Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Midterm 1 IDS
| Definition | Term |
|---|---|
| agency loss | the discrepancy between what citizens ideally would like their agents to do and how the agents actually behave |
| Australian Ballot | A ballot prepared and distributed by government officials that places the names of all candidates on a single list and is filled out by voters in private. First adopted in US in 1888 replaced oral voting and party-supplied ballots |
| Belief Systems | |
| bicameral | Legislature composed of two houses or chambers. |
| checks and balances | Constitutional mechanism giving each branch some oversight and control of the other branches. EX: prez veto, senate approval of prez appointments, and judicial review of prez actions and congressional actions. Hume is behind this theory. |
| cognitive shortcut | A mental device allowing citizens to make complex decisions based on a small amount of info.(ex a candidates party label) |
| commerce clause | Clause in article 1, setion 8 of the const that gives congress the authority to regulate commerce with other nations and among the states. |
| constraint | |
| cues and shortcuts | cognitive shortcuts that helps uninformed voters decided who to vote for. two most important ones are party label and past performances |
| divided government | A term used to describe government when one political party controls the exec branch and the other party controls one or both houses of legislature. |
| faction | A group of people sharing common interests who are opposed to other groups with competing interests. James Madison defined a faction as any group with objectives contrary to the general interests of society. |
| federalist 10 | Argued that factions were the primary evil in a democratic system of government and further argued that a national republican form of government was the best way to combat the divisive/destructive power of factions. |
| federalist 51 | "if men were angels etc" argued that it is important to create inherent checks in government and having branches of government "competing" against each other was the best way to check their individual ambitions |
| free-rider problem | A situation in which individuals can receive the benefits from a collective activity whether or not they helped pay for it, leaving them with no incentive to contribute |
| issue voting | Voting for candidates based on their positions on specific issues, as opposed to their party or personal characteristics. |
| judicial review | The authority of a court to declare leg and exec acts unconstitutional and therefore invalid |
| latent opinion | A probable future reaction by the public to a current decision or action by a public official or a government. |
| Madison | Father of the constitution, wrote federalist 10, 51 etc |
| Majority Rule | The principle that decisions should reflect the preferences of more than half of those voting. Decisions making by majority rule is one of the fundamental procedures of democracy. |
| median voter theorem | A majority rule voting system will select the outcome most preferred by the median voter. DOESNT COMPARE POLICY SPACE COMPARES THE POSITION OF THE MEDIAN VOTER IN RELATION TO THE OTHER VOTERS |
| necessary and proper clause | The last clause of Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution. This clause grants Congress the authority to make all laws that are necessary and proper and to execute those laws |
| patronage | The practice of awarding jobs, grants, licenses, or other special favors in exchange for political support |
| pluralism | A theory describing a political system in which all significant social interests freely compete with one another for influence over the governments policy decisions |
| polarization | pheneomneon where democrats and republicans are far away from each other on their opinions |
| political socialization | the process by which citizens acquire their political beliefs and values |
| presidential system | System of government where an executive branch is led by a person who serves as both head of state and head of government. |
| primary election | An election held before the general election in which voters decide which of a party's candidates will be the party's nominee for the general election |
| prisoner's dilemma | A situation in which two or more actors cannot agree to cooperate for fear that the other will find its interests best served by reneging on an agreement |
| redistribution | |
| separation of powers | The distribution of government powers among several political institutions. |
| single-issue voters | people who base their votes on candidates or parties position on one particular issue of public policy, regardless of the candidates or parties positions on other issues |
| southern realignment | Realignment that occured after FDR was done in office. South was solid democrat but then switched to republican |
| spatial voting | Voting for a candidate who's views are closest to yours on a spectrum of all possible views on a issue |
| states as imaginary beings | |
| status quo | Institutional bias that fundamentally favors continuation of current public policy |
| strategic voting | voters could vote for the candidate who is not their favorite in order to get a better outcome |
| supermajority | a majority larger than a simple 51 percent majority |
| supremacy clause | a clause in article 4 of the constitution declaring that national laws are the supreme law of the land and therefore take precedence over any laws adopted by states or localities |
| tyranny of the majority | The idea that a majority in a democratic system can oppress the minority. |
| unequal representation | The fact that some states populations are extremely overepresenated in the senate because because it is not based on population. |
| Affirmative Action | Policies or programs designed to expand opportunities for minorities and women and usually requiring the organization take measures to increase the number or proportion of minorities and women in its employment or membership |
| Agenda Setting | |
| amicus curae | "friend of the court"- A brieft filed in a lawsuit by an individual or group that is not party to the lawsuit but that has an interest in the outcome |
| civil liberties | Constitutional and legal protections from government interference with personal rights and freedoms such as freedom of assembly, speech, and religion |
| closed rule | an order from the House Rules Committee limiting floor debate on a particular bill and disallowing or limiting amendment |
| cloture | A parliamentary procedure used to close debate. Cloture is used in the Senate to cut off filibusters. Under the current Senate rules, 3/5 of senators must vote for cloture to halt a fillibuster. |
| conference committee | A temporary joint committee of the House and Senate appointed to reconcile the differences between the two chambers on a particular piece of legislation |
| dissenting opinion | The written opinion of one or more Supreme Court justices who disagree with the rulings of the Court's majority. The opinion outlines the rationale for their disagreement |
| dual federalism | A system of government in which the federal government and state governments each have mutually exclusive sphere of action |
| executive order | A presidential directive to an executive agency establishing new policies or indicating how an existing policy is to be carried out |
| filibuster | A tactic used in the Senate to halt action on a bill. It involves making long speeches until the majority retreats. Senators, once holding the floor, have unlimited time to speak unless a cloture vote is passed by 3/5 of its members |
| gerrymander | Drawing legislative districts in such a way as to give one political party a disproportionately large share of seats for the share of votes its candidates win |
| iron triangle | A stable, mutually beneficial political relationship among a congressional committee (or subcommittee), admin agency, and organized interests concerned with a particular policy domain. |
| Jim Crow laws | A series of laws enacted in the late 19th century by southern states to institute segregation. These laws created "whites only" public accommodations such as schools, hotels, and restaurants |
| literacy test | Legal barrier used to exclude African Americans from voting. Local white registrars would require prospective black voters to read and interpret arcane passages of the state's constitution. <10 percent of black males voting in south |
| Lobbying | Activities through which individuals, interest groups, and other institutions seek to influence public policy by persuading government officials to support their groups' position |
| Muckraking | Journalistic investigation and exposure of scandals, corruption, and injustices, pioneered during the late 19th century Prog Era |
| Office of Management and budget | Most important agency in exec office of prez. gave more responsibility in 1970 after creation in 1921 advises prez on fiscal and econ policies creates fed budget and monitors agency performance among other duties |
| open rule | A provision governing debate of a pending bill and permitting any germane amendment to be offered on the floor of the house |
| poll tax | A tax imposed on people when they register to vote. Used to discriminate against blacks unconstitutional after 1964 with 24th ammendment |
| pork barrel | Legislation that provides members of congress with fed projects and programs for their individual districts |
| presidential coattails | Common metaphor for the capacity of a successful presidential candidate to generate votes for other candidates further down the ticket and pull fellow partisans into office |
| Segregation | The political and social practice of seperating whites and blacks into dual and highly unequal schools, and other such things |
| separate but equal doctrine | the supreme court initiated doctrine that separate but equivalent facilities for AA and whites are const under the equal protection clause of the 14th ammendment |
| shared federalism | A system in which the national and state governments share in providing citizens with a set of goods. |
| signing statement | A statement issued by the president that is intended to modify implementation or ignore altogether provisions of a new law |
| Speaker of the house | Presiding officer of house of rep. elected at beginning of each session on a party line vote. Substantial control of legislative agenda of the house |
| standing | the right to bring legal action |
| stare decisis | "let the decision stand" In court rulings, a reliance on precedents, or previous rulings, in formulating decisions on new cases. |
| take care clause | the provision in article 2 section 3 of the constitution instructing the president to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. |
| supremacy clause | Article 6 of the cons declaring national laws are the supreme law of the land and therefore take precedence over any laws adopted by states or localities |
| unanimous consent agreement | A unanimous resolution in the Senate restricting debate and limiting amendments to bills on the floor |
| writ of certiorari | an order that is given by a superior court to an appellate court and that directs the lower court to send up a case the superior court has chosen to review. Central means by which supreme court determines which cases to hear |
Created by:
jonika
Popular American Government sets