Political Science 1010
Introduction to Political Science
Third Exam Review


Interest Groups

• Defintion
• Distinction from political parties
• Determinants of influence
  • Size
  • Unity
    • Free-rider problems
  • Resources
  • Access
• Methods of influence

Political Parties

• Definition
• Functions
  • Intermediary institutions
  • Interest aggregation
  • Integration into political system
  • Political socialization
  • Mobilization of voters
  • Organize government
  
  
• Characteristics of party organization
  • centralization
  • setting government policy
    • party relevance
  • party finance
  
  
• Classifying Parties and Party Systems
  • Duverger's Party types
    • mass
    • cadre
    • devotee
  • Classifying by numbers of parties
    • One-Party
    • Dominant-Party
    • Two-Party
    • Two-Plus Party
    • Multiparty
  • Impact of electoral system
    • Duverger's Law
    • single member district plurality system
      • winner-take-all (WTA)
      • "first past the post" (FPTP)
    • proportional representation (PR)
    • Advantages and disadvantages of each type
  
  
• Sartori's types of party competition
  • moderate pluralism
    • center-seeking parties
  • polarized pluralism
    • center-fleeing parties

Elections and Voting

• Determinants of voting turnout
  • Socio-economic status
  • Race
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Geography
• Determinants of vote choice (know how each effects vote choice)
  • party identification
  • socio-economic class
  • religion
  • age
  • gender
  • marriage
  • race
  • urban/rural
• Electoral realignment/dealigment
• Retrospective voting
• Strategy and voting blocs

Key terms you should know:

apparatchik cadre party catchall party center-fleeing center-seeking centralization class voting coherence constituency corporatism critical election dealignment devotee party electoral system

franchise immobilism interest aggregation interest group lobbying mass party mobilization nationalization party identification party system polarization polarized pluralism Politburo

political action committee political party postmaterialism public financing realignment religiosity retrospective voting single interest group socioeconomic status soft money structured access two-plus party system voting bloc