03. Key Terms - Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media Flashcards
Group of citizens organizing to win elections, hold public offices, operate governments and determine public policy
Political party
An election in where the winning candidate is the person who receives more votes than anyone else, but less than half the total
Plurality election
An electoral district from which one person is chosen by the voters for each elected office. This type of electoral system typically leads to legislatures dominated by two political parties
Single-member district
A historical period dominated by one political party
Party era
An election where important groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty
Critical election
The majority party is displaced by the minority party, ushering in a new party era
Party realignment
A government where one party controls the presidency while another party controls Congress
Divided government
Group of people whose members share views on certain interests and try to influence public policy to their benefit. These people are not like political parties since they do not elect people to office
Interest group
A committee formed by business, labor, or other interest groups to raise money and make contributions to the campaigns of political candidates whom they support
Political action committee (PAC)
People who benefit from an interest group without making any contributions
Labor unions and public interest groups often have this problem because people can benefit from the group’s activities without knowing
Free riders
The theory that a small number of rich, wealthy individuals, powerful corporate interest groups, and large financial institutions dominate key policy areas
Power elite theory
The theory that many interest groups compete for power in a large number of policy areas
Pluralist theory
The theory that government policy is weakened and often contradictory since there are so many competing interest groups
Hyperpluralist theory
The way of communication (newspapers, radio, TV, Internet) that can reach large, widely spread-out audiences
Mass media
Institutions that connect citizens to government
Three main institutions are mass media, interest groups, and political parties
Linkage institutions
