8.9: Key Terms

adverse selection

the concept, borrowed from economic theory, that voters cannot fully educate themselves on everything they must vote on and that this information asymmetry can often benefit the candidate or issue group that controls the distribution of information

agricultural groups

economic interest groups that work on behalf of agricultural interests

ballot initiative

a mechanism by which voters can directly introduce pieces of legislation and vote to enact them

business group

an economic interest group that works on behalf of business interests

candidate-centered campaign

the idea that the declining influence of political parties and their decreased ability to mobilize voters’ opinions and actions has set voters politically adrift and that candidates themselves have stepped in to fill the power vacuum

civil rights groups

noneconomic interest groups that work to promote and defend the civil rights of a particular group

collective goods

goods or services that all members of a group can share

congressional district method

a method of allocating electoral votes, used in Maine and Nebraska, where the winner of each congressional district is awarded one electoral vote and the winner of the statewide vote is awarded the state’s two remaining electoral votes

dark money

money received by super PACs from shell corporations or donors who do not disclose their identities

direct democracy

a democratic system in which citizens make direct policy choices rather than leaving them to elected officials

disturbance theory

a political theory that suggests that interest groups form in response to the changing complexity of government and society

economic bias

a system in which interests that may be very narrow or seemingly obscure enjoy considerable influence the more socially, monetarily, or institutionally resourced they are

economic groups

interest groups that focus on economic issues such as wages, industry protections, job creation, and profit maximization

Election Day holiday

where voting day is a national holiday or voters vote on a weekend

elections

formal group decision-making processes that elect individuals to public office or, in certain states and countries, allow citizens to select among policy preferences

Electoral College

the system of electors, based on the total number of United States Senators, House members, and electors from Washington, DC, by which the president of the United States is chosen

electoral districts

in the United States, districts of roughly equal population size in which Americans vote

eligible voters

those United States citizens who are aged 18 and older and meet state residency requirements and rules for voting

factionalism

when groups of individuals work collectively to promote a narrow, shared interest, possibly at the expense of the majority

free rider problem

the phenomenon that occurs when individual members of an interest group benefit from the group’s activities even if they do not personally participate

golden parachutes

exit bonuses that reward executives leaving private companies upon entering federal government positions

grassroots lobbying

lobbying that involves groups utilizing public pressure to force governmental action; also called outside lobbying or indirect lobbying

ideological group

a noneconomic interest group that focuses on promoting interests that align with a particular ideology

indirect lobbying

lobbying that involves groups utilizing public pressure to force governmental action; also called outside lobbying or grassroots lobbying

inside lobbying

lobbying in which interest groups cultivate contacts and relationships within government in order to seek to influence a political outcome

interest group

a group of people who organize in order to seek to influence a political outcome

interest group liberalism

the theory that officials respond to well-organized groups not because they are good for society, but because well-organized interests simply do a better job of demanding governmental action

labor groups

economic interest groups that work on behalf of workers’ interests

lobbying

the attempt by a group to influence a political outcome

majority rule

a system in which candidates for statewide office must win at least 50 percent of the vote to win an election

moral hazard

the risk a voter takes that a chosen candidate may not, once elected, act in the way the voter hopes

multiparty system

a system of government where multiple political parties take part in national elections

noneconomic groups

interest groups that work to advance noneconomic issues such as the environment or education

outside lobbying

lobbying that rallies public support in order to pressure political actors to consider a cause; also known as indirect or grassroots lobbying

patronage

the act of hiring or using state resources in a partisan manner in order to reward political support

pluralist theory

a political theory that posits that multiple and diverse interests compete for attention and resources and that political power is distributed among these various interests

plurality rule

an election system in which the candidate with the most votes wins an election

political action committee (PAC)

an interest group’s official fundraising arm

political parties

groups that organize around a shared political ideology, with the primary goal of electing party members to positions in government

populism

the appeal on the part of public leaders to the belief of ordinary people that established elite groups disregard their concerns

professional groups

economic interest groups that work in the interests of a particular profession

proportional representation

an electoral system in which votes cast by the electorate are reflected by the same proportions within the governing body

public interest group

a group that benefits a narrow constituency or policy issue (such as the American Association of Retired People) and works to achieve benefits for the larger population, not just for their own members

recall

an election in which voters decide whether or not to end the term of an elected official

referendum

an election in which voters decide whether to overturn existing law or policy

registered voters

voters who have fulfilled the necessary requirements set by the government in order to be able to cast a vote

single-issue groups

groups that focus their work on a single issue in order to acquire or maintain benefits for their members (for example, the National Rifle Association)

single-party system

an electoral system where one party makes up the government

snap election

in Britain, an election the prime minister can call at any time

social capital

relationships forged in political and other social networks, resulting from citizen mobilization, that help citizens resolve collective problems

super PACs

independent political action committees that can raise unlimited funds in order to campaign for candidates but are barred from directly coordinating with either candidates or parties

transaction theory

a political theory, espoused by Robert H. Salisbury, that argues that political actors are not influenced by groups that have mobilized to enact change so much as they are responding to the interests of narrowly focused elites, and that the relationship between interest groups and government is that of an exchange

two-party system

an electoral system where two main parties control power in government

vote of no confidence

a way for a legislative body to indicate that they no longer support the leader of the government (such as a prime minister) and their cabinet

voter fatigue

a phenomenon in which the demands of multiple elections leave voters feeling apathetic or disengaged

voter registration requirements

a set of conditions voters must meet and be able to prove in order to be eligible to vote

voter suppression

a strategy or in some instances local laws that work to prohibit certain groups from voting

voter turnout

the number of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election

voting eligible population (VEP)

the population that is eligible to vote, regardless of registration status, not including persons that are not eligible to vote, such as noncitizens and, in certain US states, convicted felons