Citizen's groups
organized interests formed by individuals drawn together by opportunities to promote a cause in which they believe but that does not provide them significant individual economic benefits
Iron triangle
A small and informal but relatively stable group of well-positoined legislators, executives, and lobbyists who seek to promote policies beneficial to a particular interest.
Political action committee
The organization thorough which an interest group raise and distributes funds for elections purposes. By law, the funds must be raised through voluntary contributions.
Private goods
Benefits that a group most often an economic group can grant directly and exclusively to individual members of the group
Outside lobbying
A form of lobbing in which an interest group seeks to use public pressure as a means of influencing officials
Interest group
Any organization that actively seeks to infuence public policy
Framing
The process by which the media play up certain aspects of a situation while downplaying other aspects, thereby providing a particular interpertation of the situation.
Free-rider problem
The situaiton in which the benefits offered by a group to its members are also available to non-members. The incentive to join the group and to promote its cause is reduced because nonmembers, free members, receive the benefits, for example, a cleaner env
Collective good
Benefits that are offfered by groups, usually citizens groups, as an incentive for membership but that are nondivisible, such as a clean environment and therefore are available to nonmembers as well as members of the particular group.
Priming
...
Partisan press
Newpapers and other communication media that openly support a political party and whose news tends to follow the party line.
Inside lobbying
Direct communication between organized interest and policymakers, which is based on the assumed value of close, inside contacts with policymakers
Objective journalism
A model of news reporting that is based on the communication of facts rather that opinions and that fair in that it presents all sides of partisan debate
Political socialization
The learning process by which peopole acquire their political opinions, beliefs, and values
Issue network
An informal and relatively open network of public officials and lobbyists who come together in response to a proposed policy in an area of interest of each of the. Unlike an iron triangle, an issue network disbands after the issue is resolved
Political culture
The characteristic and deepseated beliefs of a particular people
Signaling function
The responsibility to the media to alert the public to important developments as soon as possible after they happen or are discovered
Social capital
The sum of face to face interactions among citizens in a society
Grassroots lobbying
A political party organized at the level of the voters and dependent on their support of is strenghts
Ideology
A general belief about the role and purpose of government
Economic groups
Interest groups that are organized primarily for economic reason but that engage in politcal activity in order to seek favorable policies from government
What are some examples of unconventional activism?
Participating in a social movement, taking part in a political demonstration or march, practicing civil disobedience
Which group of people has the lowest voter turnout level?
young adult Americans
What political theory is interest group politics aligned with?
Pluralism
What is the most prominent trend in news media?
Foxnews
What is included in the media's role of watchdog?
Protecting the public from deceitful, careless, incompetent, or corrupt public officials.
How does the media provide a selective depiction of reality?
emphasizes dramatic events rather than the slow and steady social, economic, and political developments that typically have a larger impact on the nation.
What is the influence of political ideology on public opinion?
Only a minority of Americans have a true ideology in the sense of having consistent attitudes on public issues.
What do Europeans typically base their political opinions on?
Religious beliefs.
How does public opinion influence policy?
in making their policy choices, politicians are particularly likely to follow public opinion when people's opinions are intense and unmistakable.
How has the Internet revolutionized the American media?
It has lowered dramatically the cost of starting a news-based operation, thus opening up the news system to thousands of new outlets.
How does the United State's libel laws affect the press?
The answer is True. The U.S. libel laws strongly favor the press.
What is interest group liberalism?
To describe the tendency of officials to support the policy demands of the interest group or groups that have a special stake in a policy.
In what unique ways do Americans contribute to election campaigns compared to Europeans?
True - With regard to election campaigns, Americans are more likely than Europeans to contribute money and to volunteer their time to help a candidate or party.
Who primarily participates in social movements?
True - People who participate in social movements tend to be younger than nonparticipants .
What are the agents of political socialization? Which is the strongest one?
False - The family is the strongest.
What impact does the sample size of a population have on a poll?
False -of the various agents of political socialization, political leaders are by far the most important one.
Why is political participation in the United States typically tied to income level?
True - More than in other Western democracies, political participation in the United States is related to income level.
What is a caucus?
Political, parties
a meeting of the members of a legislative body who are members of a particular political party, to select candidates or decide policy.
What is a primary?
State, Localities
It is an election by secret ballot in which voters choose a political party's candidate for office in an election. Primaries are held for most public offices, including the presidency. In a closed primary, voters must declare which party
Essay #1 What factors limit the influence of public opinion on the policy choices of pubic officials?
The public is seldom attentive enough or informed enough to dictate exactly what officals will do.
...
...
Essay #2 What are the consequesnces of the fact that the press is charged with informing the public but at the same time needs to attract an audience in order to make a profit and fund its newsgathering operations?
One Consequence has been a widening gap in the information levels of American's more attentive and less attentive citizens.
***The press is charged with informing the public about politics and government yet,
because new organizations also seek to atrract
...
...
Essay #3Iron triangles and issue networks
Iron triangles: a small and informal but relatively stable group of well-positioned legislators, executives, and lobbbyists who seek to promote policies beneficial to a particular interest
Issue networks: an informal grouping of officials, lobbyists, and
Essay #4 The Fairness Doctrine
required broadcasters to afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of public importance