8 Integrating Political Analysis Free Online FlashCards

What counts as political behavior?

Political behavior includes actions such as voting, contacting officials, joining groups, protesting, and following or resisting government rules.

What are three reasons people engage in political behavior?

People may act to seek material benefits, express an identity or principle, or respond to social expectations and information.

What is a political ideology?

Ideologies are organized beliefs about values such as liberty, equality, and order, and about the proper role of government.

What is public policy?

Public policy is government action—or deliberate inaction—addressing public problems.

What are common stages of public policy development?

Policy development commonly involves recognizing an issue, placing it on the agenda, adopting a policy, implementing it, and evaluating its effects.

What roles do legislatures, executives, agencies, and courts play?

Legislatures make laws and authorize spending; executives and public agencies administer programs; courts interpret legal authority and resolve disputes.

How do institutions structure political choices?

Institutions structure choices by setting participation rules, determining how votes count, assigning authority, and shaping how difficult policy change is.

How can policy outcomes shape future politics?

Policy outcomes feed back into politics by changing people’s interests, beliefs, and trust, which can shape later behavior and demands.

What does comparative politics study?

Comparative politics studies political systems and processes across countries, regions, or periods to identify similarities, differences, and possible explanations.

What makes a political comparison useful?

A useful comparison defines the outcome clearly and applies the same concepts to each case; it also considers relevant contextual differences.

In causal analysis, how do a cause and an outcome differ?

A cause or explanatory factor is the proposed influence being studied; an outcome is the result it may help explain.

Why should political analysis consider alternative explanations?

Alternative explanations are other factors that could account for an outcome, such as income, organization, election timing, or available government funds.