Main Concepts

Question 1

The rule of law

Answer 1

The individual has some autonomy and freedom.
Locke’s belief that there are natural laws.
Includes generality, prospectivity (action in the future not past), publicity, and due process.
Key threats: politicians and constituents (us!)
**gives predictability
**without the rule of law there is no chance a society will be near a good society.

Question 2

Incentives

Answer 2

Motivate/encourage us to do something.
How governments are designed.
We expect officials to respond to the incentives of their office as defined by the people.
Representation can be based on the idea that elected officials have an incentive to do what the people want.

Question 3

Revolutions

Answer 3

Successful founding often depend on revolutions.

Question 4

Virtue

Answer 4

The people in a society must be capable of governing themselves with sufficient virtue to do so.

Question 5

Interest

Answer 5

Virtue alone is not enough. You need a legislature that is incentivized to respond to the people.
Conflict of interests between England and the colonies. (England wanted an economy regulated for the interests of the British Crown while the colonies wanted economic freedom)

Question 6

Ingredient list

Answer 6

1) a commitment to creating a good society.
2) the rule of law.
3) a history of self-government.
4) Distance from the center of power.
5) People virtuous enough to want to have this society.
6) A legislature that is incentivized to respond to the people.

Question 7

Markets

Answer 7

As decentralized as something can get.
Works by incentives and is very efficient.
Key terms: competition, law of demand, law of supply, equilibrium price.
prices regulate behavior for the common good!

Question 8

Factions

Answer 8

Parties: democrat and republican.
Feared that the factions would divide the country.
Washington was very against them.
Thomas Jefferson supported different political parties.

Question 9

Bicameral congress

Answer 9

Divided house and senate.
Separated elections (house every 2 years, president every 4 years, senate every 6 years, states whenever they want)

Question 10

The Washington temptation

Answer 10

The belief that the people in charge are more important to government than the processes, precautions, and systems put in place.
Who rather than what.

Question 11

Elements of exchange

Answer 11

• Money facilitates exchanges.
• Prices provide information about how to make choices based on your costs.
• Opportunity cost.

Question 12

Gains from trade

Answer 12

We are rarely self sufficient.

Ex) making a sandwich from scratch.

Question 13

Roles of the government in marketing

markets AND government

Answer 13

• Provide coercion and fraud.
• Provide money.
• Provide infrastructure.
• Define property rights.
• Enforce exchange. agreement.

Question 14

The cobra effect

Answer 14

When an attempted government intervention actually makes the problem worse.
An unintended consequence.
Ex) The stamp act.

Question 15

Four premises (the declaration)

Answer 15

1) all individuals are created equal.
2) all are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights.
3) government, with power from the people, should secure these rights.
4) if government fails to do this it should be removed.

Question 16

The articles of confederation

Answer 16

First attempt!

• Every state retained sovereignty.
• No single chief executive.
• Every state had an equal vote.
• No direct taxation power.
• No judiciary.

Question 17

Questions of the constitutional convention

Answer 17

• How should we design a government for this society?
• Should it be powerful or weak?
• Centralized or decentralized?
• How to arrange representation? (the big fight!)
• How to divide powers within the national government?

Question 18

Virginia plan

Answer 18

Proposed by James Madison.
Represents states according to population.
Favored by large states: Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia.

Question 19

New Jersey plan

Answer 19

Proposed by William Paterson.
Gives states equal representation.
Favored by small states: New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland.

Question 20

The great compromise

Answer 20

Proposed by Roger Sherman.
Each state has two representatives in the senate and a variable number of representatives in the House according to population.

Question 21

Separation of powers

Answer 21

Government powers are separated into executive, legislative, and judicial departments.
Prevents one side or the other from ending up with total power.

Question 22

Filters of consent

Answer 22

description

Question 23

Enumerated powers

Answer 23

Also called expressed powers, explicit powers, or delegated powers.
Definition: powers granted to the federal government.

Question 24

Partisanship

Answer 24

An effort to centralize the government again.

This is frustrated by the constitution.

Question 25

Narrowly and broadly constructed rights

Answer 25

Narrow: 4-8
Broad: 1 and 9

Question 26

The “great oughts”

Answer 26

Broad rights.
1) Conscience
2) Expression
3) Privacy.
Modern conflict involves these ideas.