AP gov Unit 4 Vocab
Political Culture - The dominant set of beliefs/customs/traditions/values that define the relationship between citizens and government.
Individualism - Belief that individuals should be responsible for themselves and for the decisions they make.
Laissez-Faire or Free Enterprise - ap world flashbacks An economic system in which the 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(police, president, etc) is above the law.
Political Socialization - Experiences and factors that shape a person’s political values.
Political Ideology - An individual’s coherent set of beliefs about government and politics
Generational Effect - Impact of historical events experienced by a generation upon their political views
Life Cycle Effect - Impact of a person’s age/stage in life on his/her political views
Globalization - Increasing interconnectedness of people, businesses, and countries in the world.
Outsourcing - When a company moves their business to a place where labor costs are cheaper or production is more efficient.
Public Opinion - Sum of individual attitudes about government, policies, and issues
Focus Group - A small group of individuals who assembled for a conversation about specific issues.
Scientific Poll - Representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size, using neutral language.
Sample - Group of individuals from a larger population used to measure a public opinion.
Random Selection - Method of choosing all poll respondents in a way that does not over or under represent any group of the population.
Representative Sample - Sample that reflects the demographics of the population
Weighting - Procedure in which the survey is adjusted according to the demographics of the larger population.
Sampling Error - The margin of error in a poll, usually calculated to +- 3%.
Mass Survey - Survey designed to measure the opinions of the population, usually consisting of 1,500 responses.
Entrance Survey - Poll conducted of people coming to an event.
Exit Poll - Survey conducted outside a polling place in which the individuals are asked who or what they just voted for and why.
Benchmark Poll - Survey taken at the beginning of a political campaign in order to gauge support for a candidate and determine which issues are important to voters.
Tracking Poll - Survey determining the level of support for a candidate or an issue throughout a campaign.
Random Digit Dialing - Use of telephone numbers randomly generated byu computers 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.
Political Ideology - An individual’s coherent set of beliefs about government and politics
Right - Something guaranteed, that the government cannot take away
Privilege - Something a person can obtain or receive, but that the government can take away.
Party Ideology - 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 - Ideology favoring more control of social behavior, fewer regulations on businesses, and less government interference in the economy(shift back to Laissez Faire)
Liberalism - Ideology favoring less government control over social behavior and more regulation of business/economy.
Libertarianism - Ideology favoring very little government regulation and intervention beyond protecting private property and individual liberty.
Laissez-Faire Economy - An economic system in which the government intrudes as little as possible in the economic transactions among citizens and businesses.
Command-and-Control Economy - Economic policy in which government dictates much of a nation’s economic activity, including the amount of production and price of goods
Mixed Economy - Economic policy in which many economic decisions are left to individuals and businesses, with the government regulating economic activity
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - Total value of goods/services produced by an economy
Economic Recession - Period of decline in economic activity, typically defined by 2 consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth
Unemployment Rate - % of people actively looking for work who cannot find jobs.
Inflation - Rise in good/service prices
Consumer Price Index - Cost of a fixed basket of goods and services over time, used to measure cost of living.
Fiscal Policy - Government use of taxes and spending to attempt to lower unemployment, support economic growth, and stabilize the economy
Federal Reserve System - Board of governors, Federal Reserve Banks, and member banks responsible for monetary policy
Monetary Policy - Set of economic policy tools designed to regulate the amount of money in the economy
Medicare - Federal program that provides health insurance to seniors and the disabled.
Medicaid - Federal program that provides healthcare for the poor.