Interest groups and the political process 1 List the elements of interest group power
2 What effect will new technologies have on the influence
of interest groups?
3 Why do some seek to limit the influence of interest groups
on the political process?
4 Why do the major parties become increasingly moderate as
the general election approaches?
5 Contrast our presidential, two party, winner-take-all
system with a parliamentary, multiparty, proportional representation system
6 Summarize arguments for and against concern about
non-voting
7 What considerations are important to measuring public
opinion?
8 How are values, attitudes, and beliefs related to voting?
9 What factors are important in political socialization?
10 What role does the media play in determining election
outcomes?
11 What challenges exist for candidates who must run in
both primaries and general elections?
12 How do political campaigns reflect the role of the media
in politics? Does the role of the media actually exclude some good candidates
for office? How?
13 What important differences do you see between the
“new” media and the “old” media?
14 How independent is the media, given that they have to
rely on government sources for some of their information?