Am Govt : Chapter 12

Front 1

interest groups

Back 1

organizations that seek to influence government decisions

Front 2

pluralism

Back 2

the theory that all groups are well represented and no single interest controls government decisions

Front 3

nondecisions

Back 3

decisions not to consider particular issues or incorporate them into the policy agenda

Front 4

policy agenda

Back 4

the set of issues under consideration by policy makers

Front 5

disturbance theory

Back 5

the theory that when social, political, and economic relationships change individuals form groups in response

Front 6

free-rider problem

Back 6

a barrier to collective action because people can reap the benefits of group efforts without participating

Front 7

collective action problem

Back 7

This situation arrises when many or all members of a population would benefit fom some sort of activity or a policy that actifity is trying to influence, even if they did not actively participate in the effort

Front 8

selective benefit

Back 8

benefit that can be accessed only by those who participate in or contribute to group activity

Front 9

material benefit

Back 9

a good or service offered to encourage participation in group activity

Front 10

social benefit

Back 10

benefit that encourages individuals to join a group in order to enjoy the company of those who share similar opinions and interests

Front 11

purposive benefit

Back 11

benefit that encourages group participation by connecting individuals to an organization's political purpose

Front 12

interest group entrepreneur

Back 12

one who overcomes the costs of collective action by launching and managing an interest group

Front 13

patron

Back 13

an individual who supports an interest group by providing the resources needed for it to organize and flourish

Front 14

political action committee (PAC)

Back 14

a group that collects money from individuals and makes donations to political parties and candidates

Front 15

bundling

Back 15

the practice of collecting individual checks and presenting them to a candidate at one time

Front 16

527 committee

Back 16

an independent, nonparty group that raises and spends money on political activities

Front 17

lobbying

Back 17

communicating with government officials to persuade them toward a particular policy decision

Front 18

inside lobbying

Back 18

meeting directly with public officials to influence political decisions

Front 19

grassroots lobbying

Back 19

efforts to persuade citizens to contact their elected officials regarding a particular issue or piece of legislation

Front 20

outside lobbying

Back 20

lobbying that takes place outside washington dc