Politics Johnston Flashcards
“Political Animals”
Aristotle suggesting that being active in the politics of our community is an essential part of our nature.
Difference between community and society?
Society is impersonal, a group/groups of individuals that coordinate instead of cooperate and live by way of political agenda of personal.
Pluralism?
a state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain and develop their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization
Political Anthropologists distinguish how humans have lived into 3 forms:
- Bands and Tribes(group of bands)
2. Chiefdoms and State
Why do we listen to our political leaders?
we obey willingly(consent), or we obey because we are forced(coerced).
Absolutism?
another word for Totalitarianism(Government or leader with total power?
Charismatic Legitimacy?
the leader is believed to possess extraordinary personal qualities that justify his or her rule.(ex: Dalai Lama)
Traditional Legitimacy?
those type of authority derives its legitimacy from its long history of what Weber called a “Habitual orientation to conform”. (ex: Monarchy, Constitution, Flags,etc.)
Legal-Rational Legitimacy?
legitimacy derives from “belief in the validity of legal statute and functional competence based on rationally created rules”.(ex: Modern Prime minister or President)
Max Weber?
German Sociologist who came up with the 3 types of legitimacy which are the basis of authority.
Aristocracy?
Rule of the few or noble- Aristotle and Plato
Timocracy?
Rule of Warriors-Plato
Oligarchy?
Rule of wealthy and rich- Plato and Aristotle
Democracy?
Rule of the poor-Plato and Aristotle
Tyranny(Dictatorship)?
Rule of the tyrant or one for one- Plato and Aristotle
Limiting The State?6
CONSTITUTION=
Institutionally: The constitution identifies certain institutions within the state and defines there powers.
Federally: The constitution divides authority between national state and sub-national states(provinces) and it assigns and distributes power.
Judicially: protects the rights of citizens by defining protections or enshrining freedoms.
Legislatively: Most constitutions are special laws, unique because of their subject matter and rules about how they can be changed.
Democratically: Ensuring free, competitive, peacefully, and regular elections.
Culturally: Public norms act as brakes on the policy making of governments.
Popular Sovereignty?
the authority of the state flows from the people who are members of the regime.
Legitimacy
“Those whose consent is necessary to confer legitimacy”- James Mill and John Stuart Mill
Democracy is a for of _____ _______
popular sovereignty
popular sovereignty
the authority of state derives from the people who are governed
direct democracy
where matters are decided by a popular vote
referenda
binding vote
plebiscites
non-binding vote
initiatives
a portion of the public successfully petitions the state
Participatory democracy
citizens in the discussion and informed debate that precedes decision-making
Spinoza
first philosopher to advocate for democracy
Argument against democracy
can become tyranny of the majority against minorities
The Reform act of ____(year)
1832
created fair elections(representation by population, a secret ballot, single-member districts.
- represented ‘full adult suffrage’
representative autonomy
the absence of accountability between elections
Legislators have free autonomy from their constituents but not their _____
party
_____ believed that the idea that each of us seeks to maximize our pleasure and minimize of pain
Hobbes
Utilitarians used Hobbes’ ideas of pleasure and pain to create the principle of the “_____ _____ __ __ ______ ______”
greatest good of the greatest number
_____ came up with “greatest good of the greatest number”
Jeremy Bentham
______ believed that everyone needed to share in the government for self interest purposes
advocated _____ ______ for the richest 1/3rd
James Mill
representative government
_______ believed that representative government would provide education to all people and educated people should get more votes. Government should be placed in the hands of the wisest
also believed in “_____ equality” which had a direct impact of female voting
John Stuart Mill
perfect
Impediments to political participation
No way to provide reasoning behind vote choice
The liberal democratic state is a system of _____ _____
elite dominance
-it concentrates authority and power into the hands of a few
3 Propositions of democracy
- the greater the degree of choice that citizens have in process
- more competitive the contest between parties
- the more exactly the outputs generated match what was wanted
Governments are kept honest through things such as(3) :
constitutionalism, rule of law, individual rights
Social justice
involves difficult decisions about the distribution of public goods, the criteria by which this distribution should take place, what kinds of inequalities should be tolerated, and so on.
Pluralism
a condition or system in which two or more states, groups, principles, sources of authority, etc., coexist.
Pluralism causes problems for democracy(3):
- Possible tyranny of majority
- Not able to obtain consent of majority
- Democracy can become a battleground with no decisions ever being made
The legislature keeps the ______ accountable
executive
definition of a true democracy
regime with regular, contested elections
authoritarian regimes are those that lack…
legal, independent, opposition parties
pseudo-democracies are those that lack
an arena of contestation[competition] sufficiently fair that the ruling party can be turned out of power
____ countries listed as democratic in 2010
115
the four ‘Great Questions of Political Philosophy’ are(4)
What is human nature? Are the interests of the individual or the community more important? How much should government interfere in the economy and the private lives of citizens? What is the best form of government?
Quebec’s traditional demands
- Recognition of Quebec as a “distinct society” with a right to promote and protect that characteristic
- a constitutional veto for Quebec
- greater provincial control over immigration
- the ability to opt out of federal programs in areas of exclusive provincial jurisdiction and receive financial compensation
- appointment of supreme court judges from a list provided by the province
Meech lake accord and Charlottetown Accord
1984 & 1992 accords to try and meet the ‘traditional demands’ of Quebec
Clarity Act
establishing how the government of Canada would evaluate the clarity of any future referendum questions, the type of majority required before Canada would agree to negotiate, and the matters that would be up for negotiation.
political cleavages
are national, ethnic, linguistic, and religious divisions that affect political allegiances and policies
ideology
a consistent set of beliefs about the nature of the society in which individuals live and about the proper role of the state in establishing or maintaining society.
Classic Liberalism
philosopher ex:
.originated in reaction to feudal structures of medieval society
.philosophy of individualism; political community is artificial, an arrangement established for the purpose of protecting and furthering person well-being
.ideology of freedom or liberty
. liberals believe that individuals sacrifice liberty for protection and security
. government limitations should be minimal
.individual liberty has come to be called individual rights
philosopher ex: John Locke
Constitutionalism
Liberal constitutionalism(limiting the scope of government authority and power)
. way of keeping rulers in check
.necessity of responsible government
Economic Liberty or ____ ______
philosopher ex:
market economy
.the state does not hinder the private economic transactions of individuals
.laissez-faire doctrine of minimal government activity in the marketplace
ex: James Mill
Rationalism or Rational Individualism
. The conviction that individuals can be protected from arbitrary authority by rational, predicable government
. The promotion of an economic system that is supposed to rest on the rational self-interest of buyers and sellers rather then medieval rules and regulations
.moral theory that looks for grounding in rational principles rather then tradition and/or received theological doctrines
.In all these 3 liberalism argues that government, politics, and social life generally can be ordered by human reason in ways that will make individuals better off
Conservatism
.disposition to preserve
.strive to preserve existing liberal institutions and policies from reform or radical change; in an authoritarian dictatorship, conservatism can support seriously illiberal ideas
.Organic Conservatives: conservatives who sought to preserve the traditional institutions and values of aristocratic society in the face of the liberal revolution, sometimes called tories
radical conservatives or reactionaries: trying to bring back what is already gone
radical conservatives or _________
Reactionaries
Organic Conservatives
.ideology of the structured community
.believe society is naturally ordered in an organic, hierarchal fashion-an organized community is natural in the way that family is natural
.value anything that contributes to the cohesion, coherence, and continuance of this community: traditions, conventions, time-honoured institutions, structures, and practices
.primary task of the state is to preserve the integrity of the community by sustaining the institutions, practices, and values
.accepts individual inequality as inevitable and natural
.Social position is given naturally and become a responsability
The restrained state
.To much government interference can mess with natural system, but too little and human irrationality will also mess it up
.liberal conservatism: acceptance of the market economy as the new form of landlord aristocracy
Socialism
.response to liberal capitalism
.came from societal affects of industrial revolution
.Early “utopian socialists”(Marx) believed that socialism would be a ‘moral’ evolution
Egalitarian Communalism
.believe humans are fundamentally equal
.see humans in communal, social nature
.against inegalitarian ideas of conservatives and individualism of the Liberals
.equality of opportunity important
Class relations
. concerned with how certain individuals are privileged or disabled by certain factors like education, information, or capital .market economy is between classes and primarily about the relationship between the class that owns the means of production(bourgeoisie) and the class that owns nothing but its labor(proletariat)
Bourgeoisie
class that owns the means of production
Proletariat
class that owns nothing but its labor
The socialist state
.seeking society where all individuals are equal
.eliminate exploitation and subjugation of the least privileged classes
.State should be implemented as a tool for the minority to use for equality
.need for strong state
.supports democracy if members of working class recognize there best interests
.most important job of the state is to regulate, reform, or even replace the private property market economy of liberal society
.economic liberty and market autonomy reason for inequality
.rather a collectively or publically owned means of production
John Stuart Mills essay On Liberty talks about
freedom of opinion, belief, and lifestyle
- gender equality,rights for gays,lesbian, or trnsgender persons
- provision of education and public health care
Modern Liberalism
3 main reforms
recognizes positive and negative liberty/freedom
- The incorporation of political democracy
- an expansion of rights claims by individuals
- the abandonment of laissez-faire political economy
negative liberty and Positive
an absence of restraints needs to be complemented by the positive definition of being empowered to do this
Liberal Conservatism
.occurred through either conservatist acceptance of new economy or classical liberals resisting the changes of reformed liberalism
Conservative liberals such as _____
Edmund burke
classical liberal economic position all called _____ _____
fiscal conservatism
red tories
social conservatives combined with reformed liberal economic views
Neo-Liberalism
a defence of free market policies grounded in the theoretical writings of Milton Friedman von Hayek.
.advocated for return to laissez-faire economics-unfetted free-market economics
.tax reductions, privatization, spending cuts, balanced budgets, and debt reduction
Most contemporary conservatives are ____ ______
neo-liberals
Neo-conservative
Almost feudal society in that countries like the US move to military action in order to get things done because they were one of the only superpowers
____ _____ predicted that a socialist revolution would occur in the main capitalist societies
revolution would occur in two stages:
Karl Marx
- “dictatorship of the proletariat”- allowing working class to use the state as a tool to eliminate class struggles
- State would wither away and society would be communist
Evolutionary Socialism
Marx failed to see the possibility of democratic reform which could improve the working class conditions
Communism does not equal socialism
Socialism: is the democratic, reformist, and peaceful
Communism: authoritarian, revolutionary, and if necessary committed to violent struggle
Socialism
is the democratic, reformist, and peaceful
Communism
authoritarian, revolutionary, and if necessary committed to violent struggle
Totalitarianism
total employment of power in the state
5 Communist regimes remain
China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam
Socialism to social democracy
.Acceptance of legitimate private ownership
.still support some co-operatives or worker-owned business but no longer committed to eliminating private corporations or to restructuring the entire economy on an alternative basis
libertarianism
opposes almost any activity or regulation by the state
.represent extreme classical liberalism
.us has strong libertarian context
populism
any creed or movement based on the following major premise: virtue resides in the people who are the overwhelming majority, and in their collective traditions
- celebration or ordinary people
- opposed to change that affects regular citizens
- extreme examples of nationalism
Nationalism takes on of 3 forms:
- goal of achieving political autonomy or independence for a people, usually situated within the larger society or political unit-state building
- promoting a sense of attachment among citizens of a regime that comprises many different peoples-nation building
- an emphasis in policy making on the integrity or priority of the nation state in opposition to international, supranational, or globalizing forces
cross-cutting cleavage
those who are united by one element are divided on the basis of the other
Cleavages
draw attention to the fragmentation of identity in modern societies
.Central task of a political system in such societies is to contain or defuse the differences and contests of interest that emerge out of various identities
Case Study-Quebec City cleavage
.ethno-linguistic division between English-Speaking an French Speaking Canada
.regionalism
.created by economic differences
.created Quebec Nationalism
-supports culture, history, and language
.quest for self-government and greater autonomy
.Nationalism in Quebec takes 2 forms
1. French-Canadian nationalism, which covered 1793-1960
-emphasized survival: maintaining the integrity of language, culture, and custom, and avoiding the pressures for assimilation into a larger Anglophone society.
2. Quiet revolution
Charter of French Language
elite accommodation
a people are ruled by co-opting(accommodating) their existing leaders
Characteristics of The state
.based on rule of law
.structure is defined by a constitution
.has a independent judiciary
.military and police under civilian control
Characteristics of Civil society
.universal public education .religious toleration and freedom of association .private property and markets .competitive, independent mass media .freedom from discrimination
characteristics of political process
.universal adult suffrage
.regularly scheduled, fair elections
.system of competitive political parties
characteristics of public admin/policy
.professional, merit-based public service
.mechanisms/offices of oversight and appeal
.stakeholder involvement in policy formation
Legislative function
making authoritative decisions in form of laws
executive function
carrying our, enforcing or administering the content of law
judicial function
resolving disputes over the execution of the laws or interpreting their content
The basic functions of the state
.making authoritative decisions
.carrying out or enforcing authoritative decisions
.settling disputes
-generally take the form of law
3 basic operations: legislative, judicial, executive
Westminster system versus Madisonian
parliamentary versus separated powers
west: political executive, the cabinet, headed by the PM-is a small group of members of the elected legislature
- known as fusion of powers
- executive or government must maintain support of the majority of the members of the elected legislature
- responsible government
Madisonian: the executive-the directly elected President and officials of his or her admin, including a cabinet- is entirely separate, distinct from legislature
- known as separation of powers
- judiciary headed by the supreme court also had more independent role then in west system
- system of checks and balances
Constitution
the basic rules that describe the powers of the institutions of the state, their relationship to each other and to the people, which may be more or less formal, more or less detailed, and more or less difficult to manage
Convention
unwritten rule that must be followed
ex: ministerial responsibility: the relationship between a member of the political executive and the admin of the department over which he or she is the nominal head
Judicial review
considers whether an action by a branch of government is consistent with the powers granted to it and/or consistent with the rights protected in the constitution
judicial independence
officers of the court must be free from political interference or influence.
Components of a parliamentary government
Cabinet government:
- government in power headed by the PM
- only remains in power as long as it holds confidence of the legislature
- each member of cabinet is a minister and a head of a gov department(known as portfolio)
- ministers are supposed to aid in the passing of legislation through the legislative process
- responsible government needed
- collective responsibility of cabinet to the legislature
- cabinet solidarity require every member of cabinet to support each of its decisions
a cabinet ministers government department is known as
portfolio
Prime Minister
.the head of cabinet
.determines membership of the cabinet, size, structure, and style of decision making
.chief political executive
Coalition government
. a division of the cabinet seats between or among parties
.agreement about which cabinet posts(including the PM and deputy minister) each party will hold
. a list of policies that the parties have agreed to implement
Two reasons for a multiparty system
social: a diversity of interest exists that cannot be accommodated by 2 parties
institutional: the presence of a proportional representation system
Legislative coalition
Electoral coalition
an arrangement whereby the party in government has the formal support of a party in legislature
an arrangement whereby two parties agree to provide mutual support in an election campaign, including not going against eachother in ridings
Why not a coalition government
- System expectations
- Compatibility of Partners
- Absence of crisis
Role of the head of state?
.responsibility of overseeing formation of government
demissionary phase
members of cabinet continue to work until they are reelected or another party is sworn in
Who are dual executive
Justin Trudeau=PM
David Johnston=Governor general
investiture vote
the head of state polls the parliament as a whole to determine whether the proposed government has the support of the majority of its members
hung parliament
when no party has a majority
In the parliamentary system the government may end at any time for one of the following reasons:4
- Loss of legislative confidence:
- if it loses support of the majority in legislature
- loss of confidence - The cabinet implodes:
- coalition partners no longer able to work
- can also be internal party division - Voluntary resignation
- if they think they can win election
- demonstrate popular support for a policy
- seek new mandate after change in leadership - The term of parliament ends
If a premature end of government occurs the head of state can…
- invite current PM to form new gov
- invites other party leader to form gov
- appoints a caretaker government to govern until next scheduled election
- dissolves parliament and calls early election
The most common type of government in liberal democracy is a _____
coalition
Coalition gov has four elements
- Two or more parties share role of government
- the partners agree on allocation between them of cabinet seats, including the PM and Deputy PM
- The partners negotiate a program of policies on which they will govern, based on their election campaign manifestos
- Agreement on procedures to consult and resolve disputes within coalition is as important as agreement on policies
Pariah party
no other parties will partner with
Minimum winning coalition
fewest amount of partners is the best
connected coalition
where all parties represent ideologies that are adjacent
General rules of coalition agreement
.all parties will share proportionally the seats of cabinet
.The PM will be leader of the largest party
.Leaders of parties will be PM or hold senior portfolios
.Parties generally negotiate for responsibilities that are consistent with interests
Manifesto
Comprehensive explanations of the party’s positions on all salient issues
The Ministry
In Canada refers to all members appointed to cabinet by the PM
Madisonian Presidentialism
- Separation of Executive and legislative Powers
.The president is elected independently from the legislative branch: either directly by popular vote or through the electoral college
.No member of the executive, including the cabinet may hold a seat in the legislature
.The executive is not responsible to the legislature, neither collectively or individually(nor is it necessary that all members of the executive-cabinet- be from the same political party. The executive may not initiate legislation and has no control over its passage through the legislature - Checks and Balances
.Legislation must be passed by both chambers of the bicameral congress(house of representatives and the senate) in an incidental form, which then goes to the president who may (a) veto or (b) sign it into law
.Congress may overturn the presidential veto with a vote of two-thirds in both chambers(The House and senate)
.President appoints numerous senior admin officials to fill vacancies in supreme court, but they need confirmation by the senate
.Supreme court hears appeals against laws and can declare then unconstitutional and thereby invalid
President
Machinery of state:
.military
.no legislative power or direct access to it
Mixed Government
combining the monarchic, aristocratic, and democratic elements-rule by one(Pres), rule by the few(Supreme Court), and rule by many(Congress) into one balanced system.
There is no responsible government, no accountability in 3 tier system
T or F
True
Terms
House of Representatives=
President=
Senate=
2,4,6
The US has a ____ form of government while Canada has a _____ form
weak
strong
US constitution amended only ___ times in 220 years
17
Madisonian party’s are weak in comparison to parliamentary because:
- Lack of internal agreement
- Bipartisan Voting
- Constrained Leadership
Judicial Review
.Supreme court judges serve for life
.Supreme court judges serve for ___
life
policy
a course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a given problem or set of problems
_____ are the means by which governments implement policy
programs
policy process
staged linking the behaviour of various political actors within a regime’s institutional structures to deliver policies that are designed to produce an identifiable outcome.
Policy Cycle(6)
Formulation->Adoption->Implementation->Admin->Evaluation->Back to start
policy community or network
policy sector
all those actors, governmental, and private who “have a continuing stake in, and knowledge about, any given policy field or issue”
-subdivided into sub-government(Minister and senior members) and attentive public(individuals from orgs)
ex: health care, education, national defence
Detailed Policy Cycle(7)
1.Agenda Setting:
public agenda-the list of highly visible problems in which the public is interested
formal agenda-list of problems that policy-makers have noticed and prioritized
2.Formulation
-Means that a decision will be made on issue
Rationalist(IDEAL) model-an orderly process where the ends match the means “best possible solution”
Instrumentalist or pluralist exchange model(REALITY)- describes competition among interested parties out of which policy emerges as a result of concessions, bargains, and trade-offs
3.Instrument choice:
-the different ways governments exercise authority, from laws and regs, to penalties such as imprisonment or fines, to taxation, to provision of public goods such as education, or services such as postal delivery.
technical efficiency-the ability of an instrument to achieve objectives without an undue or unreasonable price
Political Efficiency- benefits or costs of the policy instrument for the policymakers
4. Decision to approval:
Approval through political processes
5.Implementation:
-Policy passed on to architects
6.Admin:
-Following implementation the policy is in action
7. Evaluation
-Very skeptical for evaluators
Types of Policies(7)
Cultural Defence and Foreign affairs Economic Environmental Government services Justice Social
Policy developed within ministries or departments is often called ______ because in each case the focus is on the problems and programs internal to that department.
The greater challenge of all governments face is effective _________, decision making that cuts across ministerial or departmental borders
vertical policy making
horizontal policy making
The Bureaucracy
underlying structure of authority for all manner of medium and large-scale organizations, including corporations and universities, a structure designed to provide accountability, rationality, and impartiality to the conduct of operations
.hierarchal organization .clear job descriptions and lines of command .officials trained in areas of expertise .action taken according to rules, applied impartiality .written documentation of actions taken .promotion on the basis of merit
New Public Management(NPM) privatization of services
ADOPTED for two reasons
- to achieve greater fiscal accountability and efficiency
- customer service
3 basic components of an electoral system
- District magnitude
- Electoral Formula
- Ballot type
redistribution
as populations change the value of each vote changes
District Magnitude
number of representatives elected in the electoral district
ex: Canada has single member constituencies
most have multimember
3 variations of electoral formula
- Plurality-the seat goes to the candidate with the most votes
- majority-the seat goes to the candidate receiving at least 50% +1 votes
- Proportionally-seat are distributed among candidates according to their share.
Two categories of ballots:
- Categorical-choose your favorite
2. Ordinal-rank representatives
ordinal ballot also known as ________
single transferable ballot
Single member or plurality is more commonly known as ____
first past the post
Alternative Voting sometimes called _______
instant run-off voting
Ranked voting
bIASED TO MAIN PARTIES
tWO ROUND SYSTEM
one of the most disproportionate
PR systems
.tradeoff between personal representation and proportionality
.adjustment seats or national seats
MMP=
Mixed Member Proportional
.at least half the seats are elected in single-member districts
.remaining seats are adjustment seats
.double ballot
.adjustment seats filled from party lists
Parallel Systems
.resemble MMP
. second tier votes are not adjustment but best loser votes
Single Transferable Vote-PR
Voters can vote in more then one representative from the same party to fill constituency seats
.makes representatives really need to be accountable
A bill may be
a new act, replacing an act, or editing one
Rule of Law(5)
requires citizens to be ruled by consistent, publicly known, impartial rules. In practice the rule of law requires that the exercise of public authority to meet 5 requirements and satisfy 4 institutional conditions
- Legal Culpability
- Must actually do crime - Public Law
- Validity
- Universality
- Impartality
a) Constitutionalism
b) independent judiciary
c) public legislature
d) civilian control of the police and military
secondary laws are known as
regulations
Westminster-style parliaments are regarded as _____ because they are limited to trying to influence the policy presented by the executive
US congress is ______ as policy can be made in legislature independently of executive
reactive
active
Legislative decision process(5):
Presentation Debate Scrutiny and Testimony Amendment Decision
Common Law versus Civil Law
Common=
.Emphasis on precedent
.inductive-past
.integrated court
Civil= .emphasis on first laws .follow code book .deductive-now .specialized court system
The objects of rights are of basically three kinds
- Freedoms
- Protections
- Benefits
