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Gov Unit 3

Terms in this set (61)

high-tech politics
politics where technology has shaped political behavior and the political agenda
mass media
Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and other means of popular communication.
media events
events purposely staged for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous
press conference
meetings of public officials with reporters
investigative journalism
the use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes
print media
newspapers and magazines
broadcast media
tv, radio, and the internet
narrowcasting
targeting media programming at specific populations within society (ex: MTV, ESPN, C-SPAN)
chains
corporations that control a significant number of newspapers and other media outlets
beats
specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House
trial balloons
an intentional news leak for the purpose of assessing the political reaction
sound bites
short, carefully crafted statements designed to be picked up in news reports (about 10 sec)
talking head
a shot of a person's face talking directly to the camera, not done often b/c of its unappealing nature
policy agenda
the list of issues that the federal government pays attention to
policy entrepreneurs
people who invest their political "capital" in an issue
party competition
the battle of the parties for control of public offices
political party
a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office
linkage institutions
the political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda
rational-choice theory
assumes that individuals act in their own best interest
party image
what voters know or think they know about what each party stands for
party identification
a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other
ticket splitting
voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices
party machines
a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements
patronage
Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support
closed primaries
primary elections in which only registered party members may vote
open primaries
primary elections in which eligible voters do not need to be registered party members
blanket primaries
a primary election in which each voter may vote for candidates from both parties
national convention
a quadrennial meeting where major parties select their presidential ticket
national commitee
one of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions; composed of reps from the states & territories
national chairperson
responsible for day-to-day activities of the party; usually picked by the presidential nominee
coalition
group of individuals w/ a common interest on which every political party depends
party eras
historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power
critical election
an election signaling a significant change in popular allegiance from one party to another
party realignment
displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period
New Deal coalition
created by FDR; alignment of diverse groups dedicated to supporting the Democratic Party
party dealignment
gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification
third parties
electoral contenders other than the two major parties
winner-take-all system
where the winner of a state receives all of the delegates of electoral votes.
proportional representation
an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them.
coalition government
when two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature
responsible party model
political parties have distinct platforms which they should carry out when their members get elected
interest group
a group of people with common goals who organize to influence government
pluralist theory
politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies
elite theory
the view that a small group of people actually makes most of the important government decisions
hyperpluralist theory
a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened
subgovernments
A network of groups that have control over specific areas of American politics
potential group
all the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest
actual group
the people in the potential group who actually join
collective good
something of value (money, prestige, clean air, etc) that cannot be withheld from a potential group member
free-rider problem
individuals can obtain the good even if they do not contribute to the group's effort
Olson's law of large groups
the larger a group, the further it will fall short of providing collective good
selective benefits
goods that a group can restrict to those who pay their annual dues
single-issue groups
groups that have a narrow interest on which their members tend to take an uncompromising stance
lobbying
An attempt by a group to influence the policy process through persuasion of government officials
electioneering
direct group involvement in the electoral process
PACs
groups that can collect political donations and make campaign contributions to candidates for office
amicus curiae briefs
Briefs submitted to the court by outside parties to influence the decision.
class action suits
lawsuits permitting a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other people similarly situated
union shop
a business where workers are required to join a union within a set time period after being hired
right-to-work laws
a state law forbidding requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs
public interest lobbies
organizations that seek a collective good which does not only benefit their membership
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