Chapter 1: 5 Principles of Politics Flashcards
Autocracy
Government in which a single individual rules.
What is government?
The institutions and procedures through which a land and its people are ruled.
Oligarchy
Form of government in which a small group of landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants controls the governing decisions
Democracy
System of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part of the governmental process, through the selection of key public officials.
Constitutional government
A system of rule in which formal and effective limits are placed on the powers of the government.
Authoritarian government
A system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits but may never less be restrained by the power of other social institutions.
Totalitarian government
System of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or elongate other social institutions.
Politics
Conflict, struggle, cooperation, and collaboration over the leadership, structure, and policies of government.
Instrumental actions
Done with a purpose, sometimes with forethought, and even with calculation.
Institutions
The rules and procedures that provide incentives for political behavior, thereby shaping politics.
Jurisdiction
The domain over which an institution or member of an institution has authority
Agenda Power
The control over what a group will consider for discussion
Veto Power
The ability to defeat something even if it has made it on to be the agenda of an institution.
Decisiveness rules
A specification when vote may be taken, the sequence in which votes on amendments occur, and how many supporters determine whether a motion passes or fails.
Delegation
The transmission of authority to some other official or body for the latter’s use (though often with the right of review and revision.)
Principal-Agent Relationship
The relationship between a principal and his or her agent. This relationship may be affected by the fact that each is motivated by self-interest, yet their interests may not be well aligned.
Transaction costs
The cost of clarifying each aspect of a principal-agent relationship and monitoring it to make sure arrangements are complied with.
Collective Action
The pooling of resources and the coordination of effort and activity by a group of people (often a large one) to achieve common goal
Free Riding
Enjoying the benefits of some good or action while letting others bear the costs.
Public Good
A good that, first, may be enjoyed by anyone if it is provided and, second, may not be denied to anyone once it has been provided.
Tragedy of the Commons
The idea that a common-access facility, owned by no one because it is available to everyone, will be over-utilized..
Path Dependency
The idea that certain possibilities are made more or less likely because of the historical path taken.
