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Govt Study Guide-1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Checks and Balances | The principle that each branch of government has the authority to block the other branches, making it more difficult for any one branch or individual to exercise too much power. |
| Democracy | a form of government involving power held by the people, who may rule directly or through elected representatives |
| Institutions | The organizations, norms, and rules that structure government and public action |
| Republic | A government in which citizens rule indirectly and make government decisions through their elected representative |
| American exceptionalism | The view that the United States is uniquely characterized by a distinct set of ideas such as equality, self-rule, and limited government |
| Conservatives | Americans who believe in reduced government spending, personal responsibility, traditional moral values, and a strong national defense. aka right or right-wing |
| Economic Equality | A situation in which there are only small differences in wealth among citizens |
| Equality | All citizens enjoy the same privileges, status, and rights before the laws |
| Equal opportunity | The idea that every American has the same chance to influence politics and achieve economic success |
| Equal outcome | The idea that citizens should have roughly equal economic circumstances |
| Freedom | The ability to pursue one's own desires without interference from others |
| Individualism | The idea that individuals, not the society, are responsible for their own well-being |
| Initiative | A process in which citizens propose new laws or amendments to the state constitution |
| Liberals | Americans who value cultural diversity, government programs for the needy, public intervention in the economy, and individuals' right to a lifestyle based on their own social and moral positions. aka left or left-wing |
| Libertarians | People who believe in minimal government- specifically, that public officials' only role should be defending borders, prosecuting crime, and protecting private property |
| Median | A statistical term for the number in the middle or the case that has an equal number of examples above and below it |
| Negative liberty | Freedom from constraints or the interference of others |
| Political culture | The orientation of citizens of a state toward politics |
| Political Equality | All citizens have the same political rights an opportunites |
| Positive liberty | The ability- and provision of basic necessities- to pursue one's goals |
| Referendum | An election in which citizens vote directly on an issue |
| Self-rule | The idea that legitimate government flows from the people |
| Social democracy | A government in which citizens are responsible for one another's well-being and use government policy to ensure that all are comfortably cared for |
| Social Equality | All individuals enjoy the same status in society |
| Sunshine laws | Laws that permit the public to watch policymakers in action and to access the records of the proceedings |
| Bicameral | Having two legislative houses or chambers-such as the House and the Senate |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the Constitution, listing the rights guaranteed to every citizen |
| Confederation | A group of independent states or nation that yield some of their powers t a national government although each state retains a degree of sovereign authority |
| Delegate representation | Representatives follow the expressed wishes of the voters |
| Electoral College | The system established by the Constitution to elect the president; each state has a group of electors; the public in each state votes for electors, who then vote for the president |
| Federalism | Power divided between national and state government, Each has its own sovereignty (independent authority) and its own duties |
| First Continental Congress | A convention of delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies that met in 1774 |
| Incorporation | The process by which the Supreme Court declares that a right in the bill of Rights also applies to state governments |
| New Jersey Plan | Put forward at the Constitutional Convention by the small states, this plan left most government authority with the state governments |
| Originalism | A principle of legal interpretation that relies on the original meaning of those who wrote the Constitution |
| Pragmatism | A principle of legal interpretation based on the idea that the Constitution evolves and that interpretations of the Constitution must be put in the context of contemporary realities |
| Second Continental Congress | A convention of delegates from the thirteen colonies that became the acting national government for the duration of Revolutionary War. |
| Supermajority | An amount higher than a simple majority (50 percent plus one)- typically, three-fifths or two-thirds of the voters |
| Trustee representation | Representatives do what they regard as being in the best interest of their constituents- even if constituents do not agree |
| Unicameral | Having a single legislative house or chamber |
| Virginia Plan | Madison's plan, embraced by the Constitutional Convention delegates from larger states; this plan strengthened the national government relative to state governments |
| Block grants | National government funding provided to state and local governments with relatively few restrictions or requirements on spending |
| Civic voluntarism | Citizen participation in public life without government incentives or coercion( speaking at a town meeting vs. paying taxes, for example) |
| Commerce clause | The constitutional declaration(in Article 1, Section 8) empowering Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations, between states, and with Indian tribes |
| Concurrent power | Government authority shared by national and state governments, such as the power to tax residents |
| Confederation | A group of independent states or nations that yield some of their powers to a national government, although each state retains a degree of sovereign authority |
| Cooperative federalism | Also called marble cake federalism, a system of mingled governing authority, with functions overlapping across national and state governments |
| Devolution | The transfer of authority from the national to the state or local government level |
| Diffusion | The spreading of policy ideas from one city or state to others; a process typical of U.S. federalism |
| Dual Federalism | Also called layer cake federalism, the clear division of governing authority between national and state governments |
| Full faith and credit clause | The constitutional requirement (in Article 4, Section 1) that each state recognize and uphold laws passed by any other state |
| Granted powers | National government powers listed explicitly in the Constituion |
| Grants-in-aid | National government funding provided to state and local governments, along with specific instructions about how the funds may be used |
| Inherent powers | National government powers implied by, but not specifically named in, the Constitution |
| Necessary and proper clause | The constitutional declaration (in Article 1, Section 8) that defines Congress's constitutional authority to exercise the "necessary and proper" powers to carry out its designated functions |
| New Federalism | A version of cooperative federalism, but with stronger emphasis on state and local government activity versus national government |
| Preemption | The invalidation of a U.S. state law that conflicts with Federal law |
| Progressive federalism | Approach that gives state officials considerable leeway in achieving national programs and goals |
| Reserved power | The constitutional guarantee( in the tenth amendment) that the states retain government authority not explicitly granted to the national government |
| Supremacy clause | The constitutional declaration (in Article 6, Section 2) that the national government's authority prevails over any conflicting state or local government's claims, provided the power is granted to the federal government |
| Unfunded mandate | An obligation imposed on state or local government officials by federal legislation without sufficient federal funding support to cover the costs |
| Unitary government | A national polity governed as a single unit, with the central government exercising all or most political authority |
| Approval Rating | A measure of public support for a political figure or instituion |
| Bandwagon effect | When people join a cause because it seems popular or support a candidate who is leading in the polls |
| Boomerang effect | The discrepancy between candidates' high poll ratings and election performance, caused by supporters' assumption that an easy win means they need not tun out |
| Demographic group | People sharing specific characteristics such as age, ethnicity/race, religion, or country of origin |
| Framing effects | The influence, on the respondent, of how a polling question is asked; changes in wording can significantly alter many people's answers |
| Groupthink | The tendency among a small group of decision makers to converge on a shared set of views; can limit creative thinking or solutions to policy problems |
| Information shortcuts | Cues about candidates and policies drawn from every day life |
| Likely voters | Persons identified as probable voters in an upcoming election, often preferred by polling organizations, but difficult to specify with great accuracy |
| Mandate | Political authority claimed by an election winner as reflecting the approval of the people |
| Margin of sampling error | The degree of inaccuracy in any poll, arising from the fact that surveys involve a sample of respondents from a population, rather than every member |
| Nonattitudes | The lack of a stable perspective in response to opinion surveys; answers to questions may be self-contradictory or may display no ideological consistency |
| Policy agenda | The issues that the media covers, the public considers important, and politicians address. Setting the agenda is the first step in political action. |
| Political elites | Individuals who control significant wealth, status, power or visibility and consequently have significant influence over public debates |
| Political socialization | Education about how the government works and which places one should support; provided by parents, peers, schools, parties, and other national institutions |
| Push poll | A form of negative campaigning that masquerades as a regular opinion survey. Usually conducted by a campaign or allied group; features strongly critical or unflattering information about an opponent. |
| Random sample | A sample in which everyone is the population (sampling frame) has an equal probability of being selected |
| Response bias | The tendency of poll respondents to misstate their views, frequently to avoid "shameful" opinions such as sexism or racism |
| Sampling frame | A designated group of people from whom a set of poll respondents is randomly selected |
| Survey research | Systematic study of a defined population, analyzing a representative sample's views to draw interference about the larger public's views, also known as opinion poll |
| Underdog effect | Sympathy for a candidate behind in the polls, contributing to a higher-than-predicted vote total and sometimes a surprise election victory |
Created by:
illuna
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