Final Flashcards
In the context of civil liberties, look at article, “Philando Castile and the Human Costs of a Widespread Police Practice.” How much more likely are black drivers to be subject to investigatory stops? Are they likely to be carrying weapons?
Our data reveal that black drivers are nearly three times more likely than white drivers to experience such stops. In these investigatory stops, African Americans are five times more likely than whites to be searched. Yet, blacks are dramatically less likely than whites to be found carrying drugs or a weapon. Put simply, most people stopped in this way are innocent.
What was the Brown v. Board (1954) decision?
declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional. The decision effectively overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896, which allowed state-sponsored segregation
What is it about partisan polarization discussed in “Why People Continue to Believe Objectively False Things?”
- partisan polarization affects the way Americans of all political stripes consume information.
- People are more likely to believe stories that come from their side of the political divide, particularly if an authority figure vouches for them.
What is the effect of voter ID laws? Is there evidence of a problem?
- -Evidence of voter fraud is essentially nonexistent
- -“strict voter identification laws double or triple existing U.S. racial voting gaps, because they have a negative impact on the turnout of Hispanics, blacks, and Asian Americans, but do not discourage white voters.”
In Bowling Alone, what is discussed about the benefits of social capital?
- allows citizens to resolve collective action problems easier b/c discourages free-rider problem
- allows communities to advance smoothly
- makes ppl more empathetic to others
Name four findings from “The Tea Party and the Remaking of Republican Conservatism”
- A lot ppl in the Tea Party had been engaged in conservative politics for some time; had some sort of practical know-how in how to organize
- Based everything on the perceived deservingness of recipients; “free riders”
- Anxieties over immigration
- Fox’s coverage was anticipatory, before Tea Party events as opposed to i.e. CNN which was reactionary; helped build movement
What problem that collective action solves is addressed in “Bowling Alone?”
- Public good is not excludable, individual tries to maximize benefits, problem for large groups; in smaller groups, ppl can appreciate how their individual contribution affects community, but i.e. paying money for highway is not evocative of rational decisions because it benefits broad group; that’s why taxes are compulsory
What is the problem with money and politics as discussed in “What We Get Wrong About Lobbying and Corruption?”
The problem is that one set of interests routinely overpowers the rest. In particular, corporate lobbying has metastasized over the last four decades, and this increasingly over-crowded and hyper-contested lobbying environment benefits the large corporations who have the most resources to participate in the day-to-day workings of Congress.
What groups get overshadowed by corporations? as discussed in “What We Get Wrong About Lobbying and Corruption”
labor unions, groups representing diffuse public like consumers or taxpayers
What are the effects of the imbalance in corporate spending and lobbying efforts?
1) it is increasingly difficult to challenge any existing policy that benefits politically active corporations.
2) the sheer amount of lobbying has created a policymaking environment that now requires significant resources to get anything done.
What is America’s exceptionalism with regards to civil liberties? Examples
MUCH more stringently protected i.e. europe is more supportive than US of censoring statements that are offensive to minorities, gun rights, campaign funding
Define civil liberties
protection of citizens from improper gov’t action; NEGATIVE freedoms– to be left alone, in private sphere; compels gov’t to refrain from action
When did civil liberties become most fully protected?
series of court decisions in 20th century through which the Bill of Rights became incorporated into the 14th amendment
What was Barron v Baltimore (1833)? What amendment did it violate? What type of federalism prevailed?
It ruled that the 5th amendment, which states that “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or Process w/out due process of law,” only applies to federal, not state gov’t; dual citizenship under dual federalism
After the 14th amendment (1868,) what changed concerning national citizenship
it now reigned supreme b/c no person could be denied equal protection
What was the Supreme Court ruling of the LA slaughterhouse cases?
14th amendment only applies to freed slaves, dual citizenship lives
What supreme court decisions helped solidify civil liberties?
Freedom of Speech: Buckley v. Valeo (1976) limits on campaign spending unconstitutional
Freedom of the Press: Near vs. Minnesota (1931) struck down prior restraints on defamatory publications
What is the significance of the establishment clause?
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion;” wall separates church and state; no official religion, no promotion of religion by public schools, courthouses, etc.
What is the significance of the free exercise clause?
“…or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” protects individual’s right to practice whatever religion he or she chooses
What civil liberties exist for the criminally accused?
- freedom from unnecessary search and seizure
- freedom from warrantless search and seizure (Mapp v Ohio 1961)
- freedom from cruel and unusual punishment
- right to counsel (Gideon v Wainwright)
- right against self-incrimination
- right to remain silent (Miranda v Arizon)
- right against double jeapardy
Where in the Bill of Rights does the Supreme Court locate abortion rights?
penumbras of 3rd,
4th-The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated,
5th, and
9th amendments- addresses rights, retained by the people, that are not specifically enumerated in the Constitution.
What was ruling of Griswold v Connecticut (1965)?
ruled that the Constitution, through the Bill of Rights, implies a fundamental right to privacy; penumbras of amendments; couldn’t; selling birth control was constitutional
Name some racial disparities (black v white)
infant mortality for mothers, life expectancy, percent who own homes, median income, lack of health insurance, incarceration rates
Define civil rights
legal & moral claims that citizens are entitle to make on gov’t; positive rights and freedoms; shaped by 14th amendment equal protection clause
Name how some ascriptive American traditions that were institutionalized
- Dred Scott v Sandford (1857) found that slaves weren’t citizens of US
- slavery, civil war
What were some steps taken in favor of civil rights?
1-Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and 13th amendment OUTLAW SLAVERY
2- EQUAL PROTECTION under 14th amendment
3-VOTING RIGHTS with 15th amendment
What 3 things occurred during the 75 year period following the ratification of the 14th amendment?
1) the supreme court sanctioned racial segregation w/Plessy V Ferguson “separate but equal”
2) southern jim crow laws enforcing segregation
3) discriminatory housing and educational practices in the North (housing quotas, educational quotas, etc.)
After 14th amendment, there was _____ _____ halting _____
backward movement; progress
What was de jure segregation?
resulting of the law; opposed to de facto, which is result of residential or income patterns
What did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 do?
Title II: outlaws discrimination in public accommodations
Title VI: prohibits federal funding for educational institutions that discriminate
Title VII: forbid discrimination by employers & unions
What were three developments with Civil rights law?
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Voting Rights Act, 1965
Fair Housing Act, 1968
What are policy legacies?
How policies of the past continue to yield effects…possibly even long after those policies are long since eradicated
path dependency, long-term policy effects
Layering
Example: Policy Legacies & Residential Segregation?
Home Owners’ Loan Corporation Redlining Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans, GI Bill loans Devalued urban neighborhoods White flight
What is policy legacy of school segregation?
Re-segregating Schools
Milliken v. Bradley, 1974: de facto segregation (along urban/suburban school district lines) tolerated
Missouri v. Jenkins, 1995: held unconstitutional court orders for remedial efforts to eradicate de facto segregation
RESULT: SCHOOLS MORE SEGREGATED TODAY THAN IN 1950S
What is policy legacy of income divide?
San Antonio v. Rodriguez, 1973
School financing, based on property taxes, not seen as violation of equal protection clause
Education not a fundamental right, protected by Constitution
Financing of it not subject to “strict scrutiny”
What is view of public opinion as rational?
(a) rational and real,
(b) stable
(c) coherent, and
d) makes sense
When change occurs, it does so in response to new circumstances or information i.e. economic inequality bad, social security good
What are examples of meaningful changes in public opinion?
inter-racial marriage (Loving v Virginia)
Parallel Publics: Demonstrated in Changing Views of ?
Same-Sex Marriage; generational difference, religion
Why are election polls exception to public opinion stablility rule?
- Prone to volatile swings until last three months
- Must tap random sample of population
- Likely voter model is crucial, and in flux, complicated to predict
- State levels polls may be less accurate
- Predicting popular vote different than electoral college
Define framing
- Use of a mental filter, schema, or symbol to provide a cognitive short-cut for interpreting some phenomenon
e. g. “death panels” & “government takeover;” “illegal aliens,” etc. - Used by political elites, media
- Short-term effects on public opinion, at most
Define motivated reasoning
-How people process information:
In a biased and partial manner
by striving for consistency among their attitudes, behaviors, and self-images
-Activates existing “structures of the mind” or mental frameworks (e.g. partisanship) and interprets new information in a way that is consistent with those
Define Negative Partisanship
rejection of the opposing party, support one’s team at any cost i.e. climate change
What are the paradoxes of public opinion?
Philosophical Conservatism:
*Values free enterprise system, individual liberties, small government
*Anti-taxes, anti-government spending, anti-government control
Operational Liberalism:
*Believe government should make equal opportunity possible
*Affirms government role in providing basic economic security & for widely perceived needs
Example of operational liberalism
specific provisions of ACA, gov’t social programs, education
Confidence in US Elections is Down with Evidence of ______ ______ from Partisan Polarization
motivated reasoning
Why should ppl vote?
- Representation, making democracy work
- Status, standing in society
- Most accessible form of voice/participation
- In close elections, it makes a difference in terms of who wins
- In elections generally, it sends a message to winner about which constituents they depend for re-election
- In elections generally, it sends a message to the national party about who their supporters are
What Individual & Group-Level Factors impact voting?
Socialization Civic Duty Stake, interest Resources/time Interest, information, partisan
Who votes?
higher education, income, age
What are four aspects of the US decentralized system of elections?
A. Registration rules vary by state
B. Voter ID rules vary by state
C. State legislatures decide which voters are included in which voting districts
D. Ballots, machines, and procedures such as Election Day registration vary by state
Article 1 says what about elections?
prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof
Define gerrymandering
drawing political boundaries to give your party an advantage in elections
Example: Pennsylvania
In 2012, Democrats won 51% of House vote, but only 5/18 seats
What did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 do?
outlawed state laws requiring voters to pass a literacy test
What interferes with voting in the United States today?
A) state laws requiring voters to show photo IDs
B) state laws prohibiting voting among former felons
C) state laws requiring voters to register typically 20-30 days before the election
Election Day Registration Boosts Voter Turnout Among?
young ppl! 18-29
According to Mancur Olson’s “Logic of Collective Action,” what is a fundamental characteristic of organizations generally and of the state?
- They provide goods that are in the common interest of their members. (“public goods”)
- They incentivize “free-riding,” nonparticipation by some, unless taking part is compulsory.
What affects participatory inequality?
Individual Factors: resources, socialization, interest, etc.
Institutional Factors: Electoral College, voting rules by state (registration requirements, voter ID laws, felon disenfranchisement, etc.)
Define mobilization
-process by which candidates, parties, activists & groups induce others to participate
-Labor intensive vs. capital intensive politics
-Targeting mobilization:
Social networks
Social movements
Organizations
Why do organizations matter? (Skocpol)
Teach Civic Skills, transferable to politics
Bring people together across differences: foundation for politics
May take a stand on political issues
May mobilize people to take political action
Why do organizations matter? (Skocpol)
Teach Civic Skills, transferable to politics
Bring people together across differences: foundation for politics
May take a stand on political issues
May mobilize people to take political action
How Organizational Structure Matters: Federated Organizations Mostly Replaced By Other Forms?
Most New Organizations’ Characteristics:
No members, or only for check writing
Run by professional staff, usually based in DC
Lacks federated structure; national only
How do organizations grow stronger?
Don’t focus just on one-off events like protests; build organizational capacity
Engage in state & local elections, not just national, and not just policy expertise
Social connections matter, not just policy expertise
Create many leaders, not just a few
Prioritize policies that build power
What does research show about the probability of ppls preferences being adopted into law?
economic elites and interest group preferences are represented while average ppls are nOT
Define interest groups
Organized group of individuals or organizations that make policy-related appeals to the government
In Federalist 10, Madison saw the sources of faction as?
“sown in the nature of man… unequal distribution of property.”
aim: control its effects via republican principle
Madison preached pluralism, which means?
all interests free to compete for influence; result assumed to be compromise and moderation via accommodation
What 4 things are helpful in overcoming collective action problems?
Material benefits: can be measured in $$
Solidary benefits: friendship, “networking,” etc.
Purposive benefits: advocacy, representation before gov’t, participation in public affairs
Concentrated interests: those with clear narrow interests in particular policy outcomes
Define public policy
A law, rule, statute, or edict that expresses the government’s goals and provides for rewards & punishments to promote their attainment; encourages people to alter behavior or do more of what they are already doing
What are the types of public policy?
Spending/Taxing: -Distributive/Promotional/Subsidies -Redistributive Rules: -Regulatory policy -Procedural rules for spending policies
What are 3 aspects of market economy?
Government provides public goods
Government promotes competition
Government establishes law and order
Government regulates the economy to manage externalities
Define federal budget deficit
the gap between what gov’t spends and collects in taxes & fees in a given year
Define federal debt
the accumulated amount (from deficits over time) that government owes
Define fiscal policy
government’s use of taxing and spending powers to manipulate the economy
