Free Response Focus for AP Gov Mock Exam #5 Thursday April 20 1:00 – 3:30
-public policy: forming vs. enacting vs. implementing; formation of policy agenda / agenda setting = media and elections; media = forms policy by what it chooses to cover and how it frames issues; the winners of elections control what policies they want to discuss / prioritize certain issues in policymaking; enactment = congressional committees and executive orders; congr. Committees can mark up bills / keep bills in committee so they die without becoming official policies if they disagree with them; hold hearings about policies and executive orders can be used by presidents to enact policy and bypass Congress (e.o. do not have to be approved by Congress); implementation = bureaucratic discretion and iron triangles; bureaucratic discretion = bureaucrats have the ability to shape public policy because they have some flexibility to implement laws passed by Congress how they see fit ex. how much money to charge for fees, etc.; iron triangle = interest groups and Congressional committees can pressure the bureaucracy to implement policies that benefit them by using support / funding as leverage
-Characteristics of a valid, scientific public opinion poll = random sample (every participant in poll has an equal chance of being selected; sample (those chosen to participate in the poll) size is large and the questions asked are not biased; why public opinion can be a strong influence on voting decisions of members of Congress = poll results can show what constituents want done about an issue / what ideology majority of them are, so if member of Congress wants to get reelected he / she cannot completely ignore poll results / members of Congress could feel that it is their duty to represent the wishes of their constituents; why party leadership / voting records of members of Congress can limit influence of public opinion= party leadership = members of Congress may pay more attention to what the party leaders want because the leaders of the party control funding / placement on committees, etc; voting records of members of Congress = may want to appear consistent in how they vote because if they change their stance due to a poll may appear indecisive to voters and not have strong individual morals / ethics
-changes in party membership over past few decades with respect to these groups:
-women = ex. gender gap in elections = have become more reliable Democratic voters (ex. recent elections of Presidents Obama – majority of women supported Obama (Democrat) - and Trump – majority of women supported Clinton (Democrat)
-social conservatives = conservative ideology on social issues such as same-sex marriage (social conservatives are against same-sex marriage) = have become more reliable Republican voters (ex. recent elections of Presidents Obama (Democrat) – majority of social conservatives supported Romney (Republican) - and Trump – majority of social conservatives supported Trump (Republican)
-labor union members = have decreased in number the past few decades so there are less supporters for the Democratic Party (members of labor unions typically support the Democratic Party)
-congressional reapportionment versus congressional redistricting; reapportionment = the reallocation of the number of seats each state has in the House of Representatives (a census is conducted every ten years to determine the population changes in each state); why reapportionment is important = states can gain or lose seats in the House of Representatives (based on population); more representatives means a state has more influence; has more electoral votes; congressional redistricting = the redrawing of House district lines / boundaries; goals of politicians when they gerrymander (majority party redraws congressional district lines / boundaries to ensure the maximum number of seats for its candidates) during redistricting = to enhance their own political party’s strength / diminish the strength of their rival political party / protect incumbents and discourage challengers / increase or decrease minority representation depending on the level of support minorities give to the incumbent candidates; limits U.S. Supreme Court has placed on redistricting = lines / boundaries on district map must be connected / districts cannot be drawn solely on the basis of race; redistricting cannot lessen the influence of minorities in voting