Exam B Flashcards
What are the 3 models of public policy making?
1) Decision-making
2) Kings and Kingmakers
3) Multiple streams
The stages of Decision-making model focuses on what type of process?
What is this model driven by?
Focuses on a cyclical process
Driven by advocates, opponents, and public authorities
The Kings and Kingmakers model focuses on what?
Political ‘elites’, or small and insular group of those with financial and intellectual resources
In the Kings and Kingmakers model, there is a broad base of citizens who aren’t concerned, what are they called?
Apathetic citizens
Problem, Policy, or Politics stream?
1) Is the process by which policy proposals are generated, debated, revised, and put forth for serious consideration
2) Involves persuading policy makers to pay attention to one problem over others (aka agenda-setting).
3) Refers to political factors that influence agendas, such as changes in elected officials, political climate or mood, and the voices of advocacy or opposition groups
1) Policy
2) Problem
3) Politics
The problem, policy, and politics stream together creates what?
Policy window
What stream involves: public opinion and national mood?
Politics
What are some examples of policy entrepreneurs?
elected officials, career civil servants, lobbyists, academics, journalists
Policy entrepreneurs:
1) Highlight _____ of the _____ to dramatize it
2) Push for one kind of _____ ______ over another – invite policymakers to see for themselves
3) Present _____ ______ as the solution to a problem
4) “______ ___” by writing papers, giving testimony, holding hearings, getting press coverage, meeting endlessly….
1) indicators; problem
2) problem definition
3) specific policies
4) Soften up
Policy entrepreneurs convince officials to see the problem in what way? And to use what solutions?
See the problem the way they want it to be seen and use solutions they chose
Windows of opportunity open when…..?
Problems “float” by that advocates can attach their policy solutions to
Do windows of opportunity stay open long?
NOPE
Who pushes their solutions when windows of opportunity open?
Policy entrepreneurs
A Political Party is:
An organization of ______ similar people that nominates and elects its members to office in order to run the _______ and shape _____ _____
Ideologically
Government
Public Policy
Were political parties listed in the constitution? Why or why not?
NAH
The founding fathers feared factions
Why does it make sense to think of a 100-party system?
There are basically 2 parties for each state because each state is unique
________ = groups that are self-consciously organized and possess some discipline and cohesion
Factions
Clientelistic or ideological?
1) Concerned with a particular vision of the good society and are less occupied with the ‘retail politics’ of securing distributive benefits
2) Geared toward bargaining and striking compromises to secure desired benefits; not especially concerned by questions of political purity
1) Ideological
2) Clientelistic
Positions or interests?
1) the “what”- easier to see
2) the “why”- harder to see
1) Positions
2) Interests
A party organization needs approval from what on the national level?
FEC (Federal Elections Commission)
In Virginia, a recognized “political party” is defined as what?
An organization that has a state-central committee composed of registered voters each congressional district, a party plan and bylaws, and an elected state chairman & secretary
Political parties help us put candidates on what?
The ballot
What year was the office for republicans and democrats established?
1970
What national convention lead to a big change for parties because there was lots of violence due to war, assassination, etc…
1968 democratic national convention
What began during the 1968 democratic national convention?
Primaries
Political party power comes from what level?
The local level
Political parties are subject to what under what?
Tax under the IRS 527 code
Political parties to run the government in an electorate: what are political parties potentially doing that may not be done without them?
1) Promote citizen __________
2) Foster _______ between groups with different interests
3) Train individuals on the _____ ________
4) Identify and present ________ for elections
1) Participation
2) Cooperation
3) Political Process
4) Candidates
Political parties to run the government in the government:
1) “________ __ ______” of the US democratic process by creating a majority party
2) Fi
Greases the wheel
Reasons for two dominant parties:
Elections are by _______ v. ______
Plurality v. Majority
If you are not part of one of the two dominant parties, you face:
1) _______ barriers
2) Lack of ________ focus
1) Finance
2) Media
What are 5 qualities of American Elections?
MILIR
1) Money
2) Individualism
3) Localism
4) Incumbency
5) Redistricting
To vote or not to vote:
What is efficacy?
To what extent do you feel like you have a say in government
What is voter fatigue?
Tired of campaigns
What is Polity Isolation
Don’t feel like an accepted part of political society
What helps with polity isolation?
Asking citizens to vote
In virginia, does the valley (where we are) have high or low voter turnout?
LOW
actually the lowest
What is Rational abstention?
Dont have the time to learn about candidates/get to polls
What are the 5 reasons people don’t vote?
1) Lack of efficacy
2) Voter fatigue
3) Rational abstention
4) Polity Isolation
5) Structure of Elections
Who is more likely to vote?
1) Men or women
2) Under 25 or over 25 y/o
3) Married or not married
4) Rich or poor
1) Women
2) Over 25 y/o
3) Married
4) Rich
Place in order from MOST likely to vote to LEAST likely
- Blacks
- Asians
- Whites
- Hispanics
1) Whites
2) Blacks
3) Hispanics
4) Asians
In primary and general candidate elections, citizens can also vote for what?
Laws
Legislative referendum includes questions asked by who?
Legislatures
Legislation is brought up twice with legislature, if it is passed it goes on the ballot for the citizens to vote on it
Popular initiative or Referendum involves questions asked by who?
Citizens
_______ = when citizens can say they don’t like the person they had elected and can vote to remove that person during the next election
Recall
1) VA requires what type of ID to vote?
2) How many other states require this?
3) Is this the norm?
1) Photo ID
2) 6
3) No
Is there a lot of variation in the technology used in elections?
Why or why not?
Yes, because of wealth
_____ is used for REAPPORTIONING seats in the House of Reps
Census
____ seats in the house fixed by law
435
Reapportionment example:
In 1980 VA went from 10 to 11 seats in the house based on what?
Population growth
Process by which redistricting occurs depends upon the ______
State
“Traditional” redistricting principles include what?
There are 5
1) Compactness
2) Contiguousness
3) Preserving communities based upon socioeconomic qualities
4) Respecting natural boundaries
5) Compliance with relevant federal laws
What is contiguousness?
Voters live next to people part of the same district
_____ control US House and state legislative districts
States
What is a Majority-Minority district
A legislative district where a demographic minority (usually race) in the state as the majority of the district, therefore increasing the likelihood the representative will be of that race
SCOTUS ruled that state must show a compelling reason to use _____ as primary factors over traditional redistricting factors
Race
What are the 2 most gerrymandered states?
North Carolina and Maryland
Trustee, Clientelistic (instructed delegate, or Ideologically?
1) Making decisions based upon constituent views even if against ‘expert’ views
2) Making decisions as an ‘expert’ about what is in the public interest and representative of public views
3) Making decisions based upon party instructions
1) Clientelistic (instructed delegate)
2) Trustee
3) Ideologically
Political Party, PAC, superPAC, 501c(4)…
1) Which ones distribute money to candidates?
2) Which ones must disclose donors?
3) Which ones don’t have to disclose donors?
4) Which ones do NOT donate to candidates?
1) Political party, PAC
2) Political Party, PAC, superPAC
3) 501c4
4) superPACs and 501c4
In 501c4s, political activities is less an ____% of total activity
50%
In the Citizens United case, SCOTUS said _____ speech deserves the same rights as individual speech
Corporate
The Citizens United case lead to what?
superPACs
Give an example of a
1) 501c3
2) 501c4
3) PAC
1) NRA foundation
2) NRA
3) Political Victory Fund
What are the 5 types of interest groups?
1) Business/Agricultural/labor
2) Public Interest
3) Sectional
4) Attitude
5) Intergovernmental
Match definition with type of interest group: Business/Agricultural/ labor, Public Interest, Sectional, Attitude, Intergovernmental
1) Focuses on specific segments of the demographic population
2) Focuses on specific economic interests
3) Combines similar public officials to influence other public officials
4) Focuses on public good issues
5) Focuses on specific cause or ideology
1) Sectional
2) Business etc…
3) Intergovernmental
4) Children’s Defense Fund
5) Attitude
The iron triangle is part of what theory of democracy: pluralist or elite?
Elite
Elite or Pluralist?
1) Where you have the most amount of money and access are the ones who really shape policy
2) Interest groups will represent the diverse interests in American society
1) Elite
2) Pluralist
What are the 3 points in the iron triangle?
Congress –> Bureaucracy –> Interest Group
Civil Liberties include protection from what?
Too much government intervention
Civil Rights include protection from what?
Unequal Treatment
The history or civil liberties began with what? What about after the cold war?
- Began with British oppression and Bill of Rights
- Cold war lead to ensuring free speech of labor activists required limiting government action
The history or civil rights began with what? What about after the cold war?
- Began with Slaver and white/male elitism BUT all men were created equal
- Cold war lead to dismantling laws enforcing racial inequality required government assertive action
The shield approach is incorporated with civil ______
Liberties
Civil Liberties in the Constitution are in what articles?
Article 1 Section 9
Article 3: trial by jury in state where crime is committed
Civil Liberties are in what amendments?
1-9 1) Limits actions of Congress 2-4) Limits actions of Executive 5-8) Limits actions of Judiciary 9) Enumerated rights not the ONLY rights citizens have
High Scrutiny by Courts means it is harder or easier for the government to argue?
Harder
Is Privacy mentioned anywhere in the Constitution or Bill of Rights?
NOPE
What was the most infamous case where the right to privacy was applied?
Roe v Wade
What are the 4 limits on protected speech?
1) Commercial Speech
2) Libel (written) &Slander (verbal)
3) Obscenity
4) Fighting words
What is an example of a limit on commercial speech?
Laws restricting how and where tobacco is advertised
When does discrimination occur?
When the civil _____ of an individual are denied or interfered with because of their membership in a particular _____ or _____.
RIghts; Group or Class
What amendment was the primary source of equal protection rights?
14th amendment
In regards to the 14th amendment being the primary source of equal protection rights… what was it?
Those born or naturalized in the U.S. are citizens of both U.S. and state residence
________ was led by radical _______ who del that Confederale legislatures and their supporters should not be able to participate in ______.
(Post-Civil War)
Reconstructionism; Republicans; Government
What are 4 Jim Crow laws used to get around the 15th amendment?
1) White primary
2) Literacy test
3) Poll tax
4) Grandfather clause
What court case ruled that separate but equal was constitutional?
Plessy v. Ferguson
What court case later reversed Plessy v. Ferguson?
Brown v Board of Education
Describe the 1964 Civil Rights Act
Prohibited discrimination in public accommodations, facilities, schools, and for federally funded projects
Describe the 1965 Voting Rights Act
Suspended use of literary tests and voter disqualifications for 5 years
Describe the 1968 Civil Rights Act
Prohibited discrimination in sale or rental of most housing
4 classes methods of interpreting the Constitution
1) Textual
2) Doctrinal
3) Historical
4) Ethical
Textual, Doctrinal, Historical, or Ethical?
1) Most important source is previous court decisions
2) Look at the words in the constitution; if the words are not in there, it doesn’t exist. Begin to look at grammar and punctuation
3) Living constitution; it changes over time according to contemporary societal standards
4) Look back at intention of those who drafted the document, and what history looked like, what laws did states have at the time
1) Doctrinal
2) Textual
3) Ethical
4) Historical
What is the Attitudinal model of interpreting the Constitution?
Judges decide cases on their own ideology and vote for the outcome they like best
