Gov. Semester Exam
About this set
Created by:
jeffxtreme on January 2, 2011
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.
Order by
77 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 communism | a political system in which, in theory, ownership of all land and productive facilities is in the hands of the people and all goods are equally shared. the production and distribution of goods are controlled by an authoritarian government |
| public goods | benefits and services, such as parks and sanitation that benefit all citizens but are not likely to be produced voluntarily by individuals |
| freedom of | an absence of constraints on behavior, as in freedom of speech or freedom of religion |
| political equality | equality in political decision making; one vote per person, with all votes counted equally |
| social equality | equality in wealth, education and social status |
| equality of opportunity | the idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to succeed in life |
| laissez fair | an economic doctrine that opposes any form of government intervention in business |
| participatory democracy | a system of government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf |
| substantive democratic theory | the view that democracy is embodied in the substance of government policies rather than in the policymaking procedure |
| minority rights | the benefits of government that cannot be denied to any citizens by majority decisions |
| majoritarian model of democracy | the classical theory of democracy in which government by the people is interpreted as government by the majority of the people |
| democratization | a process of transition as a country attempts to move from an authoritarian form of government to a democratic one |
| necessary and proper clause | the last clause in section 8 of article 1 of the constitution, which gives congress the means to execute its enumerated powers - this clause is the basis for congress's implied powers and is also referred to as the elastic clause. |
| implied powers | those powers that congress needs to execute its enumerated powers |
| great compromise | submitted by the connecticut delegation to the constitutional convention of 1787, and thus also known as the connecticut compromise, a plan calling for a bicameral legislature in which the house of representatives would be apportioned according to population and the states would be represented equally in the senate. |
| electoral college | a body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and vice president |
| extraordinary majority | a majority greater than the minimum of 50 percent plus one |
| republicanism | a form of government in which power resides in the people and is exercised by their elected representatives |
| republic | a government without a monarch; a government rooted in the consent of the government whose power is exercised by elected representatives responsible to the governed |
| elastic clause | article 1 section 8 (last section) which gives congress the means to execute its enumerated powers. this clause is the basis for congress's implied powers and is also referred to as the necessary and proper clause. |
| commerce clause | the third clause of article 1, section 8, of the constitution, which gives congress the power to regulate commerce among the states |
| formula grants | categorical grants distributed according to a particular set of rules, called a formula, that specify who is eligible for the grants and how much each eligible applicant will receive |
| project grants | categorical grants awarded on the basis of competitive applications submitted by prospective recipients to perform a specific task or function |
| block grants | grants-in-aid awarded for general purposes, allowing the recipient great discretion in spending the grant money |
| redistricting | the process of redrawing political boundaries to reflect changes in the population |
| political socialization | the complex process by which people acquire their political values |
| socioeconomic status | position in society, based on a combination of education, occupational status and income |
| self-interest principle | the implication that people choose what benefits them personally |
| opinion schema | a network of organized knowledge and beliefs that guides a person's processing of information regarding a particular subject |
| issue framing | the way that politicians or interest group leaders define an issue when presenting it to others |
| bimodal distribution | a distribution (of opinions) that shows two responses being chosen about as frequently as each other |
| public opinion | the collected attitudes of citizens concerning a given issue or question |
| federal communications commission | an independent federal agency that regulates interstate and international communication by radio, television, telephone, telegraph, cable and satellite |
| gatekeepers | media executives, news editors, and prominent reporters who direct the flow of news |
| infotainment | a mix of information and diversion oriented to personalities or celebrities, not linked to the day's events, and usually unrelated to public affairs or policy; often called "soft news" |
| media event | a situation that is so "newsworthy" that the mass media are compelled to cover it. candidates in elections often create such situations to garner media attention. |
| television hypothesis | the belief that television is to blame for the low level of citizens' knowledge about public affairs |
| political agenda | a list of issues that need government attention |
| attentive policy elites | leaders who follow news in specific policy areas |
| newsworthiness | the degree to which a news story is important enough to be covered in the mass media |
| influencing behavior | behavior that seeks to modify or reverse government policy to serve political interests |
| class action suit | a legal action brought by a person or group on behalf of a number of people in similar circumstances |
| progressivism | a philosophy of political reform based on the goodness and wisdom of the individual citizen as opposed to special interests and political institutions |
| direct primary | a preliminary election, run by the state government, in which the voters choose each party's candidates for the general election |
| recall | the process of removing an elected official from office |
| standard socioeconomic model | a relationship between socioeconomic status and convention political involvement. people with higher status and more education are more likely to participate than those with lower status. |
| national convention | a gathering of delegates of a single political party from across the country to choose candidates for president and vice president and to adopt a party platform |
| party platform | the statement of policies of a national political party |
| critical election | an election that produces a sharp change in the existing pattern of party loyalties among groups of voters |
| caucus/convention | a method used to select delegates to attend a party's national convention. generally, a local meeting selects delegates for a country-level meeting, which in turn selects delegates for a higher level meeting; the process culminates in a state convention that actually selects the national convention delegates |
| electoral dealignment | a lessening of the importance of party loyalties in voting decisions |
| majority representation | the system by which one office, contested by two or more candidates, is won by the single candidate who collects the most votes |
| proportional representation | the system by which legislative seats are awarded to a party in proportion to the vote that party wins in election |
| modified open primary | a primary election that entitles independent voters to vote in a party's primary |
| presdiential primary | a special primary election used to select delegates to attend the party's national convention, which in turn nominates the presidential candidate |
| straight ticket | in voting, a single party's candidates for all offices |
| split ticket | in voting, candidates from different parties for different offices |
| first-past-the-post elections | a british term for elections conducted in single member districts that award victory to the candidate with the most votes |
| hard money | financial contributions given directly to a candidate running for congressional office or the presidency |
| soft money | funds that are not raised and spent for a specific federal election campaign |
| free-rider problem | the situation in which people benefit from the activities of an organization (such as an interest group) but do not contribute to those activities |
| trade association | an organization that represents firms within a particular industry |
| political action committee | an organization that pools campaign contributions from group members and donates those funds to candidates for political office |
| information campaign | an organized effort to gain public backing by bringing a group's views to public attention |
| coalition building | the banding together of several interest groups for the purpose of lobbying |
| membership bias | the tendency os some sectors of society-especially the wealthy, the highly educated, professionals and those in business-to organize more readily into interest groups |
| program monitoring | keeping track of government programs, usually by interest groups |
| interest group | organized groups of individuals that seek to influence public policy - also referred to as a lobby |
| political ideology | a consistent set of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government. |
| elite theory | the view that a small group of people actually makes most of the important government decisions |
| majority rule | the principle - basic to procedural democratic theory - that the decision of a group must reflect the preference of more than half of those participating; a simple majority. |
| enumerated powers | the powers explicitly granted to congress by the constitution |
| cooperative federalism | a view that holds that the constitution is an agreement among people who are citizens of both state and nation, so there is much overlap between state powers and national powers |
| sovereignty | the quality of being supreme power in power or authority |
| responsible party government | a set of principles formalizing the ideal role of parties in majoritarian democracy |
| supportive behavior | action that expresses allegiance to government and country |
| initiative | a procedure by which voters can propose an issue to be decided by the legislature or by the people in a referendum. It requires gathering a specified number of signatures and submitting a petition to a designated agency |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.