exam 2 ANG study guide

Question 1

1. What are the basic models of government? Which model is utilized by most countries?

Answer 1

Confederation (power concentrated in the lower governments), unitary (power concentrated in the central gov.)(most countries), federal (division of power between central and regional governments)(US) (multiple actors decentralized)

Question 2

2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of the models? Which model would you select if you were creating a new government? Why?

Answer 2

• confederations: strengths flexibility allows exceptions; weaknesses: governments unstable, members can leave at their discretion, a voluntary organization
• Unitary: Strengths: uniform policy, consistency of policy, uniformity of citizen treatment (ex: use of marijuana); weaknesses: does not allow adjustments for differences, reduces avenues for citizen’s influence
• Federal: Strengths: permits diversity and diffusion of power, lower governments serve as policy labs, more access points for participation (if not successful in the national or state level can then go to local level), local government understands local problems, suits a large country with a diverse population; state policy laboratory can do trial to see if works but it would not have been all effects of the nation. weaknesses: the people make national unity difficult to achieve, state governments may resist national policies, permits economic and racial inequality, inconsistent policies, overlapping services

Question 3

3. What factors seem to be associated with the selection of a governing model?

Answer 3

States with large land areas( differing climate, yellow or white lines), large populations , and large ethnic and racial diversity (encourages a federal model) (linked to federal model).

Question 4

4. What is the distinction between Dual and Cooperative Federalism?

Answer 4

Dual: clearly assign tasks to state and central government that do not cross or touch, operate in their own sphere without interference
Cooperative: interrelationship between the state government and national government (highways, education)

Question 5

5. What is Horizontal federalism? What are the key elements of state-state relations?

Answer 5

relationships between the states
Key elements - full faith and credit, privileges and immunities, interstate rendition, interstate compacts

Question 6

6. What is the purpose of the Full Faith and Credit Clause? What if any problems are associated with this Clause?

Answer 6

It was supposed to work out as states would give full faith and credit to legal proceedings and legal activities in other states, but it actually worked out it because it applies to civil proceedings. Problems arise when evaluating marriage and divorce.

Question 7

7. What protections are provided under Article IVs Privileges and Immunities Clause? What is the area of exceptions to Privileges and Immunities protections?

Answer 7

Residents and non-residents are treated the same. Court system, purchase people, can not civil rights. Citizens and non-citizens must be treated the same except for beneficial services, when the state tax payers has spent its only resources on a perk, it can make nonresidents pay more because their taxes have not been used to create that service and keep it going while they weren’t there. Why can states charge out-of-state tuition? It is considered a beneficial service and it is not unreasonable to make out-of-state taxpayers pay more because they haven’t paid into the system at all. Fishing license.

Question 8

8. What are the key principles associated with Interstate Rendition (Extradition)?

Answer 8

If you are tried for a state crime, the trial must be in that state where the crime was committed.

Question 9

9. Does Full Faith and Credit extend to criminal proceedings?

Answer 9

No, it is not a constitutional obligation for one governor to send the suspect to the governor of the other state, it is just a moral obligation. You don’t have to give full faith and credit in this sense. Marriage and divorce is a contract to state varies.

Question 10

10. How has the Grant-in-Aid system been utilized to influence state policy?

Answer 10

Federal gov. threatens states, if you don’t raise the drinking age or lower speed limits, we will take away highway money from you.

Question 11

11. What are the major types of grants-in-aid? What distinctive features of the various federal grants-in-aid?

Answer 11

Categorical (formula and project): 80-90 percent of money distributed, Strings attached, Central gov knows exactly how money being spent (state or local government); block: fewer strings attached but still some (broader spending area), republicans like it more; revenue share: no strings attached, can spend money on anything you want to, was eliminated by congress; liberals disliked this because it didn’t lead to any new programs, and conservatives disliked because of budget deficits

Question 12

12. Which type of aid tends to receive the greatest support from its recipients? Explain.

Answer 12

categorical, because you have to make up a large proportion of their budget. A more likely to fund complete programs. Example paying for an afterschool. Program dependent on the 90% of the federal program.

Question 13

13. How did the expansion/extension of the Bill of Rights give the central government more power?

Answer 13

The expansion of the Bill of Rights, particularly through the process of “selective incorporation” where the Supreme Court applied Bill of Rights protections to state governments via the 14th Amendment, indirectly gave the central government more power by allowing it to oversee and regulate state actions to ensure they upheld individual liberties, effectively creating a more unified legal system across the country. Barron v Baltimore specific part of Bill of Rights applies to the states to certain ruling. Freedom of Incrimination, unreasonable seizures and tells how other actors behave, and they were not doing before, and is why the explanation of the Bill of Rights are telling what the state legistures have to do by the federal government.

Question 14

14. How did interpretations of commerce expand central government power?

Answer 14

Interpretations of the “Commerce Clause” in the U.S. Constitution, which grants Congress the power to regulate commerce between states, have significantly expanded the central government’s power by allowing Congress to regulate a wide range of activities that indirectly affect interstate commerce, including aspects of intrastate commerce, leading to broad federal regulatory authority over the economy and many aspects of daily life.
Commerce a good or product moves between states. Court begin to expand what commerce meant. Gibeion v Orden commerce states that people are commerce. Concluding is that any activity. Ollie BBQ. Came to mean more things whether a service, product, and if it had ramifications.

Question 15

15. What is public opinion?

Answer 15

attitudes and perspectives of American population

Question 16

16. Who was the first person to engage in public opinion polling in the U.S.?

Answer 16

George Gallup – 1932

Question 17

17. What is the typical sample size for a national survey in the U.S.? What is meant by a sampling error?

Answer 17

1500-2000; the margin of error that is the result of random sampling that can be reduced by having a larger sample

Question 18

18. What is meant by Random Probability Sampling Procedure (RPSP)?

Answer 18

Every object you want to survey has an equal mathematical probability of being chosen, the most important feature of a public opinion poll. Not the size of the sample.

Question 19

19. What is the most important feature of an accurate public opinion poll?

Answer 19

random probability sampling procedure.

Question 20

20. Are public opinion polls a benefit or problem for American democracy?

Answer 20

This is based on your own opinion. My opinion: They are a problem. For one, they can affect people’s choices, and that should be their own decision, not affected by other people’s opinions. Second, they can confuse people. If they don’t end up being accurate to the public opinion of the country as a whole, then people and the government doesn’t know what to believe. That public opinion that someone knows nothing about, they may answer the survey untruthfully, and falsely portraying the public opinion. Talk about polls drowns out the policies of decision-making.

Question 21

21. What are some of the most important dimensions of public opinion variables? What impact do each of these dimensions have for government officials?

Answer 21

stability (holding same opinion over time, more influential); direction (for or against something); intensity (how strongly someone feels about an issue); saliency (how important is opinion relative to others and what issues people are paying more attention to)

Question 22

22. What were the basic patterns of public opinion? Which of these do government official like the most? The least?

Answer 22

Permissive (decision makers can do whatever they want with no political cost), consensus (most people hold an opinion, but public opinion is often the same), divisive (something dividing people, like abortion issues); most liked by officials – permissive, least liked by officials - divisive

Question 23

23. What are some of the most common problems associated with election polls?

Answer 23

error factor (often ignored, but every sample has sampling error), timing of voter’s decision (always undecided votes that decide the race), predicting turnout (hard to tell who’s going to vote accurately, especially during open primaries), changing public participation (biggest problem, people don’t answer spam calls and older voters are more likely to participate in polls), influencing opinion (polls are used to influence opinion, not just report it)

Question 24

24. How do primary elections structure impact polling (e.g., closed - open)? Explain.

Answer 24

Closed enforced: you can only vote for the party you are associated with. Most states have this. Who has the party label. Voter ID shows how you are registered to the party.
Open: you can vote for either party or both in the same election. Easy for pollsters. On the day of election can pick either party nominee. Even they can accurately predict voters turnout, voters can change in the polling ballot day because voted in party nominee.

Question 25

define primary election and general election

Answer 25

Primary elections: competition within the parties, the nominees are trying to get their parties label hoping to be nominated for the general election.
general election, which is another nomination, the party’s nominee (the republicans and democrats) go against the other party’s nominees to win the position (presidency, governor, or senator).

Question 26

25. What are some general problems linked to polling and public opinion research?

Answer 26

Problem: you can conduct polls, but who is going to be the nominee, citizens change their vote during the election, predicting turnout, people can switch, error factor, the timing of voter’s decision, the wording of the question, the nature of the question, respondents hold no opinion, nature of the survey

Question 27

26. To interpret public opinion polls accurately, what information do you need? Explain.

Answer 27

wording of the questions, sample size, group being samples, date of the poll, poll sponsor, margin of error

Question 28

27. Based upon your responses to National Election Study questions, why would a majority of class members identify with the Republican Party? What are the key characteristics of the two major parties?

Answer 28

Most class members identify with the Republican Party because they have an income over 50,000, are born-again Christians, conservative, etc.; Republican - male, college grad, income > 50,000, born-again Christians, whites, conservatives; Democrat - female (single head of household, not married), high school education, income < 50,000, union members, liberals, blacks, Jews

Question 29

28. Does age impact the degree of citizen commitment to political parties? What is the oldest political party in the world?

Answer 29

No, the US has a lower commitment to political parties because they are weaker and not tied to people’s identities; Democratic Party

Question 30

29. What distinguishes a political party from an interest group? Why are political parties considered linkage institutions?

Answer 30

Political parties want to win elections and control the government; Interest groups - citizens that voice their opinions and try to influence government; In the US, interest groups may back candidates, but they don’t run them under a label like political parties do.

Question 31

30. What is the common definition of a political party?

Answer 31

running candidates for office under their label

Question 32

31. What are the major components of American political parties?

Answer 32

party in the electorate (that’s us, the average citizens who identify as a party), party organization (clark country chair, state party apparatus like RNC chair and DNC chair, (website review)coordinate the party because it is highly decentralized), party in government (elected officials who have a party label, spokespersons for the party)

Question 33

32. What does it take to be a member of a U.S. party? How strong are U.S. political parties?

Answer 33

All it takes is someone saying they are a member, there are no dues or rules; Parties in the US and very weak compared to everywhere else

Question 34

33. Are U.S. parties centralized or decentralized organizations? Why?

Answer 34

Highly decentralized organizations due to the federal model, there are only two national elections, everything else is statewide, the party is just meant to run candidates under their label

Question 35

34. Who are the members of the party-in-government? What role do they play in the political process?

Answer 35

Elected officials or individuals who got a job based on partisanship (cabinet); the spokespeople for the party

Question 36

35. What are the major functions of U.S. political parties? How do the parties perform these functions?

Answer 36

Recruitment (typically for the jobs no one wants to run for, like constable), election (candidates under labels), education (educating people on the parties opinion), policy (how their policies are different), governing (what they do when they are in charge), and loyal opposition (party that doesn’t control the white house points out flaws of the other party and how to fix it)

Question 37

36. According to analysts, what is the primary weakness of American political parties?

Answer 37

they don’t control their label, the voters do

Question 38

37. What are the common explanations for the two-party system in the U.S.? (e.g., Tradition etc.) What explanation is usually considered the most credible? Why?

Answer 38

Tradition (because we have always had two parties), social consensus (thoughts are similar to others), and election systems (the rules make the parties, single-member districts, and plurality)

Question 39

38. How do the differing electoral systems impact party success? (i.e., Single Member Plurality vs. Proportional)

Answer 39

Single Party Plurality - the only benefit is winning, and small parties drain votes from the larger parties, so they are useless; Proportional - each percentage of the votes is given a percentage of the power, small parties are much more effective because they can get a small percentage of the votes and be given a few seats
Single party plurality: 15% libertarian 10% green party, 50% republican 20% democrats, there would be 100 republicans seats in the House of representatives or any congress. And is why 3rd party finds it difficult to get a seat.
Proportional system: 15% libertarian 10% green party, 50% republican 20% democrats. The percentage of seats in any congress legesitaures.