Polysci test 2

In any country in the world, which of the following people would you expect to participate the most in politics

A deathly business leader

Under which of these systems is party discipline likely to be highest

A highly centralized system in which candidate selection is in the hands of party leaders

For interest groups to function properly, there must be what

A strong government

In what sense do parties help to maintain government legitimacy

They give citizens a way to communicate their needs to the government

A media that is critical of its nations government is typically indicative of

high degree of democracy

Which of the following is most likely to result in a pollster recording a non-attitude response for a participant

Asking the participant his opinion on an especially complex issue

Which type of distribution curve is the most dangerous for a democracy

Bimodal

What is the relationship between alternation in power and democratic elections

Both must have an element of uncertainty and fluidity

Which statement explains why government bureaucracies tend to become influential interest groups

Bureaucrats in specialized agencies have a major role in crafting legislation

Interest groups in the United States tend to over-represent what

Business interests

In most democratic countries, major parties attempt to be what in order to win a large number of votes

Catchall parties

A government-created interest group is one that results from what

Creation of a government program or bureaucracy

What has grown in the political cultures of most advanced democracies

Cynicism

Which statement represents a pluralist explanation for increases in defense spending

Defense spending increases when the public demands greater attention be paid to national security threats

A pollster can decrease a polls margin of error by what

Increasing the sample size

Incomplete or late attempts to integrate subcultures into mainstream may cause those subcultures to seek what

Independence

A strong party system is likely to produce what

Ineffective public policies

What does public opinion polling provide that election results cannot?

Insight into citizens views on specific issues

Describe three differences between a political party and an interest group

Interest groups do not try to please everyone as a politician would. Interest groups do not have people who will run for office and that is not the main goal of an interest group. Interest groups are more specific than a political party and focus on one thing rather than multiple things.

Which of these is true about the party system in the United States

It is rare for individuals to change their party identification

Which statement explains why electoral propaganda can be considered beneficial for a democratic society

It simplifies complex issues for voters

Which of these is the most significant cause for democratic failure

Lack of middle class

Which is a major shortcoming of a government that is heavily influenced by interest groups

Many people do not have resources to organize into a group that can influence the government

Political parties differ from interest groups because parties what

Must win elections to influence policy

Define political socialization and list three agents of socialization

Nobody is born with political values they are taught them and form their view based on their own interpretations and environment. Family, education, government

Name and briefly describe the three types of political culture identified by Almond and Verbas studies from 1960

Parochial political culture: citizens are mostly uninformed and unaware of their government and take little interest in politics. Subject political culture: citizens are somewhat informed and aware of their government and occasionally participate in politics. Participant political culture:citizens are informed and actively participate in politics

Lower level education, along with corresponding lower incomes, reduce the likelihood that people will what

Participate in politics

Define the "responsible party model"

Parties should offer clear choices to the voters, who can then use those choices as cues to their own preferences of candidates. Once in office, parties would carry out their campaign promises.

Which statement explains why the implementation of "responsible party government" is difficult in the United States?

Party power is highly fragmented and divided across branches of government

What do studies on political culture and public opinion have in common

Responses are often tracked over time to find patterns

What German thinker argued that any organization, matter how democratic its intent, ends up run by a small elite

Robert Michels

Which of the following viewpoints is most consistent with elite political culture?

Running for office is viable and realistic

Which of these changes is likely to have the greatest impact on the number of parties in a countries political system

The introduction of a proportional representation system

What evidence would pluralists most likely cite to support their claims that elites are ultimately accountable

The millions of dollars that tobacco firms have paid out in lawsuits and settlements

Which condition suggests that a states elections are rigged

The regime controls most or all of the press in the country

Why do dictatorships generally tolerate the presence of political parties

Dictators use political parties to provide the illusion of a more democratic government

A subculture can be expected to have what than the mainstream culture around it

Different voting habits

Governments often engage in overt socialization through

Education

One benefit of a system with frequent alternation in power is

Effective control over corruption

Published surveys ten to be more carefully watched by the public during what

Election years

Describe the difference between an elite and minority subculture

Elite opinion is usually more complicated and sophisticated than mass opinion. Mass opinion is often uninformed but the masses can and will react to government policies.

Which statement explains the claim that "democracy does not always equal freedom"?

Even democratic elections can produce regimes that limit rights and freedoms

Which of the following is the strongest source of political socialization

Family

In order to prevent interest groups from influencing politics; it would be necessary to curtail their what

Freedom of expression

A "stalemate society" is one in which what

Government is trapped by competing interests

Which feature of democracy may still exist in an authoritarian regime

Periodic elections

Which term describes a democratic sustain where all kinds of people with different opinions and values compete to influence government policy?

Pluralist

Which statement explains why the issue of access challenges the pluralist theory

Pluralists assume that all groups have access to policy makers when some groups are actually shut out of the system almost entirely

Some political thinkers are concerned about US stability if what continues to grow

Polarization

Studies of what look for basic, general values regarding politics and government

Politcal culture

Suppose two surveys are conducted, one asking peoples level of support for "welfare" and the other using the term "assistance to the poor." The former surgery finds much lower support than the latter. This discrepancy shows that what

Pollsters must be careful to word questions in ways that avoid biased responses

Why might a government go ahead with a policy or action that the majority of citizens oppose

Public opinion does not always reflect what is best for the nation

Define "margin of error" and provide three reasons why a poll might yield a higher margin of error

Range around samples results within which the populations opinions likely fall. The quality of the sample, the way the question is asked, sampling error

The main way that democratic governments are held accountable is through

Regular electoral challenge

In a two-party system, third parties ten to what

Remind the major parties about voter discontent

According to almond, the elite might pay to the attentive public because the attentive public tends to what

Represent the view of the society as a whole

What is one reason that distrusting the government can be a good thing

Skeptical citizens are more likely than trusting citizens to notice and oppose government corruption

Define corporatism and provide an example

Social system based on the principle of individual rights. Laissez-faire system. Rule by the law. An example is America and another example is Donald Trump. Buying in a poor area until the market goes up and selling it.

An interest group with structured access has what relationship with government

Stable and beneficial

Which statement explains why public opinion is an important consideration for both democratic and authoritative governments

Strong public dissent can lead to an electoral defeat or the collapse of the regime

Which statement explains why elected officials in the United States are less likely to be able to enact the agenda of their party than elected officials in Europe

The US system is characterized by checks and balances that put obstacles in the way of legislation

A strong state is necessary for a healthy interest group environment because strong states have what

The ability to keep groups from acting outside the law

States with which type of government regularly use organized terror and violence against citizens to maintain control and achieve goals

Totalitarianism

Define the "bandwagon effect" and offer an example of this effect from the 2016 presidential campaign

When people hop on to an idea because everyone else is following that idea. Saying Hilary for prison because they believe she's a crook even without doing any research on why people think this.

Elite theorists and pluralists differ on whether or not what

any single group has monopoly on the influence over government policies