POL107 final exam Flashcards
what are the three types of questions?
descriptive, analytical, normative
descriptive question:
what happened?
analytical question:
why did it happen?
normative question:
is it good or bad? who benefits? what should we do to get a more just and safe society? (examples)
independent vs dependent example
independent: variable that changes (ie, amount of water a plant receives)
dependent: variable affected by the change (height of plant)
things are more likely to go wrong when: (James C. Scott)
- state has administrative capacity to make society ‘legible’
- authoritative government
- weak civil society
- high modernist ideology
define high modernism:
- a desire to re-engineer nature and society
- disregard for history/past events
- over confidence in the power of modernity + science
- the belief that one can ‘do better’ than its predecessors
the swiss cheese model:
a metaphor used for the idea that large failures often begin with smaller, unobserved failures. the model itself consists of multiple slices of swiss cheese, showing how more layers of cheese means less chances of a hole being able to find a way through.
levels of analysis:
micro, mezzo, macro
example of levels of analysis:
individual, state, system
a crisis is defined through three criteria:
- threat (must be large)
- surprise (sudden)
- time constraints (very little time to act)
a three-criteria crisis was an idea by:
Harmon
the three models of decision making are:
rational, bureaucratic, and organizational.
the three models of decision making were invented by:
Alison
define rational model of decision making:
a model that works by picking the option that provides the most for the lowest cost. the decision must be made by a singular, unitary actor.
an example for the rational model is:
the cuban missile crisis.
define the bureaucratic model of decision making:
decisions are made by bureaucrats, who represent their respective bureaucracies. the state is a collection of bureaucracies vying for power. the idea that ‘you sit where you stand’.
the outcome after using the bureaucratic model of decision making reflects:
the balance of power in the decision-making group.
example of bureaucratic model:
general Curtis Lamay
define the organizational model of decision making:
decisions are made + carried out by organizations, which operate differently than individuals. organizations are not fully rational and rely on a preset menu of processes known as SOP’s.
define SOP and path dependency.
standard operating procedures may make organizations ‘sticky’, and are a major component of path dependency.
an example of SOP’s and path dependency:
the bombing of Nagasaki.
define garbage can model of decision making:
matching a problem with a random or most fitting SOP.
define march of folly:
a policy that is obviously failing but isn’t stopped or changed.
three criteria for marches of folly:
- the chosen policy is counter-productive and is understood as such during the time.
- alternate policies are available
- decision is made by a group and over one political lifetime.
define wooden-headedness:
assessing a situation in terms of preconceived, fixed notions while ignoring or rejecting any contrary signs.
define Cassandra:
an archetype of people who tried to halt / warn against disasters