Exam 1 Flashcards
Study for Exam 1
What are the 3 P’s (potential explanatory variables for pessimism)
policy, players, processes
the issues on the agenda
policy
the people we elect and those that surround him
players
how we make decisions and end up with the government we have, and how the rules and norms get in the way and frustrate
processes
Verba, Schlozman, and Brady’s 3 reasons why people don’t participate
they can’t, they don’t want to, nobody asked
lacking resources (time and money) or note effective at using such resources (inefficient)
they can’t
little interest in politics (overall or now) or think they can’t make a difference (no efficacy)
they don’t want to
isolated from networks of recruitment or people around them in everyday life aren’t political
nobody asked
Gosnell’s 1924 “Non-Voting Causes and Methods of Control”
physical difficulties, legal and administrative obstacles, disbelief in voting, inertia
illness is what cause of non-voting
physical difficulties
insufficient legal residence is what cause of non-voting
legal and administrative obstacles
general indifference or ignorance is what cause of non-voting
inertia
Verba, Schlozman, and Brady’s four reasons people participate
material benefits, collective outcomes, social gratification, civic gratification
want to solve personal problems
material benefits
want to influence policy for all in society
collective outcomes
exciting, enjoyment
social gratification
sense of duty, doing one’s share
civic gratification
Possible outcomes of participation
awareness, engagement, a voice for the underrepresented, opinion change, policy change
3 ways constitutions can change
revolution, amendments, interpretation
Amending constitutions is difficult because it risks the
legitimacy of the Constitution
Whose interpretation of what amendments mean is key
supreme court
4 common approaches to interpretation
strict constructionism, textualism, originalism, living constitution
apply the text as written, don’t interpret further is what approach to interpretation
strict constructionism
ordinary meaning of the words in the document is what approach to interpretation
textualism
what was the original meaning is what approach to interpretation
originalism
take contemporary society into account is what approach to interpretation
living constitution
What are the cons of federalism?
laws not uniform from one place to the next, complicated to get levels to work together, confusion for citizens over where to turn to solve problems
What are the pros of federalism?
experimentation, respect subcultures, opportunities for citizens
speaking or acting on behalf of someone or something
representation
who made the classic model of representation
Warren Miller, Donald Stokes
how often does a representative vote the way the majority wants
congruence
what interests shape decision-making
constituency, personal, presidential, party, group
what are the 4 styles of representing
delegate, partisan, trustee, politico
do what the district wants
delegate
do what the party wants
partisan
do what I think is best
trustee
choose one of the other 3 based on the issue
politico
Heinz Eulau and Paul Karps’ other forms of representation
service, allocation, symbolic
respond to specific needs, wants, and problems in your area
service
bring home the cash to your area
allocation
getting things on the agenda, listening to all voices, building relationships
symbolic
restrictions on speech and protest
time, place, manner
what might be achieved by protests (7)
passing legislation, changing public opinion, mobilization, agenda setting, electing candidates, emergence of new leaders, a more informed public
What phrase was coined by political scientist Eitan Hersh?
political hobbyism
Define political hobbyism
feeling the need to offer a hot take for each daily political flare-up
How does political hobbyism make politics worse?
it takes time from actually doing things that might build power
Define collective representation
some elected officials stand for groups broader, more dispersed than a geographical location
Define descriptive representation
linkages between underrepresented groups and elected officials who have demographics
Marcus, Sullivan, Theiss-Morse, and Wood’s argument
tolerance is shaped by multiple assessments of the situation
What protest characteristics lead to a more informed public? (Gillion’s Infomation Continuum)
large crowds at a single moment, persistence over time, strong organizational support, police presence
Most informative protests also have
arrests and violence
Conclusion of Gillion’s Information Continuum
contentiousness matters
