Liberalism

  • Less defense spending

  • Focus on rights of the accused

  • Govt shouldn’t regulate private matters

  • Active role in education - oppose vouchers cuz ppl can use their per person spending to pay toward private school, taking away money from public schools

  • Total separation of church and state

  • More freedom on social issues

Libertarianism

  • Large reduction in defense spending

  • Decriminalization of victimless crimes (drug possession)

  • Max social liberty

  • No govt regulation in private matters

  • Privatized education 

Inflation
Consumer price index

Fiscal policy

Federal Reserve System

Monetary policy

Medicare v. Medicaid
** You should know all the amendments related to voting

  • 14th amendment 

  • 19th amendment 






Let’s Talk Big Questions for Unit 4:


  1. Describe the five core political values of American political culture.

  • Political culture: the shared set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that define the relationship between citizens and government.

  1. Individualism

  • Individuals should be responsible for themselves and the decisions they make

  1. Equality of Opportunity

  • “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. . . .”

  • Political equality

  • Social status based on effort 

  • Affirmative action

  1. Free Enterprise/ Capitalism

  • Laissez-faire 

  • Little govt involvement

  • Mixed econ today

  • Low taxes

  1. Rule of Law

  • No one, including public officials, is above the law

    • Checks and balances prevent officials from going above the law

  • Judicial independence

  1. Limited Government

  • Natural rights and social contract

  • Civil liberties

  • checks and balances

  • government’s legitimacy is based on public support (popular sovereignty 

  • Independent judiciary and due process


  1. Describe how political socialization shapes a person’s political ideology.

  • Family, school, peers, group association 

  • Life-cycle and generational effects 

  1. Explain how American political culture has been exported through globalization. 

  • US is a superpower - our politics are relevant to the rest of the world since they have larger implications for other countries

  1. Explain how American political culture has been influenced by globalization.

  • International events, conflicts, international trade