Gov- Chp 11 Vocab

Front 1

an organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals

Back 1

interest group

Front 2

a theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies

Back 2

pluralist theory

Front 3

a theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upperclass elite will rule

Back 3

elite theory

Front 4

a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened

Back 4

hyperpluralist theory

Front 5

a network of groups within the American political system that exercise a great deal of control over specific areas. composed of interest group leaders interested in a particular policy, the government agency in charge of administering that policy, and the members of congressional committees and subcommittees handling that policy

Back 5

subgovernments

Front 6

all the people who might be interest group members because they share some common interest

Back 6

potential group

Front 7

the part of the potential group consisting of members who actually join

Back 7

actual group

Front 8

something of value that cannot be withheld from a group member

Back 8

collective good

Front 9

the problem faced by unions and other groups when people do not join because they can benefit from the group's activities without officially joining

Back 9

free-rider problem

Front 10

the larger the group, the further it will fall short of providing an optimal amount of a collective good

Back 10

Olson's law of large groups

Front 11

goods that a group can restrict to those who pay their annual dues

Back 11

selective benefits

Front 12

groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics

Back 12

single-issue groups

Front 13

communication, by someone other than a citizen acting on his own behalf, directed to a governmental decisionmaker with the hope of influencing his decision

Back 13

lobbying

Front 14

direct group involvement in the electoral process. groups can help fund campaigns, provide testimony, and get members to work for candidates, and some form PACs

Back 14

electioneering

Front 15

a corporation, union, or some other interest group that funds politics

Back 15

political action committees

Front 16

legal briefs submitted by a friend of the court for the purpose of raising additional points of view and presenting information not contained in the briefs of the formal parties

Back 16

amicus curiae briefs

Front 17

lawsuits permitting a small number of people to sue on behalf of all other people similarly situated

Back 17

class action suits

Front 18

a provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period and to remain members as a condition of employment

Back 18

union shop

Front 19

a state law forbidding requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs

Back 19

right-to-work law

Front 20

organizations that seek a collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively and materially benefit the membership or activities of the organization

Back 20

public interest lobbies