Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Pols 206 TAMU
Pols 206 TAMU Jon Bond
46
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
11/06/2013

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Runoff primary
Definition
A second primary election held between the top two candidates if no candidate received a majority of the votes in the first primary
Term
Nonpartisan primary
Definition
A type of election used in Louisiana in which candidates from all political parties run in the same primary and the candidate who receives the majority of the vote obtains the office
Term
Reapportionment
Definition
The process of adjusting the number of the house seats among the states based on population shifts
Term
Multimember District
Definition
A method of selecting representatives in which more than one person is chosen to represent a single constituency
Term
single-member district
Definition
A method of selecting representatives in which more than one person is chosen to represent a single constituency
Term
gerrymandering
Definition
the drawing of district lines in such a way as to help or hinder the electoral prospects of a specific political interest
Term
Malapportioned
Definition
A situation in which the distribution of legislative seats does not accurately reflect the distribution of the population
Term
Baker v. Carr
Definition
The 1962 supreme court case in which the supreme court overturned the political question doctrine, holding that legislative apportionment was a justiciable issue that the courts had jurisdiction to hear and decide
Term
Justiciable issue
Definition
An issue or topic over which the courts have jurisdiction to hear and decide
Term
Wesberry V Sanders
Definition
The 1964 case in which the supreme court invalidated unequal congressional districts, saying that all legislative districts must contain about equal numbers of people. This ruling is known as 1 person, 1 vote.
Term
one person, one vote
Definition
the idea, arising out of the supreme court decision of wesberry v sanders that legislative districts must contain about the same number of people
Term
majority-minority districts
Definition
Districts in which the majority of the population is composed of ethnic or racial minorities
Term
descriptive representation
Definition
The view of representation that calls for the racial and ethnic makeup of congress to reflect that of the nation
Term
substantive representation
Definition
the concept of representation that states that officeholders do not have to be minorities to accurately represent minority interests
Term
incumbency advantage
Definition
the tendency for congressional incumbents to be overwhelmingly successful when they run for reelecetion due to the nature of congressional districts, resources, and relations with constituents among other reasons
Term
pork-barrel benefits
Definition
Government sponsored projects that bring economic benefits to a congress members state or district. this is a pejorative term, first used in the 19th cenury to describe projects viewed as a waste of tax dollars that serve no purpose other than to aid the reelection of a single incumbent
Term
perquisites (perks)
Definition
the benefits and support activities that members of congress receive in order to help them perform their job
Term
Advertising
Definition
the activities of members of congress (such as sending out newsletters or visiting the district) designed to familiarize the constituency with the member
Term
credit claiming
Definition
the efforts by members of congress to get their constituents to believe they are responsible for the positive government actions
Term
position taking
Definition
public statements made by members of congress on issues of importance to the constituency
Term
open seats
Definition
legislative seats for which there is no incumbent running for reelection
Term
Legislature
Definition
a deliberative council that has the authority to make and repeal laws. In representative democracies, ordinary citizens elect legislators to represent them
Term
parliamentary system
Definition
An electoral system in which the party holding the majority of seats in the legislature selects the chief executive
Term
presidential system
Definition
A political system in which the chief executive and the legislature are elected independently
Term
legislative oversight of administration
Definition
A variety of tools congress uses to control administrative agencies including creating or abolishing agencies assigning program responsibilities providing funds and confirming presidential appointments
Term
Representation
Definition
the relationship between elected officials and the people who put them in office involving the extent to which officials are responsive to the people
Term
policy responsiveness
Definition
the amount of agreement between the people represented and their elected officials on policy issues
Term
service responsivesness
Definition
representation that takes the form of the tasks legislators perform based on the requests and needs of their constituents.
Term
casework
Definition
activities of members of congress to act as intermediaries and help private individuals who are having problems with the administrative agencies in the executive
Term
allocation responsiveness
Definition
representation that takes the form of members of congress ensuring that their district gets a share of federal benefits
Term
distributive benefits
Definition
government expenditures and programs that concentrate benefits in specific geographical areas such as states or congressional districts for which the costs are spread across the entire population
Term
symbolic responsiveness
Definition
A congressional members efforts to use political symbols to generate trust and support among the votes
Term
Home Style
Definition
the way a member of congress behaviors explains his or her legislative actions and presents himself or herself in the home district
Term
geographical constituency
Definition
everyone and everything within the geographical boundaries of a congressional members house district
Term
reelection constiuency
Definition
the people within a congress members house district who can be counted on for support.
Term
primary constituency
Definition
a member of congress's strongest mostly partisan supporters
Term
personal constituency
Definition
a small number of intimate friends advisors and confidants who support a member of congress
Term
trustee
Definition
a representative who uses his or her judgement to make decisions promoting the best interests of the nation as a whole with the particular interests of constituents remaining a secondary concern
Term
delegate
Definition
A representative who makes legislative decisions based on the interests and views of his or her constituents regardless of personal preference
Term
politico
Definition
a representative whose philosophy of representation is a mix of both delegate and trustee.
Term
exclude
Definition
the refusal of congress to seat any candidate who wins election but does meet the constitutional requirements to hold congressional office
Term
expulsion
Definition
the ejection of a member of congress from office
Term
censures and reprimands
Definition
verbal condemnations of a member of congress by the house or senate, intended to punish bad behavior by expressing the public disapproval of the members colleagues
Term
members representational allowance (MRA)
Definition
An allowance of about $1 million per year that members of congress receive to pay for official duties of representation and lawmaking(office functions, official travel, and staff) it cannot be used of personal or campaign expenses
Term
Franking privilege
Definition
the ability of members of congress to send mail to their constituents free of charge by substituting of their signature in place of a stamp
Term
bicameral
Definition
a legislature with two chambers
Supporting users have an ad free experience!