pols ch.7,8,9,10
The 50 states have been allowed to deny the right to vote
-to those who failed to register. -to people who have been convicted of a felony. -to anyone failing to provide a government-issued photo identification as proof of citizenship.
coalition
A collection of groups working together for a common political goal.
plurality
A decision rule in an election in which the candidate who receives the most votes cast (rather than a majority) wins.
plurality
A decision rule used to determine the winner of an election whereby the victor is the candidate with the most votes.
party systems
A dynamic (changing) set of supportive coalitions assembled by the political parties for the purpose of governing at different points in history.
poll taxes
A fee paid by an individual as a condition of voting in an election.
self-interest
A focus on one's own wishes or needs.
republican form of government
A form of government in which the citizens govern indirectly, through representatives, and in which the power of the government is fragmented through a system of separation of powers as well as checks and balances.
iron triangles
A mutually beneficial relationship between congressional committee members and their staffs, interest group lobbyists, and executive branch officials.
sub-governments
A mutually beneficial relationship between interest groups and government officials surrounding a particular policy area.
infotainment
A new type of political commentary that blurs the lines between news and entertainment.
third parties
A person or group that is independent of the two parties involved in a particular situation or dispute. Also, an alternative to the two major parties in a two-party system.
representative
A person who (or a group that) stands for and makes judgments on behalf of other people and groups.
lobbyist
A person who attempts to influence or lobby a government official.
federalism
A political system in which authority is shared between a central government and state or regional governments.
muckraking
A popular form of investigative journalism that seeks to expose societal ills such as corruption in politics and business.
vacated seat
A position within a representative institution of government that is no longer occupied.
separation of powers
A principle of the Constitution that declares that political power is to be shared among the three branches of government.
principal-agent relationship
A relationship wherein one party (the agent) acts on behalf of another party (the principal).
fireside chats
A series of evening radio broadcasts made by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression.
sound bite
A short clip made from a longer speech.
moral hazard
A situation in which an individual is more likely to take risks because the person knows he or she will not bear the full costs of those risks.
yellow journalism
A style of reporting that focuses on sensationalized accounts of violence, scandals, corruption, and gossip.
standing decision
A temporary decision.
median voter theorem
A theory that predicts that a candidate seeking a majority of votes will adopt a policy position preferred by those in the middle of the ideological spectrum.
collective action
Action resulting from the sharing of resources and coordination of efforts among individuals.
hidden action
Action taken by the agent that is unknown to the principal.
astroturfing
An artificial grassroots lobbying campaign using deceptive tactics to make it appear that support (or opposition) comes from average citizens.
interest group
An association, institution or group usually organized to influence government decisions.
incumbent
An elected official currently holding office.
proportional representation
An election system in which each political party wins seats in the legislative body in proportion to the number of votes it received in the election.
single member district
An electoral district represented by only one person in the legislative body.
CNN effect
An idea that it is the cameras that lead the politicians and dictate what stories are important and what should be done about them.
liberal
An ideology in the United States associated with the Democratic Party that tolerates the use of government power to bring about equality and consumer/environmental protection, but which is hostile to the use of government power to impose religious criteria on individual behavior.
conservative
An ideology in the United States associated with the Republican Party that is hostile to the use of government power to bring about equality and consumer/environmental protection, but which tolerates the use of government power to ensure domestic and international order.
electoral college
An institution made up of electors from each state that officially elects the president and vice president of the United States.
spin
An interpretation imposed on the media's reporting of events.
private good
An item that can be used exclusively by an individual or group; use or consumption of the item prevents consumption by others.
public good
An item that cannot be used exclusively by an individual or group; use of the item does not prevent the item from being used by others.
party platform
An officially adopted set of proposed actions, goals, or policies that the party intends to put into effect should its candidates win office.
cost
An outlay of time, effort, or money needed to obtain something of value.
costs
An outlay of time, effort, or money needed to obtain something of value.
whips
Assistant party leaders who inform members about the party's positon on each piece of legislation and persuade them to vote accordingly. Whips also keep count of how each member intends to vote and report the results to the rest of the party leadership.
free ride
Benefiting from resources, goods, or services without contributing to their cost of production.
Most Asian-Americans in the U.S. tend to align themselves with the
Democratic Party.
Most black Americans tend to align themselves with the
Democratic Party.
Those with no religious affiliation lean toward the
Democratic Party.
Generally, the more college education one has received, the more one tends to identify with the
Democrats.
Collectively, the electors who choose the president are called the
Electoral College.
scripted events
Events that are staged primarily for the purpose of being covered.
policies
Formal acts, decisions, or plans made by government.
selective benefits
Goods or benefits offered exclusively to group members.
informational incentives
Group benefits that provide valued facts or information.
party activists
Individuals who are voluntarily, yet energetically, involved with a particular political party.
solidarity benefits
Intangible benefits that accrue to members of a group who derive positive feelings of camaraderie and purpose when working together towards a common goal.
solidary incentives
Intangible benefits that come with social association with a group.
purposive incentives
Intangible rewards that come with group membership.
According to the text, why do political parties make politics cost effective?
It is because political parties are "big, open, highly visible, and encompass the full range of political life." They also help function in a democratic nation. In our system political parties benefit "business competition drives the effective operation of a market economy."
retrospective judgments
Judgments made by voters based on an incumbent's past behavior.
prospective judgments
Judgments made by voters based on assumptions about a candidate's promise of future behavior.
beats
Locations from which news emanates.
adverse selection
Making a choice contrary to one's interest due to incomplete or hidden information.
press conferences
Meetings between political officials and reporters.
______ parties seeking ballot access must first obtain signatures from a significant percentage of voters in the last election.
New
Republican Party has an advantage among
Non-Hispanic white voters.
tyranny
Oppressive and unjust treatment by government.
__________ are the most active members of the party (other than elected officials).
Party activists
penny press
Rapid printing and cheap paper meant that papers could be bought for one penny and read at home.
purposive benefits
Shared political or policy benefits produced by a group that are related to the group's political or policy goals.
cost-benefit self-interest
Something done with the purpose of achieving an individual's goals after comparing the costs of the action with its benefits.
instrumental self-interest
Something that is done for the purpose of achieving an individual's goals.
cost-effective
Something that is economical (a good value) in terms of the relationship between the cost needed to obtain something of value and its benefit.
instrumental
Something that serves as a means in pursuing a goal.
material incentives
Tangible rewards that come with group membership.
mass media
Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, online sources, and other means of popular communication that reach a large audience through channels of mass communication.
name recognition
The extent to which a person's name on the ballot is familiar to the voters.
manufactured consent
The idea that government leads the cameras by identifying an issue or event as important, seeking public support, and using the media as tools to gather that support.
commercial bias
The idea that the media is biased toward stories that will hold the attention of audiences and increase revenue from advertisers.
salience transfer
The media's ability to focus the public's attention and influence its perceptions of what are the most critical issues of the day.
priming
The media's emphasis on certain features or characteristics of people, events, and issues in such as way so as to influence the public's perception of those people, events, and issues.
framing
The media's particular slant on an issue.
journalistic objectivity
The notion that personal attitudes should be left out of news reporting and that each news item should be attributed to a credible source.
propaganda
The passing of information through five filters (ownership, advertising, official sources, flak, and marginalizing dissent) from the media to the public as that information is managed and manipulated by government.
party identification
The political party with which an individual most closely identifies.
narrowcasting
The practice adopted by media outlets to tailor their reporting for specific audiences.
investigative journalism
The use of detective-like reporting methods to unearth scandals.
popular vote
The vote as expressed by the number of votes cast by the electorate.
Duverger's law
This political concept suggests that the pervasive existence of single-member districts structured by plurality rule essentially determines that only two political parties will exist.
political entrepreneurs
Those who invest capital in an issue and depend heavily on the media to get their ideas placed high on the policy agenda.
divided government
Times when different parties control different branches of government.
Party identification is
a psychological attachment to a political party.
Forty-eight states give the candidate who won the most votes within the state ______ of their delegates to the Electoral College.
all
An ideology is - a group of related ideas about government and politics that help people understand and make decisions about political events. -a set of ideas about the proper nature and extent of public policies. -a set of ideas about the proper role of government.
all of the above
For average citizens, political parties help -lower information costs for busy and distracted citizens by nominating candidates. -educate individual citizens on the issues and the stakes involved in an election. -overcome voter apathy by generating enthusiasm prior to elections and bringing voters to the polls.
all of the above
James Madison argued that government efforts to control groups would -destroy liberty. -be a remedy that was worse than the disease. -be unsuccessful.
all of the above
Liberals generally favor -governmental intervention in the economy. -the expansion of social services. -greater concern for consumers and the environment.
all of the above
In general, groups that seek public goods or benefits from government
are unlikely to mobilize, even to their potential.
In 2016, the Republican party achieved the ultimate goal of a political party by
controlling the federal government's political institutions.
A party platform is a set of policies the party intends to put into effect should its candidates win office.
correct
As political scientists like to say, in a two-way race, the candidates will tend to converge on the ideal policy position of the median voter.
correct
For ordinary citizens, political parties do much to overcome voter apathy by generating enthusiasm prior to elections and bringing voters to the polls.
correct
Party activists tend to be purists when it comes to their policy goals, whereas party professionals are mostly interested in doing what it takes to win elections.
correct
The reason that the two parties have become more radical over time is due to the behavior of party activists.
correct
The third party system formed after the country divided into two factions over the issue of slavery.
correct
Whips are assistant party leaders who inform members about the party's position on each piece of legislation.
correct
Today's media can be described as taking a __________ approach towards politicians.
cynical
Overall, men
divide themselves more or less equally between the two parties.
The media's watchdog function
draws attention to problems that need addressing.
FDR was the first politician to make use of the radio to provide reassurance to the American people with his
fireside chats
voting irrestional
free ride
Compared to other democracies, the press in the United States
has more freedom.
Those with higher incomes tend to vote at _____ rates than those with lower incomes.
higher
ideology
ideology A set of integrated ideas about the extent and purpose of government.
The causes of "faction" James Madison observed "are sown
in the nature of man."
Shows like The Daily Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! are examples of
infotainment
Group unity is important for group success because
internal divisions can undermine the organization's efforts and bargaining power.
Self-serving alliances called __________ form between committee members, interest group lobbyists, and executive branch officials.
iron triangles or sub-governments
idelogy
liberal or conservative
Scholars have repeatedly found evidence for an upper-class bias in participation in interest groups because
many Americans are active through their managerial or professional occupations who pull members into the interest-group system automatically.
A popular form of investigative journalism that emerged around 1900 is known as
muckracking
When media outlets tailor their reporting for specific audiences, they are
narrowcasting
Economist Mancur Olson found that small groups, whether they were businesses or non-businesses, had
organizational advantages over larger groups.
Most people vote
rather casually by using mental shortcuts that simplify the work of making rational choices.
When voters make decisions based on the past, they are making
retrospective judgements.
Solidarity benefits are intangible benefits that accrue to members of a group who derive positive feelings of purpose when working together towards a common goal.
right
The Republicans tend to look mostly to the private market or charities for solutions to social problems.
right
Events that are staged primarily for the purpose of being covered are known as
scripted events.
The media plays a role in elections by
shaping candidates' images.
Politicians are increasingly relying on ___________ to reach the public.
social media
Lobbyists
talk directly with legislators and may offer them campaign contributions.
The costlier the form of participation,
the lower the rate of participation.
The problem of moral hazard in representation is caused by
the many actions the representative takes behind the scenes.
The electors in the Electoral College are apportioned to each state according to
the number of seats that state has in the House of Representative plus its two Senate seats.
The First Amendment establishes
the right to freely assemble and petition government.
When Americans vote for the president,
they are actually voting for a slate of electors who then choose the president.
Those with more political resources are better able to bear the costs of participation, therefore
they participate at higher rates.
A mutually beneficial relationship between interest groups and government officials surrounding a particular policy area is a sub-government.
true
A political party functions to expand the electorate.
true
A standing decision is a temporary decision.
true
About half of eligible voters vote in presidential elections.
true
According to Duverger's law, the pervasive existence of single-member districts structured by plurality rule essentially determines that only two political parties will exist.
true
Astroturfing is an artificial grassroots lobbying campaign using deceptive tactics to make it appear that support or opposition comes from average citizens.
true
Beats are locations from which news emanates.
true
CNN effect is the idea that it is the cameras that lead the politicians and dictate what stories are important.
true
Cognitive dissonance theory explains why there is reason to doubt that voters can be objective about the candidate's behavior based on his or her personal characteristics.
true
Commercial bias is the idea that the media is biased towards stories that will hold the attention of audiences and increase revenues.
true
Contract lobbyists are the "hired guns" with the high salaries, select contacts, and ample expense accounts.
true
Events that are staged for the purpose of being covered is called scripted events.
true
Generally, the countries with the highest rates of voter turnout have a compulsory voting system.
true
Identification with a political party is a psychological attachment.
true
In Federalist #10, James Madison warned of the tendency of nations to suffer the "violence of faction."
true
In a principal-agent relationship, the agent acts on behalf of the principle
true
In general, the ideological orientation of the American public is moderate
true
In the case of black Americans, the data showed that they voted at almost the same rate as white voters.
true
In the second party system, the Democrats dominate, then there is a balance between Democrats and Whigs.
true
In-house lobbyists work for a wide range of organizations, including businesses, chambers of commerce, trade associations, and others
true
Incumbents running for reelection in bad times will want voters to make prospective judgments.
true
Indirect lobbying involves trying to move public opinion in the direction of their clientís interests.
true
Industrialization concentrated workers in factories and gave rise to the formation of unions.
true
Informational incentives are group benefits that provide valued facts or information.
true
Infotainment is a new type of political commentary that blurs the lines between news and entertainment.
true
It took the Great Depression in the 1930s for enough voters to shift their allegiance to the Democrats, and form the fifth party system.
true
James Madison believed that it was possible that tyranny could be the principle problem of government.
true
Lobbying remains direct and personal.
true
Most interest groups offer purposive and solidary benefits.
true
Networking opportunities are a solidary benefit, while advocacy is a purposive benefit.
true
One of the implications of the rise of social media as a news source we must work harder to be informed consumers.
true
Proportional representation is an election system where representation is determined by the proportion of votes received in the election.
true
Purposive benefits are derived by activists when they help the party achieve its policy goals.
true
Salience transfer is the media's ability to focus the public's attention and influence its perceptions on what are the most critical issues of the day.
true
Self-serving alliances called iron triangles form between committee members, interest group lobbyists, and executive branch officials.
true
Solidary incentives come from the act of associating with like-minded individuals, including intangibles like friendship and fun.
true
Something that is done for the purpose of achieving an individual's goals is known as instrumental self-interest.
true
Taken as a whole, interest groups organized for representation in Washington, D.C., heavily favor businesses.
true
The United States has a single member/plurality voting system.
true
The cost-benefit concept of self-interest recognizes that people have more than one goal and that they weigh benefits against costs in order to achieve their goals.
true
The daily paper did not becoming common until rapid printing and cheap paper led to the advent of the penny press.
true
The expansion of the interest group universe is a natural consequence of growing societal complexity.
true
The fragmented nature of government in the United States seems to be designed specifically to accommodate interest groups.
true
The interest group system shows a strong social class bias.
true
The median voter theorem explains why it can be hard to tell the differences between candidates' issue positions.
true
The problem of moral hazard is a situation where someone is more likely to take a risk if they know there is no risk to them.
true
The source of the problem for adverse selection is incomplete or hidden information.
true
The work of party activists helps overcome voter apathy, reduces free ridership, lessens the class and racial biases in voting, and makes office holders more responsive to the true wishes of people.
true
Theodore Roosevelt coined the term muckracking to describe journalists who seeked to expose societal ills in politics.
true
There has been a sharp decline in newspaper readership and it is young people who are least likely to get their news from a paper.
true
To counter the media's increasing power of persuasion in campaigns, candidates spend a lot of money on advertising.
true
To the economist, the product of an election is a public good.
true
To win the presidency under the American system, the candidate must win a majority of the electoral votes.
true
When both candidates and the parties take the centrist policy positions, this can lead to lower voter turnout.
true
When considering the costs of participation, as people get older, they tend to vote at higher rates.
true
When the media alerts the public of events and developments as soon as they happen, they are playing the informant role.
true
When the media influences audiences by emphasizing certain features or characteristics of people, events, and issues, they are using priming
true
When the media plays the propaganda role, they are passing information through five filters: ownership, advertising, official sources, flak, and marginalizing dissent.
true
When the media tailors their reporting for specific audiences, they are using a practice called narrowcasting.
true
When you receive satisfaction from contributing to and accomplishing a common cause, this is known as a purposive incentive.
true
Indirect lobbying involves
trying to move public opinion in the direction of their client's interests.
When the media alerted the public about the mistreatment and human rights violations of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers in 2004 in Ab Ghraib prison, the media acted in its __________ function.
watchdog
Social status or the wealth of the membership and the occupations they represent matter to a group's success because
wealth and expertise can be put to many uses.
A political party's success in getting its agenda passed through Congress will depend on the degree of unity among its members.
yes
Affluent people in New York and California lean Democratic while the affluent in the southern states tend to identify as Republicans.
yes
In other nations, political parties are considered private institutions.
yes
Younger people tend to be the least likely to identify with any party and often consider themselves to be independents.
yes
Political scientist E. E. Schattschneider said, "the people are a sovereign whose vocabulary is limited to two words, _________."
yes and no