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American Gov
Midterm
74
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
05/04/2011

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Amnesty
Definition
A pardon that is issues to a group of people who are not in compliance with the law.
Term
Federal Bureaucracy
Definition
Departments, agencies, bureaus and offices of the executive branch that are characterized by hierarchal organization and the specific job responsibilities to employees.
Term
Globalization
Definition
The spread and integration of economies, politics, technology, and culture around the world.
Term
Impeachment
Definition
1st step in the process of removing an official from public office.
Term
Pardon
Definition
The exoneration of both the crime and the associated penalty.
Term
Ratification
Definition
The approval by 2/3 of senators present, of a presidentially signed (international) treaty.
Term
Reprieve
Definition
The exoneration of the penalty associated with the crime, but not the crime itself.
Term
Senate confirmation
Definition
The 2/3 approval by senate of a presidential nominee.
Term
Bureaucracy
Definition
A set of structures and procedures used by government to administer policies and programs.
Term
Devolution
Definition
Delegation of power by the federal government to state and local government.
Term
Great Society
Definition
Series of federal government programs aimed to end poverty and racial injustice promoted by Lyndon B. Johnson.
Term
Iron Triangle
Definition
Term describing the coordination among congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies and interest groups.
Term
Issue Network
Definition
A complex set of cooperative relationships between groups affected by a particular set of policies and the bureaucratic agency and congressional committee with jurisdiction over those policies
Term
Privatization
Definition
A shift in responsibility for service provision from the public to the private sector.
Term
Progressive Era
Definition
Period in late 19th/ early 20th centuries marked by social movements calling for higher government regulation. (prohibition,women's suffrage)
Term
Spoils System
Definition
Rewarding party supporters with government jobs and services
Term
Amicus Curiae
Definition
Type of brief filed by a "friend of the court" or someone not directly involved with the case at hand. Often filed by interest groups to help in decision making process.
Term
Appellate Jurisdiction
Definition
Power to review cases heard in a lower court.
Term
Concurring Opinion
Definition
Agrees with conclusion but not the reasoning of the majority opinion of the court.
Term
Dissenting Opinion
Definition
Opinion that disagrees with the conclusion of the majority opinion of the court.
Term
Judicial Activism
Definition
Loose constitutional interpretation.
Term
Judicial Restraint
Definition
Strict constitutional interpretation.
Term
Judicial Review
Definition
Power to interpret laws of fed/state/organizations as constitutional or unconstitutional.
Term
Jurisdiction
Definition
Authority to decide a legal issue or case.
Term
Moot
Definition
When the legal issue has been resolved or is no longer relevant.
Term
Rule of Four
Definition
Agreeing to hear a case if at least 4 justices favor its review
Term
Writ of Centiorari
Definition
Request from a high court to a lower court for records of a case to be sent for review.
Term
Writ of Mandamus
Definition
Order issued by the Supreme Court requiring a gov't. agency to carry out a legal duty
Term
Gender Gap
Definition
Statistical difference in which women favor the Dems while men favor the GOP
Term
Honeymoon Period
Definition
Following election, a few months where the newly elected president faces little public critisism.
Term
Margin of Error
Definition
Statistic regulated to the sample size of a survey that suggests the numerical degree to which the results may or may not be reflective of opinions of the general public.
Term
Public Opinion
Definition
Collective attitudes and beliefs about policies and government
Term
Rally Around the Flag effect
Definition
Increased popular support given to the President in times of crisis.
Term
Random Sampling
Definition
Method of selecting participants where each member has an equal chance of being selected.
Term
Socioeconomic Status
Definition
Combo of education, occupation, and income to gauge one's place in society
Term
Straw Poll
Definition
Informal poll that does not employ scientific methods like random sampling.
Term
Balancing the Ticket.
Definition
Selecting a running mate that broadens the appeal of a campaign.
Term
Conventional Participation
Definition
Culturally acceptable political activity.
Term
Franchise
Definition
The right to vote.
Term
Freedom Rides
Definition
During the civil rights movement of the 1960's, activists would ride public transport to protect racial segregation
Term
Midterm Elections
Definition
Federal elections occurring between presidential election years.
Term
Prospective Voting
Definition
Evaluates candidates based on forecasts of future political behavior
Term
Retrospective Voting
Definition
Evaluates candidates on experience and past performance
Term
Social Capital
Definition
Degree of civil connectedness within a political community
Term
Voter Fatigue
Definition
Where voters lose interest in politics due to being asked to vote on too many different issues too frequently.
Term
Duverger's Law
Definition
Principle by which political systems with single member plurality districts are likely to have a two party system
Term
Initiative
Definition
Mean by which voters consider measures to change local ordinances, state statues or constitutions
Term
Party Activists
Definition
Support political party beyond voting.
Term
Party Platform
Definition
Document where the official issues and positions are displayed
Term
Political Machine
Definition
Party organization at state or local level that sought political influence by offering rewards, in the form of gov't jobs and services to sympathetic voters and party workers.
Term
Recall
Definition
Means for voters to remove an elected official before the expiration of the officeholder's term
Term
Referendum
Definition
Means for citizens to participate in policymaking by voting directly on a variety of measures, including initiatives or recalls.
Term
Caucus
Definition
Local meeting of party members in which the party's nominee is selected
Term
Electoral College
Definition
Created by the Constitution to permit indirect election of the President
Term
Electoral Votes
Definition
Presidential vote choices of electors who have been selected through the state to participate in the electoral college
Term
Frontloading
Definition
Moving up primaries early into the election season in order to have more influence over the selection of party presidential nominees
Term
Political Legitimacy
Definition
View of citizens that their government has the lawful authority to govern.
Term
Hard Money
Definition
Given directly to a candidate for congressional office or the presidency
Term
Soft Money
Definition
Unregulated donations to party organizations to their operational expenses.
Term
527 organizations
Definition
Groups created to support or oppose candidates for elective office, but cannot correlate activities with a specific candidate or political party. Issue advocacy only.
Term
Collective Action Problem
Definition
Where free-riding occurs
Term
Electioneering
Definition
Political activity that aims to impact the outcome of an election
Term
Interest Group Entrepeneur
Definition
Attempts to organize people with shared interests to take collective action
Term
Material Benefits
Definition
Rewards carrying monetary value that comes from membership or participation in an interest group
Term
Private interests
Definition
benefit individuals or select groups w/o benefiting the whole
Term
PAC
Definition
Organization established by individuals or private groups with the aim of raising money to contribute to candidates for elective office. Regulated by FEC
Term
Public Interests
Definition
Benefit the whole as opposed to a select group of individuals
Term
Purposive Benefits
Definition
Gratification from working toward a worthy cause or desired policy goal.
Term
Right to Work laws
Definition
Prohibit employers from requiring union membershio as a condition of employment
Term
Solidary benefits
Definition
Social advantage that comes from working with others toward a common goal
Term
Watchdogs
Definition
Groups organized to monitor government activity and educate the public on various aspects of the political process, including candidate compliance with finance, and voting behavior
Term
Actual Malice Standard
Definition
Est in NY Times v. Sullivan for libel. Falsity and reckless disregard for the truth.
Term
Framing
Definition
Process by which media encourages viewers to interpret journalistic stories in a particular way
Term
Net Neutrality
Definition
idea that all internet consumers should have equal access to legal internet
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