exam 1

Question 1

to say we regard preferences as “givens” means which of the following?

Answer 1

Individuals and groups know what they want.

Question 2

Institutional design ______.

Answer 2

politics convey advantages for some interests

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the difference between authority and power?

Answer 3

Authority is the right to make a particular decision and power is the actual influence the institution has over that action.

Question 4

political science

Answer 4

the scientific study of politics
So political science is about describing, explaining, and predicting
things related to govt. and politics

Question 5

Bargaining

Answer 5

process that leads to compromise

typically involves exchanging proposals and
counterproposals until both sides nd one they can agree on

Question 6

Transaction costs:

Answer 6

the costs of actually engaging in collective action

Question 7

Conformity costs:

Answer 7

the costs of having to do something you don’t
want to do in order to reach an agreement

Question 8

Opportunity costs:

Answer 8

you can’t spend time, effort, on multiple things

Question 9

The tragedy of the commons:

Answer 9

if one person uses the resource without replacing what they’ve
used, it won’t deplete very much
but if everyone thinks that and uses the resource without
maintaining/replenishing, the resource will disappear

Question 10

One solution to the tragedy of the commons:

Answer 10

convert the public
good to a private good

Question 11

authority

Answer 11

the acknowledged right to make a decision
I two kinds of authority: formal (what the rules say) and real
(how it works in practice)

Question 12

power

Answer 12

actual infuence over what other people do

Question 13

James Madison attributed the failure of the Articles of Confederation to which of the following?

Answer 13

faulty institutions

Question 14

The nation’s debt was at a staggering all-time high after the six years of the war. The most urgent concern was ______.

Answer 14

the back pay owed to the army

Question 15

Under the Articles of Confederation, the states faced a classic prisoner’s dilemma for which of the following reasons?

Answer 15

no enforcement mechanism , no state would contribute its share of the revenue so suspected other states not meet obligations.

Question 16

home rule

Answer 16

England let the (American) colonies manage their own business

Question 17

The first attempt at forming a government:

Answer 17

the Articles of
Confederation

Question 18

A confederation:

Answer 18

decentralized system, limited authority in national govt.

Question 19

The national government

Answer 19

a Congress, and that’s it
only one chamber
no executive, no judiciary

Question 20

Supermajority voting rules

Answer 20

you needed more than 50% plus 1 vote

Question 21

Any congressional action (law)

Answer 21

needed to be approved by 9/13 delegations

Question 22

Shays’ Rebellion

Answer 22

many military veterans still had
not been paid or reimbursed

MA veterans led by Daniel Shays started blocking
courthouse door, demanding courts stop prosecuting debtors

Question 23

Why did The Articles of Confederation fail?

Answer 23

the decision rules in place . States within state delegations, had too much
veto power within Congress

Question 24

The Anti-Federalists argued:

Answer 24

states should retain more power over the national govt
specifically feared powers of the new executive, the new Senate

Question 25

separation of powers

Answer 25

legislature
Executive
judicial

Question 26

The Federalist Papers

Answer 26

collected newspaper columns in favor of the new Constitution
Written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay

Question 27

principal

Answer 27

who wants the thing done

Question 28

agent

Answer 28

who they
get to do it

Question 29

Veto points:

Answer 29

a veto is a power to say no

Question 30

Veto points

Answer 30

establish bargaining situations or relationships

Question 31

Voting rules:

Answer 31

determine who can vote and how many votes are needed to succeed

Question 32

Plurality

Answer 32

whomever gets the most votes wins

Question 33

Plurality

Answer 33

whomever or whatever gets the most votes wins, doesn’t
need to be majority
most of our elections have this voting rule

Question 34

Majority:

Answer 34

you need 50% of the vote plus one more to win

Question 35

Supermajority

Answer 35

you need more than a bare majority

Question 36

Agenda control

Answer 36

being able to define other peoples’ choices

Question 37

State and local govts.

Answer 37

own policy also national govt. policy

Question 38

federalism

Answer 38

whatever the higher-level govt. says it is

Question 39

federal structure

Answer 39

vertically (levels of govt.) horizontally (diffusion of policies across states)

Question 40

Delegation

Answer 40

getting someone else to do something you want

Question 41

The biggest problem facing principals:

Answer 41

lack of information

Question 42

Fiscal federalism

Answer 42

requiring states to carry out policy, give them $ to do it

Question 43

$ has to be used for specific purpose

Answer 43

states have less discretion over how to spend $

Question 44

formula

Answer 44

if a state meets certain criteria in law, it gets money

Question 45

project

Answer 45

states/programs apply to federal agencies for money, reviewed

Question 46

Dual (layer cake) federalism

Answer 46

national, state govts. have their own authority

Question 47

Cooperative (marble cake) federalism

Answer 47

some areas of shared/joint responsibility

Question 48

The U.S. has shifted from dual to cooperative federalism over time.
A few key reasons:

Answer 48

post-Civil War economy
shifts in public view of role of govt.
shifts in Supreme Court

Question 49

Commerce clause:

Answer 49

Congress has power to regulate with foreign nations

Question 50

elastic clause (or necessary and proper clause)

Answer 50

Congress has power to make all Laws

Question 51

The free rider problem

Answer 51

individual benefits from the actions of another without paying

Question 52

The prisoner’s dilemma

Answer 52

two parties, unable to communicate, must each choose between cooperating with the other or not.

Question 53

A confederation is a form of government best described as which of the following?

Answer 53

Lower-level governments possess primary authority.

Question 54

Who is the ultimate arbiter of controversies involving American federalism?

Answer 54

the Supreme Court

Question 55

______ occurs when national and state governments jointly supply services to the citizenry.

Answer 55

shared federalism