Final exam Flashcards
The six basic needs of people (the study of power)
1) Protection from foreign threats
2) order among the population
3) regulation of the nation’s economy
4) public goods and services
5) socialization w the nation’s youth
6) levying taxes
Elitest theory of power
Where a handful of “elites” hold majority power
Majoritarian theory of power
Where the majority prevails
Pluralist theory of power
Where people of a common interest ban together to promote their ideas
Social Contract
An agreement from a limited government to rule and protect the natural rights of citizens (life, liberty, and happiness)
Popular Sovereignty/Political Equality
In which the power lies in the hands of the people
John Loke
Proposed the natural rights and a branched government
Thomas Hobbes
Stated that people are in a constant state of conflict and that a government is crucial to maintain peace
Jean-Jacques Rosseau
Stated that the government needs to work for the good of the people and that the natural rights would strengthen the nation as long as people did their own part
Constitutional Democracy
The idea that the majority is unlimited
Tyranny of the Majority
The potential of a majority to monopolize power in favor of their interests
Declaration of Independence
The nations motivations for seeking independence (from Britain)
The Federalist Papers
A series of essays written in favor of the constitution
Difference between the Supermacy and the Necessary and Proper Clauses
The Supremacy Clause (Article 6) puts national law over state law and states that the states cannot contradict it
The Necessary and Proper Clause (elastic clause) (article one, section b) gives the government the power to make any laws necessary for them to carry out their jobs (implied powers)
Federalism
Where the authority is divided between the national gov. and the states
Implied Powers
Powers that are not explicitly stated in the constitution, but are necessary for the government to be able to play its role
The Tenth Amendment
States that any power not given to the federal government is given to the states
State vs. Nation Centered Federalism
state-centered: the states hold majority power
nation-centered: national gov. is dominant over the states
Fiscal Federalism
Funding for state programs; how the national gov. influences state and local law
Article 1
- Grants Congress its powers and limits
- Makes the two sections of the congress
- Bicramel Legislator
Impact of Decentralized Power
Makes congress slow and inefficient, which helps make sure no bad bills are passed, or no person gains too much power
Perceptions of Congress
Terrible. There is am 80-90% disapproval rate at any time
Committee System, Standing and Conference Committees
Tasks are divided between the communities
Standing: Permanent, responsible for a particular public policy area
Conference: Temporary, bargain over differences in a bill before it is passed on to be passed on to the president
Structure of the House and Senate
There are two chambers, senate and house, that mostly work in parallel but have separate powers and obligations
Filibuster and Cloture
Filibuster: The act of someone debating a bill so long that it prevents the descision from being made on the bill entirely
Cloture: A maneuver to end a filibuster, takes 60 votes
Partisan Voting
How strongly a state or district feels about a political party vs. how the rest of the nation feels about them
Single Member Districts vs. Proportional Representation in the Electoral System
Single-member: Votes chose one official
Proportional Representation: Seats held by a party are determined by the number of votes they get
Speaker of the House
Head of the court
House Majority/Minority Leaders
The representative of the party of the most/least seats
Senate President
Vice president, second in line for the president, breaks ties
Senate Majority Leader
Directs the activities in the court (they count votes, take attendance, such)
Article 2
States the president’s grants of power and boundaries is very vague in its language
Whig Theory vs. Stwarship Theory of the Presidency
Whig Theory (old): The president may only exercise the limited powers granted by the constitution Stewardship Theory (Modern): Argues for a strong president who is only limited to specific grants of law
Honeymoon Period
100 or so days after a new president is elected, where news and media are expected to support them more strongly than usual
Lame-duck period
The time an official is in a chair after a new representative has been elected in their place, but before that person resumes the position
The Impact of Centralized Power
Where all lower governments are subject to the national government so the gov. has more authority over them
The Four Characteristics of a Beauocracy
1) Clear hierarchy
2) Specialization
3) Division of labor
4) Formal rules (important choices made by states, not national gov.)
Article 3
States that judicial power is placed in the supreme court and that it may ordain lower courts
Judicial Philophicies
A mix of how a judge understands and interprets the law plus how the original frames meant for it to be interpreted
Writ of Certiorari
The permission from a higher court to have a case brought to it for hearing
Judicial Review
The court’s power to decide if a government institution has acted within its constitutional powers and, if not, to declare their actions null and void
Court Decision vs. Opinion
Decision: Who won the trial
Opinion: Legal basis for why
Appointed Judge/Life Tenure
Federal judges are unelected and work under a lifetime tenure
Political Socialization
The process through which someone learns their values
The Agents of Political Socialization
Primary: family, school, church
Secondary: peers, medial, leaders, events
Political Ideology
A consistent pattern of opinions about political issues and the role of government that stems from core beliefs
Scientific Polling
How public opinion is measured. The accuracy is measured by the sampling error
Public Opinion
Politically relevant opinions the citizens openly express
Forms of Political Participation
Voting, rallying, signing petitions, sending letters to reps.
Frames of Reference
A structure of concepts and views through which we perceive and evaluate information
Why We Have a Two-Party Political System
We don’t have a proportional party system, and a third party would have no representation
Median Voters
Median voters don’t have a preferred party, and it’s very important for a party to have their support to gain the majority
Stages of Election into Office
1) Caucus: the meeting to decide what party members run for office
2) Primary: Voters cast their preference on the ballot to help narrow it down
3) General Election: Winner of the Primary goes against the candidate from the other party for the chair
Political Party Realignment
A set of elections where a party strongly responds to an issue that disrupts their established order, setting a new base for their party
Linkage Institution
Political parties, interest groups, or news media channels that connect citizens with their government
Four Functions of News Media
1) Signaling (alerting of important developments)
2) Common-Carrier (how political leaders communicate w/ the public
3) Watchdog (exposing any scandals)
4) Partisan (their efforts to influence people’s response to events/people)
Agenda Setting/News Framing
The power of the news media to focus peoples attention on specific events and people, based on what stories they chose to broadcast
Yellow Journalism
In the 1890s, newspapers would try to attract readers with outrageous headlines that were not always fair or factual
Selective Perception
The act of an individual perceiving only what they want to in the media while ignoring any other viewpoints
Interest Groups
An organization that actively seeks to influence public opinion
Inside vs Outside Lobbying
The process by which interest groups attempt to influence public opinion through elected officials
Inside: direct communication with policymakers based on contracts and relationships
Outside: using public opinion to pressure policymakers
Economic vs. Citizen Groups
Economic: an interest group meant to benefit only the people that support them economically
Citizen: an interest groups that promote a cause they believe in, but that doesn’t give them any direct economic benefits
Pluralism
A society made of many groups and opinions that coexist and work with each other in a political sphere
Collective Goods and the Free-Rider Problem
Collective good: what a citizen group advocates for, but the ‘good’ is available to everyone, despite whether someone has contributed to the group or not (ex. wildlife reserves)
Free-Rider: Someone who takes advantage of a collective good without contributing to the cause
Civil Liberties vs. Civil Rights
Liberties: apply to individual freedoms and natural rights
Rights: about equality, applies to the national gov. and private businesses
The U.S. Bill of Rights
It was added to the constitution to ensure the people’s rights would be ensured
Due Process Procedures
Legal procedures designed to protect an individual’s rights when the gov. attempts to punish and charge them for a crime
Selective Incorporation
The use of the 14th amendment to apply provisions onto states (The 14th amendment protects citizens of the nation)
Plessy vs. Furgeson
A court case based on segregation, ended with “separate but equal”
Brown vs. Board
A case on segregation, rulled segragation in public schools unconsitutional
Amendments 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8
1) Freedom of expression
2) Bear arms
4) Unreasonable search and seizure
5) Self-incrimination, double jeopardy
6) Jury, trial, right to confront witnesses
8) Cruel and unusual punishment
