Interest groups, political action committees, and the media's role in shaping public opinion and policy, as tested on AP US Government. Front: the term or concept. Back: a plain-language definition.
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- interest group
- An organization of people who share common interests or goals and work to influence government policy in their favor.
- Political action committee (PAC)
- An organization that raises money from members or donors to support political candidates or causes aligned with the group's interests.
- super PAC
- An independent political action committee that can raise unlimited money from corporations, unions, and individuals, but cannot coordinate directly with candidates.
- lobbyist
- A person hired by an interest group to influence government officials and policy makers on behalf of that group.
- lobbying
- The activities and strategies used by interest groups to influence government policy and decision-making.
- grassroots lobbying
- Efforts by interest groups to mobilize ordinary citizens to contact their elected representatives about an issue.
- astroturf lobbying
- A fake grassroots movement created and funded by special interests to appear as though it has organic public support.
- inside lobbying
- Direct efforts by interest groups to influence policy makers, often through one-on-one meetings, testimony, or private negotiations.
- outside lobbying
- Efforts by interest groups to influence policy by mobilizing and shaping public opinion, often through media campaigns or grassroots organizing.
- revolving door
- The practice of people moving between positions in government and positions in lobbying firms or private industries regulated by those agencies.
- issue advocacy
- Advertising, campaigns, or communications promoting a particular policy position without directly calling for a candidate's election or defeat.
- hard money
- Campaign contributions with strict legal limits that go directly to political candidates or their campaign committees.
- soft money
- Largely unregulated campaign contributions to political parties for general party activities, largely banned after the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.
- Citizens United v. FEC
- A 2010 Supreme Court decision that struck down limits on campaign spending by corporations and unions, allowing unlimited independent political spending.
- agenda-setting
- The media's power to determine which issues and topics the public considers important by deciding which stories to cover and how prominently.