Important Vocab Flashcards
What is Maximum Utility?
The highest level of satisfaction or benefit that can be achieved from a decision or resource allocation.
A government allocates funds to programs that provide the greatest benefit to the most people, such as education and healthcare.
What is Individual Utility?
The level of satisfaction or benefit a person receives from consuming a good, service, or making a decision.
A student chooses to attend college because the long-term benefits (higher salary, job security) outweigh the short-term costs (tuition, time commitment).
What does Pursuing Rational Self-Interest mean?
The idea that individuals make decisions based on what provides them the greatest personal benefit while considering available resources and constraints.
A business owner raises prices slightly to increase profit while still keeping customers.
What is Bicameralism?
A legislative structure with two chambers, often to provide checks and balances.
The U.S. Congress, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
What is Limited Suffrage?
Restrictions on voting rights based on factors like property ownership, gender, race, or wealth.
In the early United States, only white male landowners were allowed to vote.
What is Ratification?
The formal approval of a law, treaty, or constitutional amendment.
The U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788 after being approved by nine states.
What is Game Theory?
A mathematical framework used to analyze strategic interactions where the outcome depends on the choices of multiple decision-makers.
The Prisoner’s Dilemma, where two suspects must decide whether to betray each other or remain silent.
What is the Executive Branch?
The branch of government responsible for enforcing laws and managing state affairs.
In the U.S., the president, vice president, and federal agencies make up the executive branch.
What is the Judiciary Branch?
The branch of government responsible for interpreting laws and ensuring they align with the constitution.
The U.S. Supreme Court reviewing whether a law is constitutional.
What is the Legislative Branch?
The branch of government responsible for making laws.
The U.S. Congress drafts and passes bills that the president can sign into law.
What is a Veep?
A colloquial term for the vice president of a country, typically referring to the second-highest executive official.
Kamala Harris serves as the Veep (Vice President) of the United States.
Stable
hold consistent attitudes across
time
Constrained
predict other political
attitudes by knowing one political attitude
* Example: if someone is conservative
on gun policy, they should be
conservative on other politics as well
Heuristics
Mental Shortcuts that
ease the load of
decision-making.Availability – People
overestimate vivid
events.
* Probability of plane
crashes
* Representative – Think
of a bird
* Think of a terrorist
* Anchoring/Adjustment
* You have eight years to
finish your dissertation
