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| Agencies of Socialization |
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Definition
| Social institutions (families and schools) that help shape individual’s basic political beliefs and values. |
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| The process by which it is determines which issues are taken up by political actors and institutions. |
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| Each task is specifically assigned; No one makes the whole product; Every worker depends on others. A characteristic of bureaucracy. |
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| Allocation of Responsibility |
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Definition
| Assigned tasks become personal obligation; No one can be changed without permission. Another characteristic of bureaucracy. |
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| A specific preference on a specific issue. |
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| An electoral format that presents the names of all the candidates for any given office on the same ballot. Introduced at the end of the eighteenth century, this ballot replaced the partisan ballot and facilitated split-ticket voting. |
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| A shift in electoral support for the candidate whom public opinion polls report as the front-runner. |
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| Gerrymandering done to ensure that a minority group receives some representation. It creates a minority district. |
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| The complex structure of offices, tasks, rules and principles of organization that are employed by all large-scale institutions to coordinate the work of their personnel. |
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| Advocate for specific or general business interests; Can be individual or grouped. |
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| Utilize media to inform and influence voters; very expensive. |
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| Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern. |
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| A primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of only those candidates in the party in which they have been enrolled for a period of time before primary day. |
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| Considers direction, intensity and salience. Measures a different facet of an opinion. |
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| The tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election. |
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| The pooling of resources and the coordination of effort and activity by a group of people (often a large one) to achieve common goals. |
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| Collective Action Dilemma |
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Definition
| No individual person benefits by acting alone; Everyone benefits if some actively participate. |
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| Asks: "How many dimensions does an opinion cover?" |
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| Collective Goods and Benefits |
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Definition
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| Today this term refers to those who generally support the social and economic status quo and are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulas and economic arrangements. Many conservatives also believe that a large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens’ freedoms. |
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Definition
| Form of gerrymandering that splits opposing votes up. |
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| Outcome of mental processes leading to the selection of a course of action among several alternatives. |
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| A representative who votes according to the preferences of his or her constituency. |
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| A system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the selection of key public officials. |
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Definition
| 15 departments in the cabinet, each headed by a secretary with undersecretaries. |
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Term
| Direct Democratic Elections |
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Definition
| Permit citizens to create legislation; Voters choose "yes" or "no" to a bill on the ballot; Voters choose "yes" or "no" to a bill on the ballot. |
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| Indicates a person's general feeling about a subject. |
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| Sharing of information and perspective. Learning from others what they know about government and society. |
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| A constituency with a representative in legislature. |
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| Workers are specialized and do one simple task over and over. Increases productivity. |
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| Situation in which every person has an equal chance, especially in areas such as education, employment and political participation. |
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| An organized process of selecting a group’s preferred option among a range of choices. |
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| The presidential electors from each state who meet in their respective state capitals after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice-president. |
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| Decision-making cost to benefit ratio (if Cost > Benefit, don’t do it: if Cost < Benefit, do it). |
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| A distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men. |
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| Elect one person to fill a job in government. |
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| Appointment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one political party. |
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| Businesses that provide vital service, e.g. Post Office, Amtrak |
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Definition
| Attempting to change public opinion; Getting individuals to contact government officials. |
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| Power to recognize what is in your interest; held by everyone. |
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| Encourages full-time workers to stay; experience increases productivity; establishes a seniority system. |
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| Advocate for specific ideological/philosophical views. |
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| Creating the impression that an opinion is widely or strongly held, when it is not. |
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| One who holds political office for which one is running. |
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Definition
| Set outside the cabinet department. Works toward a more specific goal, e.g. NASA, CIA, EPA, SSA. |
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Term
| Independent Regulatory Agencies |
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Definition
| Provide regulation of market economy; they are essentially mini-legislatures; they follow specific goals; they can be Departmental. |
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Term
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Definition
| Emphasizes the importance of human individuals in contrast to the social wholes, such as families, classes or societies, to which they belong. |
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Definition
| Special newsletters, periodicals, training programs, conferences, and other information provided to members of groups to entice others to join. |
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Definition
| Television commercials that run as long as a typical television program (roughly 28 minutes, 30 seconds). Infomercials, also known as paid programming (or teleshopping in Europe), are normally shown outside of peak hours, such as late at night or early in the morning. |
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Definition
| A process by which citizens may petition to place a policy proposal on the ballot for public vote. |
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Definition
| Any voluntary membership organization that pursues a common interest through political participation, aiming at influencing government policies and elections. |
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Term
| Institutional Advertising |
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Definition
| A type of advertising that does not focus on a specific product, but on the corporate image of the advertiser. |
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Definition
| Indicates the level of feeling for a subject. |
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Definition
| The collaborative relationships between Congress, Executive Agencies and Interest Groups. The specific members involved are Committee members from Congress, Bureaucrats from the Exec Agencies, and Lobbyists from Interest Groups. |
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Definition
| Independent spending by individuals or interests groups that supports a campaign issue but is not directly ties to a particular candidate. |
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| Advocate for higher wages and benefits; almost always in tension with businesses. |
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Definition
| A liberal today generally supports political and social reform; extensive governmental intervention in the economy; the expansion of federal social services; more vigorous efforts on behalf of the poor, minorities and women; and greater concern for consumers and the environment. |
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Definition
| One of the three American values, often prioritized by Americans. |
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Definition
| They want full social and economic liberty. |
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| Scales direction and intensity of an opinion, but not importance. |
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Definition
| Operate within a department; Work toward a general department goal; Most agencies are line agencies, e.g. FBI, DEA, ATF. |
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Definition
| Form of political participation where a citizen sues the government for some form of violation of their rights. |
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Definition
| An attempt by a group to influence the policy process through persuasion of government officials. |
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Term
| Majority System (Majoritarianism) |
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Definition
| A type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the representative body, a candidate must receive a majority (50% plus 1) of all the votes cast in the relevant district. |
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Definition
| People protect their own interests; advocate own ideas; Best ideas gain most support; Majority support becomes policy. |
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Definition
| Special goods, services, or money provided to members of groups to entice others to join. |
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Term
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| The failure to identify the true distribution of opinion within a population because of errors such as ambiguous or poorly worded questions. |
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| Provides membership benefits for those involved. Relies on people’s desire to feel good and be happy. |
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Definition
| System of ensuring competence in workers, usually involving an exam or performance evaluation. |
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Definition
| Two years after presidential elections (2002, 2006). Done for 1/3 of the Senate and every member of the House. |
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Definition
| District composed of mainly minority groups and voters, created through benign gerrymandering. |
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Term
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| The act of marshaling and organizing ,and making ready for use or action. |
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Term
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| The year before and after the Presidential election; no federal offices are affected. |
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Term
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| – A primary election in which voters can choose on the day of the primary which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election. Contrast with closed primary. |
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| Questions with no options to choose from. People say whatever answer they want. |
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Term
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| Not consciously attained; has four factors of formation (Personal Values, Political Ideology, Political Knowledge, Attitudes). |
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Term
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| Ballots supplied by political parties that list only that party's candidates for office. It forces people to straight-ticket vote (vote for only one party's candidates). |
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Definition
| Positive and supportive attitudes concerning a 'fatherland' by individuals and groups. |
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| A public statement of the principles, objectives, and policy of a political party, especially as put forth by the representatives of the party in a convention to nominate candidates for an election. |
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Definition
| The theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government. The outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation. |
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Term
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| A type of electoral system in which victory foes to the individual who gets the most votes in a election, but not necessarily a majority of the votes cast. |
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Term
| Political Action Committee |
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Definition
| Private groups that raise and distribute funds for use in election campaigns. |
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| What is going on in the world; What the government is responding to. |
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| The people who are actively involved in politics and government. |
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| Questions what a person can do to address issues in the government, as well his or her own personal interests. |
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| A cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the role of government. |
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| Knowledge about the structure, purpose and actions of government. |
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| Any attempt to impact government. |
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| The induction of individuals into the political culture; the process of learning the underlying beliefs and values on which the political system is based. |
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Term
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Definition
| A poll tax, in the sense of a discrimination tax which was a pre-condition of the exercise of the right to vote, emerged in some US states in the late 19th century. After the right to vote was extended to all races by the enactment of the Fifteenth Amendment, many Southern states enacted poll tax laws which often included a grandfather clause that allowed any adult male whose father or grandfather had voted in a specific year prior to the abolition of slavery to vote without paying the tax. |
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Definition
| Any election when the president is elected; occurs every four (4) years. We usually see the highest turnout of voters here. |
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Definition
Elect each party’s candidates for general election.
Typically occurs about 6 months prior to the presidential election. Winner appears on the ballot. |
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Definition
| Everyone has an equal likelihood of being polled. |
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Term
| Professional Associations |
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Definition
| "Skilled" workers like doctors, lawyers, and professors. Typically, they have college educations: advocate for higher wages and benefits and provide resources to members. |
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| Proportional Representation (Proportionalism) |
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Definition
| A multiple-member district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the vote. |
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| Voting based on the imagined future performance of a candidate. |
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| An act designed to bring attention and bring about government action. |
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| Argue for general benefits for society; advocate for federal regulations; can have wide, diverse membership. |
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| Aims at influencing government policies and elections. |
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| Citizens’ values about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events. |
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| The scientific instruments used to measure public opinion. |
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| The business, organizational, philanthropic or social function of managing communication between an organization and its audiences. |
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Term
| Purchase of Full-Time Employment |
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Definition
| Rather than hiring for the job, always have staff ready to work: inefficient, but provides capability. |
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Definition
| Selective benefits of group membership that emphasize the purpose and accomplishments of the group. |
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Definition
| A polling technique in which the questions are designed the shape the respondent’s opinion. |
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Definition
| A poll in which respondents are selected at random from a list of ten-digit telephone numbers, with every effort made to avoid bias in the construction of the sample. |
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Definition
| The removal of a public official by popular vote. |
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Definition
| Done every ten (10) years after census; each state is given House seats by population. |
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| The practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection. |
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Definition
| Questions the stability of the issue and if the measurement can serve as a representative of public opinion. |
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| Voting based on the past performance of a candidate. |
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Term
| Salient Interests and Salience |
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Definition
| Attitudes and views that are especially important to the individual holding them. |
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Definition
| A small group selected by researchers to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population. |
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| A polling error that arises on account of the small size of the sample. |
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Definition
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Term
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| A polling error in which the sample is not representative of the population being studied, and as a result some opinions are over or under represented. |
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| A term used to indicate any situation in which individuals select themselves into a group. |
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| A term that describes the position of an individual group in a population or society, thereby reflecting the overall hierarchy. |
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Term
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| Funds spent by organizations that are not contributed directly to candidate campaigns, and do not "expressly advocate" the election or defeat of a candidate. |
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| A benefit of being in an interest group; gives people something to which they can belong; lets people make friends. |
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Definition
| Voting system during the pre-1900s, where the votes were public and voters were subjected to scrutiny or violence. |
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Definition
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Term
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| A form of gerrymandering that clusters opposing votes together, thus lowering their impact. |
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Term
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| A group that wants full government control over society and the economy. There are very few of them around. |
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| Getting informed by watching television, reading newspapers, etc. Staying vigilant about government action. |
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Definition
| Voting for candidates of the same party for multiple positions. In the pre-1900s, since the party provided ballots, this was the only way to vote. |
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Term
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| Some workers’ sole job is to monitor others; span of control (number of workers under supervision); chain of command (communications move up and down a specified hierarchy). |
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| Protection from political firings; almost all government employees have it. |
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Definition
A 100 point scale that measures a person’s feelings toward a subject or issue.
People don’t seem to like this because of its potential to get messy. |
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Definition
| An informal gathering of an officeholder or candidate for office with a group of people, often local, in which the audience raises questions. |
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| The number of people who come to or turn out for an event, such as elections. |
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| Controls a topic area in a department. |
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One of the concerns of the measurement of pubic opinion.
It questions the preciseness and the purpose of said measurement. |
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| The basic principles that shape a person’s opinions about political issues and events. |
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Term
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| Single most obvious form of participation; the most formal participation; it is associated with democracy. |
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Term
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Definition
| A single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers, or to elect members of a legislative assembly, which is based on single-member constituencies. |
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