final Flashcards

(54 cards)

1
Q

affective polarization

A

Affective polarization = we feel more positively towards people
similar to us and more negatively towards people more dissimilar to
us

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2
Q

agency loss

A

Bureaucracies suffer from principal-agent problems.
Authority must be delegated, where individuals/groups with power authorize someone to act on their behalf.
Congress and the president authorize the bureaucracy to implement their programs.

Agency loss when agent doesn’t do what principle wants

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3
Q

articles of confederation

A

New Congress where each state received one vote, 9/13 needed for major laws

Congress held debt, could not levy taxes
Favored confederation over a more centralized and powerful national govt

states in prisoner’s dilemma

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4
Q

australian ballot

A

secret voting

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5
Q

bicameralism

A

two chamber legislatures

House as the chamber closer to the people

also in federal and state level

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6
Q

bill of rights

A

first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution

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7
Q

brown v. the board of education

A

Dad wanted to put his daughter in the school in front of his house, but the daughter was colored so denied admission into school
Not separate but equal -> experiences will be different, not equal

segregation is unconstitutional

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8
Q

buckley v. valeo

A

expenditure limits struck down; contribution limits upheld

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9
Q

checks and balances

A

giving each branch some oversight and control of other branches

presidential veto, judicial review, Senate approval of presidential appt.

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10
Q

cloture

A

Parliamentary procedure used to close debate -> Senate can cut off filibusters if 3/5 vote for cloture

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11
Q

commerce clause

A

only Congress has the authority to regulate interstate commerce

traditional tasks of states can slip into federal control via commerce clause

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12
Q

confederation

A

a highly decentralized system in which nat’l govt derives limited authority from the states rather than directly from the citizens

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13
Q

conference committee

A

temporary joint committee of House and Senate appointed to reconcile differences between two chambers on a particular piece of legislation

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14
Q

de facto segregation

A

The De Facto Segregation definition means that people are segregated into separate areas by fact rather than by law or policy. The “de facto” concept usually outlines what is actually occurring in reality rather than what should be taking place in reference to the law.

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15
Q

divided government

A

President against an opposition party that controls one or both chambers of Congress

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16
Q

dominant strategy

A

A player takes the same action regardless of what action the other player takes in prisoner’s dilemma

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17
Q

duverger’s law

A

Plurality or majoritarian elections tend to cultivate two party systems, not 3 parties

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18
Q

electoral college

A

Body of electors in each state chosen by voters

Electoral College vote totals determine the winner -> Electoral votes awarded on basis of popular vote in each state

at least 270 electoral votes to win presidential election (more than half)

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19
Q

enumerated powers

A

specific authority that would enable govt to address problems the states had not grappled w/ effectively under Articles of Confederation

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20
Q

executive order

A

presidential directive o an executive agency establishing new policies or indicating how an existing policy is to be carried out

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21
Q

federalist

A

both confederation and unitary govt

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22
Q

free-rider problem

A

an individual’s contribution to success of collective effort is so small to seem inconsequential; they fail to contribute to the group’s undertaking while enjoying benefits of success

can prevent collective action altogether

tyranny of the great by the small

23
Q

gerrymandering

A

extensive manipulation of the shape of a legislative district

“packing”: incumbent protection
“cracking”: larger majorities

limited by Baker v. Carr: one person, one vote

24
Q

great compromise

A

balancing demands of large states for nat’l representation against those of the small states for protection of states’ rights

solution: House of Representatives by population and Senate w/ two members from each state

25
ideological polarization
People are moving away from the middle in their political beliefs * Extreme views are becoming more common
26
incumbency advantage
those in office tend to be re-elected at high rates Incumbent reelection rates are typically above 80% in Congress
27
jim crow laws
segregation and disenfranchisement of blacks
28
judicial review
authority of a court to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional and therefore invalid
29
latent opinion
public's propensity to respond to certain events and outcomes in a certain way latent opinion is opinion that may exist at some point in the future in response to decision-makers' actions and may result in political damage or defeat at the polls
30
motivated reasoning
tendency to find arguments in favor of conclusions we want to believe to be stronger than arguments for conclusions we do not want to believe see also: confirmation bias
31
lobbying
Interest groups lobby Congress and the executive branch to have bureaucracies make decisions in their interest. Lobbying: activities aimed to influence directly the decisions made by public officials.
32
nationalization of politics
shifting to national govt responsibilities traditionally exercised by the states
33
necessary and proper clause
Congress: make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing powers
34
normative claim
realm of values
35
originalism
Originalism is a theory of the interpretation of legal texts, including the text of the Constitution. Originalists believe that the constitutional text ought to be given the original public meaning that it would have had at the time that it became law.
36
party identification
identifying as Republicans or Democrats polarization along party lines best single predictor of the vote in federal elections
37
party sorting
Partisan sorting is an effect in politics in which voters sort themselves into parties that match their ideology. Partisan sorting is distinct from political polarization, which is where partisans subscribe to increasingly extreme positions.
38
patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another
39
peer review
paper is commented on by 2-5 anonymous peers, chosen by an editor
40
performance voting
voting for the party in control when one thinks the government is performing well; voting for the "outs" when one thinks the party in charge is performing poorly
41
primary election
election held before general election in which voters decide which of the party's candidates will be the party's nominee for the general election
42
prisoner's dilemma
individuals benefit from cooperating w/ each other AND have an incentive to break the agreement and exploit the other states were prepared to sacrifice for the war but only if they could be confident that the other states would also do their part
43
replication crisis
for social science research -> experiments must be replicable
44
separation of powers
distribution of govt powers among several political institutions Congress, President, Supreme Court
45
separate but equal
brown v. board of education awareness of jim crow laws separate but equal used as justification for racial segregation BUT decides separate is inherently unequal
46
stare decisis
Supreme Court sits above pyramid of all other courts influences all other courts through selective review and setting of precedent = stare decisis can uphold, reverse, or combo the decision of a lower court decisions of Supreme Court are final
47
status quo bias
institutional bias that fundamentally favors continuation of current public policy
48
supermajority
majority larger than a simple 51% majority required for extraordinary legislative actions, ex. amending the Constitution
49
ticket splitting
voting for candidates of different parties for different offices emergence of candidate-centered electoral process
50
tyranny of the majority
majority of an electorate pursues exclusively its own objectives at the expense of those of the minority factions
51
unanimous consent
required in the Senate, otherwise can filibuster minority has a greater influence in Senate can be killed by a single objection
52
veto
president can reject bills passed by both houses of Congress, see also: pocket veto needs 2/3 in each house to be overridden
53
wealth inequality
redistribution of wealth most consistently divides the parties wealth inequality beats income inequality
54
writ of certiorari
Supreme Court justices work together to decide which appeals to grant a writ of certiorari = 4/9 justices cert granted on important issues with legal or statutory uncertainty, lower courts come to separate rulings orders a lower court to deliver its record in a case so that the higher court may review it