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Am Gov Test 2
NA
99
History
Undergraduate 1
08/09/2009

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Term
focus groups
Definition
Small gatherings of individuals used to test ideas before marketing
Term
elites
Definition
individual in a position of authority, often those with a higher level of education than the population at large
Term
public opinion
Definition
opinions held by private individuals that governments find it prudent to heed
Term
political Culture
Definition
the dominant values and beliefs of a political community
Term
Straw poll
Definition
an unscientific survey of popular views
Term
political socialization
Definition
the process by which individuals come to adopt the attitudes, beliefs, values, and opinions of their political culture
Term
life cycle effects
Definition
the impact of age-related factors in the formation of political attitudes, opinions, and beliefs
Term
generational effects
Definition
the impacts of events experienced by a generational cohort on the formation of common political orientations
Term
cohort
Definition
the member's of one's own generation
Term
gender gap
Definition
systematic variation in political opinion that exists between males and females
Term
direction
Definition
the attribute of a individual's opinion that indicates a preference for or against an issue
Term
salience
Definition
the attribute of a individual's opinion that indicates how central an issue is to one's daily concerns
Term
intensity
Definition
the attribute of a individual's opinion that indicates how strongly an issue is held
Term
stability
Definition
the attribute of a individual's opinion that indicates how consistently an issue is held
Term
informational support
Definition
the attribute of a individual's opinion that measure the amount of one's knowledge concerning an issue
Term
benchmark survey
Definition
A campaign poll that measures a candidate's strength at the time of entrance into the electoral race
Term
trial heat survey
Definition
A campaign poll that measures the popularity of competing candidates in a particular electoral race
Term
tracking polls
Definition
campaign polls that measure candidates' relative strength on a daily basis
Term
push poll
Definition
campaign tactic that attacks an opponent while pretending to be a poll
Term
exit poll
Definition
interviews of voters as the leave the polling place
Term
scientific poll
Definition
any poll using proper sampling designs
Term
sample
Definition
the individuals whose opinions are actually measured
Term
population
Definition
the people whose opinions are being estimated through interviews with samples of group members
Term
probability sampling
Definition
a maple design that each individual in the population has a known probability for being included in the sample
Term
simple random sampling
Definition
technique of drawing a sample for interview in which all members of the targeted population have the same probably of being selected fro the interview
Term
systematic random sampling
Definition
a sample design n providing that each individual in the population has an equal chance of being chosen after the first name of number is chosen at random
Term
sampling error
Definition
the measure of the degree of accuracy of a poll based on the size of a sample
Term
pseudo polls
Definition
polls that are unreliable because they fail to use proper sampling and good question construction
Term
leading question
Definition
the wording of a question to suggest a particular answer directed by the pollster
Term
nonatttitudes
Definition
the generation of opinions by a poll that do not exist in reality. Uninformed poll responses
Term
political cynicism
Definition
the view that government officials look out mostly for themselves
Term
political efficacy
Definition
the beliefs that in individual's actions have an impact on the political process
Term
political ideology
Definition
a cohesive set of beliefs tat form a general philosophy about the role of government
Term
liberalism
Definition
political philosophy that combines a belief in person freedoms with the beliefs that the government should intervene in the economy to promote greater equality
Term
conservation
Definition
political philosophy that rests on the belief in tradition institutions and a minimal role for government in economic security
Term
populist
Definition
political philosophy expressing support for quality and for traditional social values
Term
libertarianism
Definition
political philosophy that espouses strong support for individual liberty in both social and economic areas of life
Term
ideologue
Definition
one who thinks about politics almost exclusively through the prism of his or her own perspective
Term
BUYcotting
Definition
using purchasing decison to sippor the products and polticies of bussniess
Term
rational actor theory
Definition
the theory that states choices are based on our indivudaual assessment of costs and benefits
Term
free riders
Definition
Those wo enjoy the benefits from activities without paying the costs of participation
Term
political engagement
Definition
psychological predisposition toward or interest in politics
Term
poltiical interest
Definition
Term
internal politcal efficacy
Definition
Term
external political efficacy
Definition
Term
poltical information
Definition
Term
strength of party identification
Definition
Term
poltical mobilization
Definition
Term
direct mobilization
Definition
Term
indirect moblization
Definition
Term
checkbook democracy
Definition
a term that ecpresses the notion that little is required of citizens besides their cash
Term
voter fatigue
Definition
tendency tp trie of the process of voting as a result of frequent elections
Term
consumer activism
Definition
the practive of making a poltical or social statemtn with one's buying power
Term
inside stratgey
Definition
a plan of action for advacing one's policies by working directly with influential poltical insiders
Term
outside strategy
Definition
a plan of action for advacing one's policies by building popular support for one's cause
Term
interest group
Definition
an organized group seeking to rpomote and create advatages for its cause
Term
poltical movement
Definition
an organized contesllation of groups seeking wide-ranging social change
Term
public interest groups
Definition
those advocating policies they believe promote the good of all American and not merley the economic or idealogical interests of a few
Term
lobbying
Definition
tatcic for influencing public deicisons for private purposes, usally employing personal contact with elected officials
Term
advocacy groups
Definition
groups organized around broad public goals but without local chpaters and often without formal membership
Term
political entrepreneur
Definition
indivual who develpos support for latent causes or projects that have not yet gained widespread popularity
Term
strategy
Definition
a group's overall plan for achieving it's goals
Term
tactics
Definition
specific actions that groups take to implememt strategies
Term
revolving door
Definition
term refrerring to the back-and-forth ovement of individuals between government and interest group employment
Term
iron triangle
Definition
a deicison-making traingle dominated by interest groups, congressional comittees, and executive policies that are mutally beneficial
Term
issue networks
Definition
deicision making sturcte consisting of policy exprets including lobysists, members of congress, bureaucrats, and policiy speacialists from think tanks and universities
Term
political action commitees (PAC's)
Definition
organized finanacial arms or interest groups used to collected and itribute money to candidated fro elective office
Term
leadership PAC's
Definition
political action committees set up by political leaders as a mean to finance the campaigns of political allies whom the believe will reciprocate with support for their own ambitions
Term
527 groups
Definition
tax-exempt ogranization set up by interest groups to engage in poltical activites
Term
poltical disadvantage theory
Definition
view posting that groups are likely to seeked remedies in courts if they do not suceed in the electoral process
Term
grassroots mobilization
Definition
te practice of organizing citizen support for a group's policy or candidiate's preferences
Term
mobilizing the grass tops
Definition
mining databases for high-status community leaders for purposes of contacting legilatures in key districts regarding the sponsering group's position
Term
astroturf lobbying
Definition
using deceptive practices and lack of transparency to manufactire grassroots support for an issue important to a patricual set of unidentified interests
Term
poltical party
Definition
organizations created for the purpose of winning elections an governing in office
Term
poltical machine
Definition
a strong party organization headed by a party boss
Term
civil service
Definition
a merit-based system of employement and personnal management employed by the government
Term
split ticket voting
Definition
practive of voting for candidates fom different parties instead of voting straight party ticket
Term
single member distrcit
Definition
electoral system in which the candidate recieving a plurality of votes wins the election to represent the district
Term
plurality
Definition
have more votes than any other candidate; may not mean a majority
Term
Duverger's Law
Definition
Principle asserts that single-member district elections lead two-party systems
Term
splinter parties
Definition
politcal parties tat form as offshoots of major poltical parties, usually by dissenters
Term
realignment
Definition
change in the support of voter groups that identify with each party that results in the strength of each patry being aletered
Term
critical elections
Definition
name appled to all election that signal importan changes in poltical party support associated with party realignment
Term
party bosses
Definition
local party officals furing the heyday of party poltics who often traded favors for votes
Term
New Deal coalition
Definition
Constelation of social goups that became the core base of support for the Democratic party after the elction of FDR
Term
gender gap
Definition
recent trend in which a majoriy of women vote more consistently for the democrats while males vote for republicans
Term
soft money
Definition
money that is outside the federal regualatory framework but raised and spent in a manner suggesting possible intent to affect federal elections
Term
hard money
Definition
compaign money recieved by candidiates or parties tat can be used for any purpose
Term
safe seats
Definition
legislative districts that regualry remian in the hand of the same candidate or party
Term
precinct
Definition
the geogrpahic area served by a polling place and organized by local party units
Term
primary election
Definition
election in which voters choose candiate to represent the piktical patyies in the general elecrion
Term
closed primary
Definition
electio nin which voters can shoose from potentiall nominees only within their own party
Term
open primary
Definition
election in which voters can soose to vote from their own party or those from the other major poltical party
Term
blanket primary
Definition
election in which voters can choose form among pontential nominees in both parties; OUTLAWED
Term
runoff election
Definition
2nd election between top two vote-getters in a race that did not produce a majority winner
Term
retail poltics
Definition
campaign style emphasiziing close persoanl contact between candidate and voters
Term
prospective voting
Definition
oting choice made on the basis of antiicapted results in candiate of choice is elected
Term
retrospective voting
Definition
voting on the basis of party or candidate record in office
Term
opposition research
Definition
practice of searching for events in candidate's records or personal lives that can be used to attack them during elections
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