Chapter 1 Flashcards
Government
the system for implementing decisions made through the political process
3 key ideas
- politics is conflictual
- political process matters
- politics is everywhere
What does the government do?
Provides order and promotes general welfare
factions
groups of like-minded people that try to influence the government
rule by one (in service of others)
Monarchy
rule by one (in service of self)
tyranny
rule by the few (in service of others)
aristocracy
separation of powers
division of government power across judicial, executive, and legislative branches
rule by the few (in service of self)
Oligarchy
rule by the many (in service of others)
polity
rule by many (in service of self)
democracy
formal limits on power
Constitutional
checks and balances
System where each branch has some power over the other two
(President can veto legislation passed by Congress; Congress can impeach the president; Supreme Court decides if Congressional laws are constitutional)
informal limits on power
Authoritarian
no limits on power
totalitarian
federalism
division of power across local, state , and national levels of government
public goods
services or actions that become available to everyone after they are given to one person
(Govt needed to provide them because free market will under provide)
collective action problems
situations where members of the group benefit by working together to produce an outcome, but each individual is better off refusing and reaping the benefits from those that do the work
(more general)
free rider problem
incentive to benefit from others’ work without contributing
more specific
Aristotle’s 3 government types
monarchy(rule by one)
aristocracy(rule by few)
polity(rule by many)
Polity can be divided into
Presidential systems, Parliamentary systems, Federal system, Unitary system, and Confederation
Elite democracy
government decision making is influenced by small elite groups (wealthy)
democratic government where some citizens have disproportionate influence over government policy
Republic/Pluralist/Representative democracy
citizens and factions have competing interests heard out and resolve issues through electing officials
Direct/Participatory democracy
government decision making is controlled by voting citizens
citizens are directly involved in choices about government policy through some sort of referenda
Basis of government
pyramid
Power, authority, legitimacy, sovereignty
Power
the ability to get someone to do something, whether they want to or not
Weber’s quote
“Government is the community that has a monopoly on legitimate violence in an area”
Authority
the right to use power
legitimacy
how authority is standardized among a society
sovereignty
the ability of a legitimate government to control what happens in its borders
politics
the process that determines what government does
“stealth democracy”
nondemocratic practices (running government like a business or taking action without political debate)
comes from dislike for conflict
spiral of silence
James Madison’s quote
“As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed”
John Dingell’s quote
“I’ll let you write the substance, you let me write the procedure, and I’ll screw you every time”
Pericles quote
“Just because you do not take an interest in politics does not mean that politics will not take an interest in you”
Sources of conflict in American politics
Economic interests
Cultural values
Racial, gender, and ethnic differences
Ideology
Free market
Economic system based on businesses competing without government interference
(central to national identity)
Economic individualism
autonomy of individuals to manage their own financial decisions without government interference
(central to national identity)
redistributive tax policies
politics that use taxation to try to achieve social equality (tax the rich- favored by the Democrats)
Democrats favor:
redistributive tax policies, regulated industry, and fewer restrictions on individuals’ personal behavior
Republicans favor:
lower taxes, less spending on social policies, free market, and the regulation of individual behaviors
culture wars
political conflict in the U.S. between “red-state” Americans (strong religious beliefs), and “blue-state” Americans (more secular)
melting pot image
native languages and customs should be left behind (assimilation)
multiculturalists
“tossed salad” view of assimilation, strength in diversity, less restrictive immigrant laws, and they opposed assimilation policies
Ideology
cohesive set of ideas and beliefs used to organize and evaluate the political world
Conservative
1 side of the ideological system
Supports lower taxes, free market, and a more limited government
(tends to be Republicans)
Liberal
1 side of the ideological system
supports stronger government programs and more market regulation
(tends to be Democrats)
Libertarians`
prefer very limited government and tend to be conservative on welfare policy, environmental policy, and public support for education, but liberal on personal liberty like free speech, abortion, and drug legalization
Plurality voting
candidate with the most votes wins
Central themes of America’s political culture
Democracy, liberty, and equality
representative government
democratic government where citizens choose from candidates in an election and winners are given the power to determine government policy until the next election
pluralist power
democratic government where each citizen an equal amount of influence over government policy
theocracy
religious figures can veto the governments policy choices
American ethos
embrace conflict as a natural consequence of the differences between people and create a system that gives people political freedom to express views based on those differences
liberty
political freedom like the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion.
(these and other legal and due process rights protecting individuals from government control are outlined in the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution
Madison believes
suppressing conflict by limiting freedom is “worse than the disease”
any political system with political freedom will have conflict
equality
bad definition
in American politics, it means equality before the law, political equality (1 person, 1 vote), and equality of opportunity, but not material equality (equal income or wealth)
Equality of opportunity
most widely embraced notion of equality, but is defined differently from person to person
Gini coefficient
Economic model used to indicate the distribution of a nation’s wealth
Great Gatsby Curve
Nations with more inequality see less variability/mobility from generation to generation
elite democracy
gov decision making is heavily influenced by small elite groups(especially the wealthy or those in unelected positions of power
