Political Science Final Exam Study Guide #2

Front 1

What is political participation?

Back 1

those activities by private individuals & groups that aim to influence the selection of governmental personnel, the outcomes of political decision-making, or impact one’s community

Front 2

What role does political participation play in a democracy?

Back 2

Pressure to vote one way or another to influence someone, to help produce policy & have a voice for Democratic party

Front 3

What is the range of activities that can be considered political participation?

Back 3

-Traditionally, formal, institutionalized methods
-Extra-institutional methods
-Informal methods

Front 4

What do we gain with a broad definition of political participation?

Back 4

-We should because otherwise, we exclude many actions that have a political goal or impact
-Because conventional political participation was not always possible for many in U.S. society
-Because we take a broad view of what is political; split between public and private is artificial

-PP is good for political outcomes and individuals’ growth as citizens

Front 5

When the APSA Task Force report says that: “Disparities in participation ensure that ordinary Americans speak in a whisper while the most advantaged roar,” what do they mean?

Back 5

Citizens’ voices are not raised equals
Gov’t does not hear citizens’ voices equally

Front 6

Who participates more?

Back 6

People with more money, occupational success, and high levels of formal education participate more

Front 7

What inequalities exist along economic lines in the U.S.? Why do the authors argue these patterns matter?

Back 7

Inequalities of income, wealth, race, and more persist, and are growing today in the United States

Front 8

Why do the authors argue these patterns matter?

Back 8

These patterns matter because this means that our democracy is not functioning well

Front 9

What are their three main recommendations for improving the health of American democracy?

Back 9

To improve the health of American democracy:

1.Gov’t can create policies to reduce inequality
2.There is a greater role by non-governmental institutions
3.The media – should have more time for debates & should take a role as “watch dog” instead of a “lap dog”

Front 10

What are the three models through which social scientists have argued that elections might
ensure that the government does what people want?

Back 10

Three models:

1. Prospective – voters decide what the party will do in the future
-Parties are responsible
-Parties say one thing and do it
-Negative: You assume that people are voting for one party because they are the lesser of two evils
-Negative: There could be conflicts between parties

2. Electoral Competition – unified parties compete for votes by taking the most popular positions they can by trying to take positions that will appeal to the median voter (average voter)

-Negative: Assumes people are informed and know where the parties stand
-Negative: Impacts where people are going

3. Retrospective – Look back at the performance of a party and base voting on that

-Negative: Hard to vote on one party
-Negative: No guarantee that future people elected will be better

Front 11

In what ways are U.S. elections different from those in other countries?

Back 11

1.Higher quantity
2.Separate and independent from one another
3.Fill gov’t positions with fixed terms of office
4.Elections held on a fixed date
5.Almost always “first past the post” (we’re only concerned with who wins the most votes, “winner takes all”)

Front 12

How has the right to vote expanded through U.S. history?

Back 12

Americans are more likely than people in other countries to participate actively in campaigns due to the expansion of the right to vote to include women, African Americans, and young people (18 to 20 year olds

Front 13

What is voter turnout?

Back 13

The proportion of eligible voters who actually vote in a given election

Front 14

What trends can we see in voter turn-out in the U.S. context?

Back 14

1.Slow expansion of franchise
2.Barriers to voting
3.Lack of attractive choices
4.Too much complexity
5.Alienation – “politics is a dirty place” – you feel it is foreign to you
6.Lack of mobilization by political parties (some communities are not visited by the political parties)
7.Poor quality of candidates

Front 15

What can be done to increase voter turnout as discussed in class and in Greenberg + Page?

Back 15

1.Getting young people, people of color, & others to vote

Front 16

How do Greenberg and Page suggest that money matters in politics today?

Back 16

Most agree that money creates problems in U.S. presidential elections. The main problem is probably not that too much money is spent but that the money comes from private sources that may influence government policy making after the election is over.

Front 17

How does our system of campaign financing help or hinder democracy?

Back 17

Money matters a great deal in the presidential nomination process but not so much during the post-convention run for the White House.

Front 18

Which components of
democracy need to be considered to answer if our system of campaign financing helps or hinders democracy?

Back 18

1.Personal wealth of candidates
2.Political parties
3.Interest groups
4.Individual donors

Front 19

What is a political party?

Back 19

Organizations that try to win control of government by electing people to public office that carry the party label

Front 20

What do political parties do?

Back 20

1.They recruit and run candidates
2.They organize and coordinate the activities of public officials under a party banner

Front 21

What are the major reasons why the U.S. has maintained a two-
party system with few successful third parties?

Back 21

1.Electoral rules – only one winner between two parties

2.Restrictions on minor parties (ex. With money)

3.Absence of a strong labor movement

4.Candidate centered elections – people don’t want to “stray from the ‘herd’” and it would take a lot of effort to start up a 3rd party (it is too difficult)

Front 22

Describe the current party system in the U.S.

Back 22

Dealignment + parity – Democrats vs. Republicans

Front 23

What information did we discuss and did Greenberg + Page cover that can help us to make predictions about the future of political parties in the U.S.?

Back 23

1.Party loyalties among groups
2.2004 Presidential Election (Electoral Vote) – America divided by party and geography

Front 24

In what ways can political parties help or hinder democracy?

Back 24

Keep elected officials responsive (via elections)
-Be a way to include a broad range of groups under one umbrella, broader than an interest group or social movement
-Stimulate political interest and increase participation
-Erase accountability, attribution of responsibility
-Help people make sense of complexity in politics, using parties as “shorthand” for decision making
-Make government work/encourage cooperation

Front 25

How and why are interest groups so involved in U.S. politics?

Back 25

They apply pressure to influence behavior of public officials like the President, members of Congress, etc.
-Interest groups are private voluntary associations that try to shape public policy.

Front 26

What is the difference between the “inside game” and the “outside game”?

Back 26

Inside game – direct, personal contact between interest group representatives and government officials
-By lobbying congress, executive branch, & judiciary

Outside game – involves interest group mobilization of public opinion, voters, and important contributors in order to bring pressure to bear on elected officials
-Emails sent & the media

Front 27

What is the difference between “grassroots,” “grass-tops” and “Astroturf” interest groups?

Back 27

-Grassroots – membership organizations that rally ordinary voters for a cause

-Grass-tops – organize powerful people for a cause

-Astroturf – Looks like grassroots but are actually “front organizations” funded by larger Washington-based interest groups

Front 28

What is the difference between a “special interest”/“private interest” group and a “public interest” group, according to Greenberg + Page?

Back 28

-Special (Or Private) Interest Group – Focus on gaining protections or material advantages from government for their own members, rather than society at large

-Public Interest Group – Focus on protections and gains for a broader public or society in general

Front 29

What did the Pluralists believe?

Back 29

-Interest groups are an essential feature of modern democracy and tool of democratic representation (like elections)

-They allow people to express their wants & interests to policy makers and political leaders consistently on a given issue

-Interest groups are easy to create and Americans are free to do so

-There are many entry points for interest groups to impact the policy making process due to federalism, checks & balances, and the separation of powers

-Therefore, all interests in society can have their views taken into account by same public official

-Citizens vote for government officials

-People (both citizens & non-citizens) may belong to interest groups which try to influence public official’s actions around a given issue

Front 30

When Schattschneider is quoted in your text as saying “the flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper class accent,” what does he mean?

Back 30

political equality is undermined by the interest group system, and democracy is less fully developed than it might be, even taking into account the new importance of the outside game (which, as we have said, tends to “socialize conflict”).