|
affirmative action
|
Preferential treatment of members of underrepresented groups in employment, college admissions, and other situations to compensate for past discrimination.
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|
agenda setting
|
The power of news media to influence what the public considers important by covering or not covering it.
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agent
|
Someone who is asked by someone else to do something.
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amicus curiae
|
A brief filed by an individual or group not directly involved in a court case in order to influence the court’s ruling.
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Anti-Federalists
|
Opponents of the Constitution during the time when states were debating its ratification.
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appellate court
|
A court ranking below the Supreme Court in the federal judiciary.
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Articles of Confederation
|
The first constitution of the United States, which loosely united the 13 states under a weak central government from 1781 to 1789.
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attitude
|
An orientation or predisposition toward an object.
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bicameral
|
Consisting of two chambers.
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Bill of Rights
|
The first ten amendments to the Constitution.
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block grant
|
An amount of money issued to a state by Congress with fewer restrictions than a categorical grant.
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bureaucracy
|
A formal, hierarchical organization for delegating tasks and duties.
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Cabinet
|
A group of advisers to the president, consisting of the vice president and the secretaries of the 15 Cabinet departments.
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casework
|
Services rendered to individual constituents by members of Congress and their staffs.
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|
categorical grant
|
An amount of money issued to a state by Congress to spend for a specific purpose and according to specific guidelines.
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caucus
|
A type of primary election in which voters gather at meetings before voting for a nominee.
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checks and balances
|
A system in which each branch of government can limit or block the actions of the other branches.
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civil liberty
|
A protection from government overreach that is considered essential to the functioning of a liberal democracy.
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civil right
|
A protection from discrimination or unequal treatment.
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civil service
|
A system in which bureaucrats are employed based on merit.
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club good
|
A benefit that is excludable and nonrivalrous.
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collective action problem
|
The challenge of providing or sustaining a good for a group when members would rather free-ride than contribute.
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common good
|
A benefit that is nonexcludable and rivalrous.
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concurrence
|
An opinion agreeing with the majority opinion but for additional or different reasons.
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concurrent powers
|
Powers that are shared by the national government and the state governments.
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confederal system
|
A system of government in which power is concentrated at the subnational level.
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conference committee
|
A committee consisting of both representatives and senators, created to reconcile two versions of a bill into one.
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|
conservatism
|
An ideology which generally prioritizes freedom over equality and favors limited government, free markets, and maintenance of traditional social norms.
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constitution
|
A set of basic laws that structure a government.
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Constitutional Convention
|
The 1787 meeting in Philadelphia where the Constitution was written.
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cooperative federalism
|
A system in which national and state governments exercise their powers collaboratively.
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coverage error
|
Survey inaccuracy caused by some members of the population being more likely to be sampled than others.
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|
Declaration of Independence
|
The document which formally declared the United States of America to be independent from Great Britain in 1776.
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deep state
|
A system of powerful bureaucratic actors who operate largely outside of the control by elected officials or the public.
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democracy
|
A form of government in which the people rule, either directly or indirectly.
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direct democracy
|
A democracy in which citizens vote directly on government policy.
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dissent
|
An opinion disagreeing with the majority opinion.
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district court
|
A court ranking below the appellate courts in the federal judiciary.
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divided government
|
A period when the party which controls the presidency lacks control of the House, the Senate, or both.
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division of labor
|
The separate assignment of tasks or sets of related tasks to allow for specialization.
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double jeopardy
|
Being tried more than once for the same crime.
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dual federalism
|
A system in which national and state governments exercise their powers in separate domains with minimal overlap or interaction.
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due process
|
Fair treatment in legal proceedings.
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Duverger’s law
|
The tendency of plurality rule in single-member districts to produce two-party systems.
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|
Electoral College
|
A set of 538 electors, chosen by the states and the District of Columbia, whose votes determine the winner of the presidential election.
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|
enumerated powers
|
Powers that are granted to the national government in the Constitution.
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establishment clause
|
The part of the First Amendment which prevents the government from establishing an official religion or passing laws that favor or disfavor particular religions.
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executive agreement
|
An agreement between the president and one or more other countries which functions like a treaty but does not require ratification by the Senate.
|
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Executive Office of the President
|
A set of agencies that advise and act on behalf of the president on various administrative matters.
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|
executive order
|
A presidential decree that has the force of law but does not require congressional approval.
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faction
|
A group of people with shared interests that are distinct from the interests of society as a whole.
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fairness doctrine
|
A requirement that news broadcasters represent opposing political views in their reporting.
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|
Federal Communications Commission
|
The agency charged with regulating radio, television, and Internet communication in the United States.
|
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|
federal system
|
A system of government in which power is divided roughly evenly between the national and subnational levels.
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|
Federalist Papers
|
A collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison in support of ratifying the Constitution.
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|
Federalists
|
Supporters of the Constitution during the time when states were debating its ratification.
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|
fighting words
|
Speech directed at a target in order to provoke a violent response.
|
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|
filibuster
|
A tactic for delaying Senate proceedings by extending debate indefinitely.
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|
framing
|
Priming based on how a question or issue is presented.
|
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|
free exercise clause
|
The part of the First Amendment which prevents the government from interfering with citizens’ religious practices.
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free rider
|
A person who enjoys a good without contributing to it.
|
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|
full faith and credit clause
|
The clause in Article IV of the Constitution which requires states to respect the laws of other states.
|
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|
general election
|
An election to determine who will hold an elected office.
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gerrymander
|
A district drawn to influence election outcomes by including certain voters and excluding others.
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|
government
|
A system of institutions, rules, and leaders for making group decisions.
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|
grandfather clause
|
An exemption to literacy tests for those whose ancestors had the right to vote prior to a certain date.
|
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|
grassroots lobbying
|
A form of lobbying in which an interest group encourages the public to contact and attempt to persuade government officials.
|
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|
Great Compromise
|
A compromise between large and small states at the Constitutional Convention, which resulted in a two-chamber Congress with a proportional House of Representatives and an equal Senate.
|
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|
Great Society
|
A policy agenda spearheaded by President Lyndon B. Johnson to address issues of poverty, education, and racial discrimination.
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|
gridlock
|
Absence or slowness of congressional action due to internal disagreement.
|
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|
|
head of government
|
The practical role of leading the government of a country.
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|
head of state
|
The symbolic role of fulfilling ceremonial duties on behalf of a country.
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|
heuristic
|
A mental shortcut for making decisions based on limited information.
|
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|
|
hierarchy
|
A structure in which each member is superior or inferior to at least one other member.
|
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|
|
identity
|
A stable, defining characteristic of a person.
|
|
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|
|
ideology
|
A system of beliefs about how to improve society.
|
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|
|
impeachment
|
The charging of a federal officer with treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors.
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|
|
incitement
|
Speech that advocates (and is likely to provoke) imminent lawless action.
|
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|
Incorporation
|
The process by which the Supreme Court rules that a right mentioned in the Bill of Rights must be respected by the states.
|
|
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|
|
indirect democracy
|
A democracy in which citizens vote for representatives who, in turn, determine government policy.
|
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|
|
initiative
|
A policy proposed and voted on directly by citizens.
|
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|
|
interest group
|
An organized group seeking to influence public policy which does not nominate its own candidates to run in elections.
|
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|
|
iron triangle
|
A mutually beneficial relationship between a congressional committee or subcommittee, a bureaucratic agency, and an interest group.
|
|
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|
|
Jim Crow laws
|
Laws passed after the Civil War to discriminate against blacks and preserve the existing racial order in the South.
|
|
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|
|
judicial activism
|
Action by judges that goes beyond neutral and impartial interpretation of the law.
|
|
|
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|
|
judicial review
|
The judiciary’s power to strike down acts of Congress or the president if it deems them unconstitutional.
|
|
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|
|
Lemon test
|
A three-part test of whether a government action violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment.
|
|
|
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|
|
libel
|
Written falsehoods that damage someone’s reputation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
liberalism
|
An ideology which generally prioritizes equality over freedom and favors government intervention, redistributive programs, and non-maintenance of traditional social norms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
literacy test
|
A requirement to prove one’s ability to read and write in order to vote.
|
|
|
|
|
|
living constitution
|
A judicial philosophy that permits the meaning of legal language to evolve over time.
|
|
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|
|
|
lobbying
|
Attempting to persuade government officials to act in a certain way.
|
|
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|
|
|
majority opinion
|
The official statement of a court’s decision in a case.
|
|
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|
|
majority rule
|
The principle that a group should take the actions supported by most of its members.
|
|
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|
|
margin of error
|
The range around a polling result within which the true value of public opinion is likely to be found.
|
|
|
|
|
|
mass media
|
Modes of communication with the power to quickly reach a large audience.
|
|
|
|
|
|
measurement error
|
Survey inaccuracy caused by members of the sample providing incorrect answers, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
|
|
|
|
|
|
mobilization
|
The act of encouraging citizens to turn out to vote.
|
|
|
|
|
|
necessary and proper clause
|
The clause in Article I of the Constitution which authorizes Congress to make whatever laws are “necessary and proper” to carry out its duties.
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Deal
|
The set of programs initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt which increased the national government’s economic powers in response to the Great Depression.
|
|
|
|
|
|
newsworthy bias
|
Favoritism for stories that will attract and maintain the audience’s attention.
|
|
|
|
|
|
nonresponse error
|
Survey inaccuracy caused by some members of the sample being more likely to respond than others.
|
|
|
|
|
|
notice and comment
|
A procedure of bureaucratic rulemaking in which the public is notified and invited to make suggestions about proposed rules.
|
|
|
|
|
|
obscenity
|
Offensive depictions of sexual conduct with no redeeming social value.
|
|
|
|
|
|
opinion
|
A measurable manifestation of an attitude.
|
|
|
|
|
|
originalism
|
A judicial philosophy that prioritizes the intended meaning of legal language at the time it was written.
|
|
|
|
|
|
override
|
To make a vetoed bill law without the president’s signature by a two-thirds vote of both the House and the Senate.
|
|
|
|
|
|
oversight
|
Congressional monitoring of the actions of executive branch officials.
|
|
|
|
|
|
partisan bias
|
Favoritism for (or opposition to) a particular party.
|
|
|
|
|
|
partisanship
|
Stable personal attachment to a party.
|
|
|
|
|
|
party
|
An organized group that seeks to influence public policy by nominating candidates in elections.
|
|
|
|
|
|
party-as-organization
|
The formal administrative structure of a party.
|
|
|
|
|
|
party-in-government
|
The members of a party who hold official government positions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
party-in-the-electorate
|
The average citizens who support or consider themselves members of a party.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pendleton Act
|
An 1883 law that reformed the national bureaucracy from the spoils system to a civil service by protecting certain bureaucrats from being fired without cause.
|
|
|
|
|
|
persuasion
|
The act of encouraging citizens to vote for a particular candidate, party, or issue position.
|
|
|
|
|
|
pluralism
|
A theory of democracy as a competition among interest groups.
|
|
|
|
|
|
plurality
|
More than anyone else has of something.
|
|
|
|
|
|
polarization
|
Increasing ideological distance between parties.
|
|
|
|
|
|
political action committee
|
An interest group whose sole purpose is to raise money and spend it on political campaigns.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Politics
|
The contest over and exercise of power.
|
|
|
|
|
|
poll
|
A process by which people are asked to give their opinions on a topic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
popular sovereignty
|
The principle that people should have a say in how they are governed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
population
|
The set about which a pollster wants to make inferences.
|
|
|
|
|
|
pork
|
National funding for projects in individual states or congressional districts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
power
|
The ability to cause someone to do something he or she would not otherwise do.
|
|
|
|
|
|
precedent
|
A past decision by a judge in a court case.
|
|
|
|
|
|
primary election
|
An election to determine the nominee of a party for an elected office.
|
|
|
|
|
|
primary
|
A type of primary election in which voters vote for a nominee similarly to how they would in a general election.
|
|
|
|
|
|
priming
|
The process by which a particular consideration is made more salient.
|
|
|
|
|
|
principal
|
Someone who asks someone else to do something.
|
|
|
|
|
|
principal-agent problem
|
When a principal asks an agent to do something but the agent’s motivations differ from the principal’s motivations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
prior restraint
|
Censorship of information prior to its publication.
|
|
|
|
|
|
private good
|
A benefit that is excludable and rivalrous.
|
|
|
|
|
|
privileges and immunities clause
|
The clause in Article IV of the Constitution which prohibits states from denying basic rights to citizens from other states.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Progressivism
|
A political philosophy which emerged in the United States in the late 1800s and advocated increasing the size and scope of government to improve its capacity to solve problems.
|
|
|
|
|
|
propaganda
|
Information or misinformation disseminated for the purpose of manipulating public opinion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
public good
|
A benefit that is nonexcludable and nonrivalrous.
|
|
|
|
|
|
referendum
|
A policy proposed by a legislature and voted on directly by citizens.
|
|
|
|
|
|
representative sample
|
A sample that resembles the population from which it is drawn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
reserved powers
|
Powers that are reserved for state governments by the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution.
|
|
|
|
|
|
right to privacy
|
A right against excessive government intrusion into one’s personal life, often invoked in matters related to sexual activity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
right
|
A privilege to which a person is entitled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
runoff
|
A second election held between the top finishers of the first election.
|
|
|
|
|
|
salience
|
The quality of being readily called to mind.
|
|
|
|
|
|
sample
|
The subset of a population which is polled
|
|
|
|
|
|
segregation
|
The division of groups into separate accommodations on the basis of race or some other criterion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
selective incentive
|
A benefit available only to those who contribute to a group effort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
separate but equal doctrine
|
The belief that racial segregation is constitutional as long as the separate accommodations are equivalent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
separation of powers
|
The distribution of legislative, executive, and judicial powers among multiple branches of government.
|
|
|
|
|
|
single-member district
|
A type of electoral system in which each individual election produces a single winner assigned to a particular area.
|
|
|
|
|
|
slander
|
Spoken falsehoods that damage someone’s reputation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Speaker of the House
|
The highest-ranking member of the House of
|
|
|
|
|
|
Representatives and the leader of the majority party in the House, elected by a vote of all representatives.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
spoiler effect
|
The tendency of minor parties and independents to “spoil” elections by making it harder for their preferred major party to win.
|
|
|
|
|
|
spoils system
|
A system in which bureaucrats are employed based on political favoritism.
|
|
|
|
|
|
stare decisis
|
The doctrine that judges should rely on precedent when deciding cases.
|
|
|
|
|
|
statute
|
A specific law passed by a legislature.
|
|
|
|
|
|
suffrage
|
The right to vote.
|
|
|
|
|
|
super PAC
|
A type of political action committee without fundraising limits which cannot coordinate directly with candidates or parties.
|
|
|
|
|
|
supremacy clause
|
The clause in Article VI of the Constitution which establishes that national law supersedes state law.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supreme Court
|
The highest-ranking federal court in the United States.
|
|
|
|
|
|
technocracy
|
Rule by experts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three-Fifths Compromise
|
A compromise between Northern and Southern states at the Constitutional Convention, which resulted in slaves being counted as three-fifths of a person for determining seats in the House of Representatives.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Title IX
|
A 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive aid from the national government.
|
|
|
|
|
|
turnout
|
The percentage of people who vote in an election.
|
|
|
|
|
|
two-party system
|
A system in which two parties win most elections and dominate the political process.
|
|
|
|
|
|
unified government
|
A period when the same party controls the House, Senate, and presidency.
|
|
|
|
|
|
unitary system
|
A system of government in which power is concentrated at the national level.
|
|
|
|
|
|
veto
|
To reject a bill passed by both chambers of Congress.
|
|
|
|
|
|
War Powers Act
|
A 1973 law that empowers the president to initiate military actions, provided he informs Congress within 48 hours of their commencement and subject to congressional authorization after 90 days.
|
|
|
|
|
|
whip
|
A member of Congress whose job is to get fellow party members to vote together.
|
|
|
|
|
|
writ of certiorari
|
A statement issued by a court agreeing to consider a case.
|
|
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|
|
