Ch 1 - Who gets What, When and How Flashcards
The 8 objectives you should know about this chapter
- The difference between politics and political science
- Gov’t politics with politics of other societal organizations
- The purposes for which gov’t is established
- Outline the major principles of democracy
- the conflict between majority rule and individual freedom
- Compare representational gov’t wth irect gov’t.
- Who governs between elitism and pluralism in
- Evaluate elitist and pluralist views for American democratic ideals
English philosopher John Locke believed that “life, liberty and property where guaranteed by ________
natural law
An agreement among members of a society to form and recognize the authority of a centralized government that is empowered to make and enforce laws governing the members of that society is called a(n)_______
social contract
The statement “government is always government by the few, whether in the name of the few, the one, or the many” expresses the basic idea of ______
Elitism
The theory that is most fundamentally critical of pluralist theory
Elitist perspective
Government is primarily about institutions whereas politics is primarily about ______
process
Why did James Madison warn against the creation of a direct democracy?
He feared power would not be safe in the hands of the majority.
Pluralist theory maintains, in evaluating American democracy, that_______
competing groups vying for influence on the government will result in the public interest prevailing.
National parks, highways and sewage disposal units are considered _______
Public goods
What is the major difference between a direct democracy and a representative democracy?
Direct democracy: citizens themselves make decisions
Representative: Citizens choose intermediaries who make decisions for them
Describe a direct democracy
a system that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and select officials
Why does the word democracy not appear in the constitution?
The Founders believed that power was best left in the hands of representatives than with the public as a whole
James Madison warned against democracy in this document written in 1787
The Federalist Papers
Why is direct democracy nearly impossible in the U.S.?
The US is too large for a direct democracy to be effective, so representative is used instead.
The Constitution and the principles of representative democracy helped dispel the Framer’s fears of _______
tyranny of the majority
Equal protection under the law for every individual is a requirement of a_______
True democracy
The study of government and political processes, systems, and individual political behavior
Political Science
Threats to national security may result in challenges to ______
individual liberty
Individualism
A core principle of American Democracy
The Founders looked to this group for the basis of Federal Structure
The Iroquois League
The principles took the principle of deliberation from this group and incorporated it into the American model
Greek and Roman
After which war did the percent of Americans who could hold the government accountable expand greatly?
The Civil War
What function of government is fulfilled by Public Education?
Promoting the general wefare
When did the governments of America first begin to provide public education?
the 19th century
what value does standardized testing try to achieve?
Equal access to good education
An elite group holds all political power in a country and tells citizens what they can say, think or do. What type of gov’t is this?
Totalitarian
Taxation is an example of what kind of policy?
public policy
Organizing your friends to make phone calls to members of the city council asking to change a law and going to city council meetings to voice your opposition to a law are examples of ________.
lobbying
The Founders envisioned the government as fulfilling important functions including_______.
establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defense, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty
Medicare would be considered what kind of transfer?
income transfer
The term social contract refers to people coming together and agreeing to ________
be taxed and regulated in return for protection of their lives and property
Civil rights, national defense, and health care are all examples of what kind of policy?
public policy
Who is ultimately responsible for the rights and freedoms of Americans?
The American public
A political system in which a small group of people rule is called a(n) ________.
authoritarian regime
If you want to know what’s going on in your city, you can attend a city council meeting or a town meeting if you live in New England. This is a common occurrence in the United States because ________.
our system of government promotes participation by citizens
Why was the Bill of Rights inserted into the Constitution?
The majority could not always be trusted to uphold the rights of the minority.
In which way is a school board fundamentally different from the government, even though each organization makes decisions for a group of people?
Only the government can legitimately use force
term that best describes the government developing policies based on what most people want.
majority rule
The American democratic system relies on________.
individualism and equality
According to the Declaration of Independence, from what source are people granted liberty?
People are not granted liberty, they are born with it.
According to common political theory, people enter into a ________ to form a government
social contract
________ and agenda setting are both considered political processes.
demonstrating
Why does the government provide so many public services rather than private companies?
Private companies may lack the resources to provide a service to the entire population.
What do most political scientists argue about when discussing the American system of government?
The majority of Americans participate in politics through indirect means and so have only an indirect influence over government.
According to social contract theory, the most compelling reason for people to join together to create a government is so that they ________.
do not have to protect their life and liberty from everyone else
Monopoly of political power by an individual or small group that otherwise allows people to go about their private lives as they wish. (Mainly concerned with control of government to the exclusion of the public)
authoritarianism
a government limited by rule of law in its power over the liberties of individuals
constitutional government
governing system by which the people govern themselves; from the Greek term meaning “rule by the many”
democracy
individual dignity, equality before the law, widespread participation in public decisions, and public decisions by majority rule, with one person having one vote
democratic principles
costs imposed on people who are not direct participants in an activity
externalities
free competition for voluntary exchange among individuals, firms and corporations
free market
measure of economic performance in terms of the nation’s total production of goods and services for a single year, valued in terms of market prices
gross domestic product (GDP)
organization extending to the whole society that can legitimately use force to carry out its decisions
government
government transfers of income from taxpayers to persons regarded as deserving
income transfers
widespread acceptance of something as necessary, rightful and legally binding
legitimacy
principle that government power over the individual is limited, that there are some personal liberties that even a majority cannot regulate and that government itself is restrained by law
limited government
goods and services that cannot be readily provided by market’s, either because they are too expensive for a single individual to buy or because if one person bought them, everyone else would use them without paying
public goods
potential conflict between individual freedom and majority rule
paradox of democracy
theory that democracy can be achieved through competition among multiple organized groups and that individuals can participate in politics through group memberships and elections
pluralism
governing system in which public decision making is delegated to representatives of the people chosen by popular vote in free, open and periodic elections
representative democracy
rule by an elite that exercises unlimited power over individuals in all aspects of life
totalitarianism
deciding who gets what, when and how
politics
support for the concerns of ordinary people
populism
three questions that political science focuses on
Who governs? For what ends? by what means?
Government is distinguished from other societal organizations in that:
It extends to the whole society.
Can legitimately use force
6 Purposes of government are
Maintain Order in society provide for National Defense provide Public Goods Regulate society Transfer Income Protect individual Liberty
the principles of democracy include
recognition of individual dignity and personal freedom
equality before the law
widespread participation in decision making
Majority rule, with one person equalling one vote
This places individual liberty beyond the reach of majorities
limited government
constitutions are the principle means of limiting…
government power
