Chapter 2 terms Flashcards
the existing state of affairs
status quo
a document, usually in the form of a stamp in a passport, that allows a citizen of one nation to visit another
visa
those public officials who are literally closest to the people by being in almost constant contact with them.
street-level bureaucrats
the greek philosopher who originateed much of the study of logic, science and politics
Aristotle (384-322 BCE)
a politcal leader accused of seeking or gaining power through the use of arguments designed to appeal tp a mass public’s sentiments, even though critics may consider those arguments exaggerated
demagogues
a latin word meaning “the public thing”; the state and its institutions; ;that form of government in which sovereignty resides in the people who elect agents to represnt them in political decision
republic
the meeting in Philadelphia, held from May 25 to September 18, at which 55 delegates from the various states designed the U.S. Constitution
constitutional convention of 1787
the only person to be both president of the U.S (1921-1930) and chief justice of the Supreme Court (1921-1930).
William Howard Taft (1857-1930)
one who believes the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted narrowly and literally. A loose constructionist, in contrast, believes that the Constitution should be interpreted liberally in order to reflect changing times.
Strict Constitution
the English physician and philosopher whose writings on the nature of governance were a profound influence on the founding fathers.
John Locke
the presidential claim that the executive branch may withhold information from the Congress or its committees and the courts to preserve confidential communications within the executive branch or to secure the national interest.
executive privilege
a written order issued by a judicial officer requiring a specified person to appear in a designated court at a specified time, either to serve as a witness in a case under the jurisdiction of that court or to bring material to that court.
subpoena
a prosecutor appointed to consider the evidence in a case and, if necessary, to undertake the prosecution of a case that presents a possible conflict of interest for the jurisdiction’s regular prosecutor
special prosecutor
the oval-shaped White House office of the president of the U.S. Although the office itself was built in the 1930’s as part of an expansion of the West Wing of the White House, the term did not come into general usage until the Nixon administration.
Oval Office
an administrative style that encourages taking risks on behalf of one’s clients or one’s moral values; the opposite of a reactive style
proactive
any formal statement of an official (or would be) government policy, with its associated background documentation
white paper
a political campaign slogan or short statement that summarizes a candidate’s beliefs.
sound bite
the economist and policy analyst who is generally credited with establishing the intellectual framework for public choice economics is his “An Economic Theory of Democracy”. His classic book on bueaucracy, “Inside Bureaucracy”, sought to justify bureaucratic government on economic grounds and to develop laws and propositions that would aid in predicting the behavior of bureaus and bureaucrats.
Anthony Downs
one of the most influential and prolific of social scientists. his most lasting legacy is probably his pioneering work in developing the concept and methodology of the policy sciences
Harold D. Lasswell
the Yale University political scientist who since the 1950’s has been asserting that incrementalism is the most viable approach to understanding how public policies are made
Charles E. Lindblom
The sociologist whose early work on organization theory steered him toward political integration and communitarianism
Amitai Etzioni
The 1962 confrontation between the U.S and the Soviet Union over the Soviet placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba.
cuban missile crisis
a compulsive analyst of public policy processes. “Wonk” is slang for a student who is a grind or a nerd
policy wonks
a law passed by a legislature; legislative-made as opposed to judge-made law
statute
a term that is loosely used as a synonym for international politics. it can include almost anything that is not exclusively domestic in nature.
international affairs
this is the very definition of politics proved by the title of Harold Lasswell’s classic 1936 book “Politics: Who Gets What, When, How.
Who gets what
the established routines by which organizations accomplish their objectives
standard operating procedures
any directive established to make decisions in the face of uncertainty.
decision rule
competence as well as speed in performance.
efficiency
the extent to which an organization accomplishes some predetermined goal or objective; more recently, the overall performance of an organization from the viewpoint of some strategic constituency
effectiveness
the final phase of the government budgetary process, which reviews the operations of an agency, especially its financial transactions, to determine whether the agency has spent its money in accordance with the law, in the most efficient manner, and with desired results.
audit
an oft-heard campaign slogan of the party not in power. Sometimes all it really means is that it is time for a change of rascals
Throw the rascals out
any ordering of persons, things, or ideas by rank or level. the administrative structures are typically hierarchical in that each level has authority over levels below and must take orders from levels above
hierarchy
a tax on the manufacture, sale, or consumption of a product such as gasoline or tobacco
excise tax
an approach to public administration and politics based on microeconomic theory that views the citizens as a consumer of government goods and services.
public choice economics
the belief that the United States is basically ruled by a political, military, and business elite whose decisional powers essentially preempt the democratic process.
power-elite theory
a sociological term that implies that (1) each succeeding wave of immigrants to the United States blends into the general society, and (2) this melting is ideally what should happen
melting pot
the political scientist who was the intellectual create of modern interest group theory
Arthur F. Bentley
a political scientist whose principal work, “The Governmental Process”, views group interaction as the real determinant of public policy
David B. Truman
the group theorist whose “The Group Basis of Politics” asserted that government itself is a group just like the various private groups attempting to access the policy process
Earl Latham
a subdivision of a legislature that prepares legislation for action by the respective house or that makes investigations as directed by the respective house.
committee
a justification for actions that violate the laws of war
military necessity
George Orwell’s symbolization, from his novel “1984”, of government so big and intrusive that it literally oversaw and regulated every aspect of life. Any potential menacing power constantly looking over one’s shoulder in judgement
Big Brother
a temporary joining of political actors to advance legislation or to elect candidates.
coalition
english historian; original name was John Dahlberg
Lord Action (1834-1904)
the dynamic relation between a citizen and his or her nation.
citizenship
paramilitary state and local government organizations whose most basic responsibilities include maintaining public order and safety (through the use of force if necessary), investigating and arresting persons accused of crimes, and securing the cooperation of the citizenry.
police
a political philosophy that advocates governance by a dictator, assisted by a hierarchically organized, strongly ideological party, in maintaining a totalitarian and regimented society through violence, intimidation, and the arbitrary use of power
fascism
the socially enforced requirements and expectations about basic responsibilities, behavior, and thought patterns of members in their organizational roles
norms
the deliberate disclosure of confidential or classified information by someone in government who wants to advance the public interest, embarrass a bureaucratic rival, or help a reporter disclose incompetence or skulduggery to the public
leaks
the manner in which a person acts out or theatrically stages his or her organizational or political role.
dramaturgy
a noble and/or gracious gesture
beau geste
