Chapter 1: Politics: Who Gets What, When & How Flashcards
Political Science is the
Study who gets parts, what, when and how
The who are
The participants in politics
The what of politics is
Public policies—the decisions that governments make concerning societal issues
The when and how are
The political processes
Government is an
Organizations extending to the whole of society can legitimately use force to carry out the decision
Democratic governments enjoy legitimately based on
The consent of their people who participate selection of its leader and making laws who participate in the selection of its leaders and the making of its law
To establish Justice and Insure Domestic Tranquility.
Government manages conflict and maintains order
Social Contract Theory
An implied agreement exists between the government and its people, who agree to obey laws in exchange for the protection of their rights
To provide for the “Common Defense.”
This is the primary responsibility of the U.S government
To promote a “General Welfare” and. It does this by:
They are providing public goods (goods and services that private markets cannot offer to the public).
To promote General Welfare. It does this in several ways:
1) Regulate society to increase the quality of life
2) The government uses income transfer from taxpayers to people it regards as deserving
To secure in Blessing of Liberty. It does this in many ways:
To maintain order, and protect national security:
1) Democratic governments must protect individual liberty by treating all people are equally before the law
Democracy
Governing system in which the people govern themselves and it means “rule by the many”
Ideal of Democracy
Individual dignity are not granted by governments, they belong to every person in the world
Equality of Opportunity
The obligation of the government to ensure that all Americans have an equal right to develop their full potential
Participation in Decision Making
Individual participation in the decisions that affect individual’s lives
Majority rules
“One Person, one vote”
Each person’s votes must be equal to
Every other person’s, regardless of status, money, or fame
Totalitarian
A highly centralized regime that possesses some form of strong ideology that seeks to transform and absorb fundamental aspects of state, society, and the economy
Authoritarian
A single individual or ruling group monopolizes all political power, but allows people to otherwise conduct their lives as they want
Differences between totalitarian and authoritarian
Totalitarian seek to use power to transform the total institutional fabric of a country according to some ideological goal
Constitutional government
A system of government in which formal and effective limits are placed on the power of government
Direct democracy
A governing system in which every person participates actively in every public decision, rather than delegating decision making to representatives
Representative democracy
Governing system in which public decision-making is delegated to the representative of the people chosen by popular vote in free, open, and periodic elections
Pluralist theory is
Government reacts to organized groups competing against one another for policies that benefit one group to the detriment of another
Competition between the groups creates a
Balance system, so that government’s policies do not consistently favor the groups representing wealthy interests nor do they favor the lesser financial groups
Pluralist Theory
1) The individual can participate in politics by being a member of a group that influences government policy on their behalf
2) Since people are more effective in organized groups, they can play an influential role in the political process
Sociologist C.Wright Mills developed the power elite theory in arguing that
Individuals in a few key top positions in corporations, banks, the government, foundations, and universities
These individuals are relatively few compared to
The total population of our nation make decisions that affect the welfare of all American and use their view are likely vast resource to influence the outcome of public policy as well
According to this theory, since the masses are
Largely not informed on issues, communication flows from the elites down to the masses, not from the masses up to the downwards
Elitism
Argues the masses have, at best, only an indirect influence on the decisions of the elites
