Ch 1. Flashcards
Explain the concept of Politics
- Conflicting interests struggle for dominance
in execution of public policies
Explain the concept of power
- Ability of one actor to impose will on another
explain the concept of government
- Set of organizations that make, enforce, and administer collective public decisions
Explain the concept of Coercion
- convincing people to do things they don’t want to
What is Coercion a form of?
- Power
Why do people obey the government?
- Coercion (power)
What are Indigenous Peoples’ rights reflected in?
Their:
- Connection to the land
- Legal/Political Rights as Original Occupants
- Cultural Distinctiveness
What kind of democracy is Canada?
- Representative
What are the 4 principles that characterize Canada’s system of democracy?
- Popular sovereignty
- Political Equality
- Political Freedom
- Majority Rule (50 + 1)
What does representative democracy mean?
- Representatives are elected through ‘free & fair elections’ and appointed to represent our interests.
Who are the representatives in Canada’s representative democracy?
- Members of Parliament (MPs)
What are the various levels of government?
- Federal (national)
- Territorial
- Provincial
- Municipal
- First Nations
What kind of monarchy is Canada?
- A Constitutional Monarchy
Who represents the people federally in the constitutional monarchy?
- Head of State and Governor General
Who is the Head of State in Canada?
- The King of Canada
Who is the Governor General?
- Representative of the Head of State
- Appointed by the PM
Who are the Head of States representatives on the provincial level?
- Lt. Governors
Who appoints the Lt. Governors?
- The Governor General on the advice of the PM
Who is the Head of the government on the federal level?
- The Prime Minister
Who is the Head of Government on the provincial level?
- Premier
Are the PM and Premier directly elected?
- NO
Who are you represented by in the Federal Legislature?
- MPs
- Senators
Where do MPs sit in the Federal Legislature?
- In the House of Commons
Where do senators sit in the Federal Legislature?
- In the Senate
Who are you represented by in the provincial legislature?
- Elected members of legislative assemblies
Why are the PM and Premiers not directly elected?
- They are leaders of parties with the most seats in the House of Commons or provincial legislature
Who invites the PM and PRemiers to govern and form government?
- The Head of State (King)
Who are the MLAs and what level of government do they represent?
MLA = Members of Legislative Assembly
- Provincial legislative assembly
Who represents the people on the municipal level?
Elected
- Mayor
- Councilors
Who represents Indigenous governments?
- Chief
- Council
What are the inputs to political authorities?
- Competing demands
Where do competing demands come from?
- Individuals
- Society
- Interest Groups
- Lobbyists
- Parties
When political authorities choose between competing demands, what influences their decision?
- Ideology
- Party factors
What are the outputs when the political authorities make decisions on competing demands?
- Policy decisions
Who are the political authorities?
- MPs
- Senators
Explain the David Easton’s Model of Political System
- Needs of Individual are demanded through advocacy groups.
- Issues are raised to parties and elections which go to executive, bureaucracy, legislature, and judiciary.
- This results in policy decision (outputs) and the cycle repeats.
Based on the David Easton Systems Theory, what is the core of the political system?
- Executive, legislative & judicial branches of government
According to the Systems Theory, what is the political system a part of?
- A broader ‘environment’
According to the Systems Theory, what does the broader environment the political system is a part of include?
- Individuals
- Advocacy Groups
- Society
- Political Parties
According to the systems theory, what is the individuals role in the broader political environment?
- Express Needs
According to the Systems Theory, what are advocacy groups role in the broader political environment?
- Articulate needs of individuals as demands
According to the Systems Theory, the demands of individuals articulated by advocacy groups are also referred to as what? And what do they do?
Inputs
- Compete for government attention
ACcording to the Systems Theory, What does the political system do with inputs?
- Filters and Reacts
- Form Policies and Laws (outputs)
According to Systems Theory, what are the outputs and what do they do?
Policies and Laws
- Shape environment
- shape future inputs
According to the Systems Theory, what is the feedback effect?
- Inputs lead to outputs, which in turn influence future inputs
According to the Systems Theory, what does the loop in the political system and environment mean?
- It is a circular, never-ending process
What are the 5 approaches to interpreting different aspects of Canadian Politics?
- Institutional
- State-based
- Political Sociology
- Political Psychology & Political Behaviour
- Rational Choice
What is the oldest approach to the study of politics?
- Institutional Approach
According to the Institutional approach, what are the main substance of government & politics?
- Constitutions & Laws
According to the Institutional Approach, What do laws and conventions shape?
- Everything from the rights of citizens to the role of the prime minister
Who is the Institutional Approach Associated with?
- R. MacGregor-Dawson
Give an example of the Institutional Approach to Politics.
- Eligibility to stand for elections & Vote is determined by law
- Protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
According to the State-Based Approach, who are the state actors?
- Governmetn
According to the state-based approach, what do state actors do?
- Use state powers to shape the economic & social circumstances of the country
According to the state-based approach, why do the preferences of the state matter?
- They determine what the state does & does not do
According to the state-based approach, what do state actors have?
- Their own policy preferences
According to the state-based approach, how do state actors pursue their own policy preferences?
- Shaping the direction & application of state power
What is an example of the State-Based Approach to the study of politics?
Electoral System Reform
- The government of the day can change the electoral system, though they may not change if the current system benefits them
Who is the state-based approach to the study of politics associated with?
- E. Nordlinger
What is another example of the state-based approach to the study of politics?
- Manipulation of information to persuade society to support state interests
What does the Political Sociology Approach to the study of politics focus on?
- Group & Societal Forces
What other approaches are related to the Political Sociology Approach?
- Pluralist Approach
- Marxist Approach
What is the Pluralist Approach?
- Argues power is widely distributed among many interests in society & is not controlled by elites
What is the MArxist Approach?
- Argues that the state is an instrument of bourgeois domination
- Government and politics is about class conflict
In theory, under the political sociology approach, all groups can equally participate in politics. Why is this not the case in practice?
- Larger advocacy groups have much more influence than small community groups
What is an example of differing political influences under the political sociology approach?
- Pro pipeline advocacy groups vs anti pipeline advocacy groups
Who is the Pluralist approach associated with?
- Robert Dahl
Provide an example of how the Marxist Approach is related to the Political Sociology Approach.
- Corporate Tax Breaks v. Progressive Taxation
What does the Political Psychology Approach focus on?
- Political attitudes, opinions, beliefs, perceptions, expectations, motivations, & behaviours
What is an example of the Political Psychology approach to the study of politics?
- Personality types explain differences among people in terms of openness to new ideas and deference to authority
How does the political psychology approach to the study of politics use psychological concepts and theories?
- To understand why people think the way they do about politics
Explain the Political Behaviour Approach to the study of politics
- Focus is on the behavior of individual political actors
Provide an example of the political behaviour approach to the study of politics
- is there a gender gap in party choice/preference and why?
What do rational choice theorists assume?
- Individuals seek to maximize their utility
According to the Rational Choice Approach, what does it mean to maximize their utility?
- Complete the aim of an action as efficiently as possible
According to the rational choice theory, what is an example of people seeking to maximize their utility?
- If people seek power, their utility is maximizing votes & getting elected with a majority government
What do rational choice theorists assume of all behaviours?
- They are goal-oriented (preference-oriented)
According to the rational choice theory, why are people in politics?
- To get something out of it (maximizing votes)
Who is the rational choice approach associated with?
- Anthony Downs
