1: Core Concepts

Question 1

Politics is typically viewed as falling under one process, but it also falls under another. Elaborate.

Answer 1

Politics is about who gets what, when and how.

Politics is the study of the nature, distribution, and use of power.

Question 2

What is political science? What are the three targets of study?

Answer 2

The academic discipline that studies how politics and its power happen and its effects.

Values, institutions, actors.

Question 3

Explain how politics were defined by the following figures:

• Aristotle
• Bierce
• Turner
• Dahl

Answer 3

Aristotle: master science.

Bierce: interests masquerading as contest of principles.

Turner: peaceful reconciliation of social and economic differences.

Dahl: patterns of relationships that involve significant degree of control, influence, power, authority.

Question 4

Danzinger (1991) provided four common definitions of politics. What are they?

Answer 4

Exercise of power.

Public allocation of values.

Resolution of conflict.

Competition among individuals, groups, or states pursuing their interests.

Question 5

There are two ways to view politics in political science. What are they?

Answer 5

Empirical: fact-based, observable data vs. ideas, thoughts.

Normative: based on values, ideas (e.g., why did X people not come out to vote?).

Question 6

There are four approaches to studying politics. What are they?

Answer 6

Institutionalism: systematic analysis of political organizations.

Behaviouralism: actors, behaviour of individuals.

Public choice: maximization of individual utility.

Political economy: involvement of state in economy.

Question 7

What makes up the political economy?

Answer 7

Politics     Economy
    ↓                 ↓
 State        Markets
            ⟷
 Political economy

Question 8

Roman ‘loyalty,’ or ‘res publica’ held what ideals? What did they see democracy as?

What were they responsible for founding?

Answer 8

Ideals: government, freedom, laws, citizenship.

Democracy: mob vice.

Institutions, laws, administration.

Question 9

Representation mechanisms include what two things?

Answer 9

Direct democracy, representative democracy.

Question 10

Direct democracy involves referendums and plebocites. What are these?

Answer 10

Referendum: on existing mechanic; yes/no, legally binding.

Plebocite: yes/no, not legally binding.

Question 11

What are institutions?

Answer 11

Structures that define and constrain behaviour within political system.

Question 12

What is the classical definition of liberalism?

Answer 12

Sovereignty of the individual (i.e., rights, freedoms).

Question 13

Democracy has _____, liberal democracy has _____.

Answer 13

Features; principles.

Question 14

We tend to think of democracy as what three things?

Answer 14

Aspirational.

Normative.

Institutional.

Question 15

What is the difference between a weak institution and a strong institution?

Answer 15

Weak: corrupt, underdeveloped, undemocratic (people have little impact on procedure/form).

Strong: durable (lasts through time), accountable, transparent, autonomous.

Question 16

Established institutions prefer continuity, as that offers _____.

Answer 16

Stability.

Question 17

What is a general definition of government?

Answer 17

System of offices, oversees and guides individuals in political system.

Question 18

Define a government of a country.

Answer 18

Organizational claim to exercise exclusive regulation of legitimate use of force in enforcing rules within territory.

Question 19

Define the following forms of government:

• Totalitarian
• Authoritarian
• Monarchical
• Liberal democratic
• Theocratic

Answer 19

Totalitarian: influence totality of individuals within state; all are authoritarian.

Authoritarian: regulate great deal of life, but not in totality.

Monarchical: in past, absolute power vested in monarch; today, constitutional, therefore powers vary.

Liberal democratic: no monarch, official is elected by the people; various vested powers; society usually displays liberal ethos.

Theocratic: religion is ruler; therefore, institutions founded upon religious principles.

Question 20

What is Canada’s form of government? Who is sovereign?

Answer 20

Constitutional monarch (Crown with Charter of Rights & Freedoms).

Parliament is sovereign.

Question 21

What is Canada’s organizational institution?

Answer 21

The Crown.

Question 22

What are two main reasons for government?

Answer 22

Security (territorial, individual, etc.)

Well-being of citizenry (only when security is fulfilled).

Question 23

The government is the highest legitimate authority because they are _____.

Answer 23

Sovereign.

Question 24

Governments offer _____ in exchange for _____.

Answer 24

Liberty; security.

Question 25

Explain the difference between government, governance, and civil society.

Answer 25

Government: ruling authority with power to make, enforce laws.

Governance: activity of government; associated with institutions, civil society.

Civil society: totality of voluntary civic/social organizations.

Question 26

What is political power? What is meant by hierarchical power versus linear?

Answer 26

Social ability to induce others to do what you want.

Power and politics relates to hierarchical; money and economics relates to linear.

Question 27

What are the three forms of power?

Answer 27

Influence: someone can carry out will without feeling forced.

Coercion: forcibly applying one’s will.

Authority: obey because accept person or groups exercising power doing so acceptably.

Question 28

What are the three types of authority?

Answer 28

Traditional (e.g., monarchs).

Legal.

Charismatic (attractable qualities/personality).

Question 29

What is meant by the input and output with regards to legitimacy?

Answer 29

Input: refers to people at the table; who is contributing to public policy, do they have the right?

Output: are outcomes of policy acceptable?

Question 30

What government did Aristotle believe was the best and why?

Answer 30

Ruled by the one, the few, and the many.

Concentrated single form of government = increased risk of tyranny.

Question 31

What are the two most important ways government power is distributed?

Answer 31

Unitary system: single government in charge of most legislative organizations (e.g., U.K.).

Federal system: central government in charge of some policy, some legislation.

Question 32

Federal systems distribute power to subunits. What are examples of nations that do this?

Answer 32

Canada’s provincial governments are subunits. In the U.S., states are subunits.

Question 33

Why do federal systems require a constitution?

Answer 33

Tells us who has jurisdiction over what.

Question 34

List five institutional features of federalism.

Answer 34

Formal division of power.

Written constitution, amending formula.

Bicameral federal legislative body (2 chambers).

Mechanism for intergovernmental relations.

Courts - act on disputes between governments.

Question 35

Federations can be centralized or decentralized. What does this mean?

Answer 35

The more decentralized a government, the more power the subunits have.

Question 36

What are values?

Answer 36

Set of guiding principles that help us make decisions.

Question 37

Values shape our behaviour and define who we are by considering what three things as ‘good’?

Answer 37

Principles, standards, qualities.

Question 38

List seven values.

Answer 38

Equality.

Social order.

Security.

Progress.

Justice.

Liberty and freedoms.

Rights.