POLS331 Exam 1 Ch 1-7 Flashcards
1
Q
The role of state/local govt
A
- its role plays a bigger role than federal govt because it affects us more as it has a bigger hand in providing everyday public services
- ex: way easier to talk with state/local representative than a federal representative since they are close by and they care more about earning your vote
2
Q
Why do we study states?
A
- always be new developments within each state that are caused by the interests of those that reside there = we get a variety of different policies in place
3
Q
What does laboratories of democracy mean?
A
- States are the test subjects that are experimented with until the state can become truly satisfied with what is there. A state can never be truly satisfied because its values is always changing
- A democracy is defined by the state’s innovations
4
Q
What are institutions?
A
- rules and these form a backbone of what the state is
- all of these rules dictate how we play the game in each state
- examples:
—> state constitutions
—> amendment process
—> state statues
—> state regulations
—> election laws
5
Q
What is the comparative method?
A
- its a method that analyzes the variation across states and communities to explore and understand the boarder forces at work in US politics and government
- ex: if the goal is to understand govt support for higher ed, then these are methods that will be used:
—> Identify states that charge different tuition rates at their colleges/universities
—> Compare the states’ other characteristics to find clues to explain difference
6
Q
What is Federalism?
A
- foundation of state politics
- power sharing arrangement between levels of govt
- evolution and devolution of power
- relationship between a national govt and its constitutive states
- intergovernmental relations = the interactions between the levels
- structural or constitutional relationship between national govt and states
7
Q
How does Federalism differ from other systems of government?
A
- A federal system of governance allows voters to tell sub-national govts and national govt what to do
8
Q
Confederal system of governance
A
- always the voters, then the sub-national govt, and finally to the national govt
9
Q
Unitary system of governance
A
- voters first, then the national govt, and then the sub-national govt
10
Q
Federalism
A
- foundation of state politics
- power sharing arrangement between levels of govt
- evolution and devolution of power = through the years, the state has been receiving less and less power with more restrictions and the federal govt has inc in power
- relationship between a national govt and its constitutive states
- intergovernmental relations = the interactions between the levels
11
Q
Why do we have states?
A
- because of the history we have w/ them = path dependency
- we are working with what we already have
12
Q
What does path dependency mean?
A
- this is when you follow the path that has already been there = we are depended on what has already been set up, we just modify certain aspects
- things that happened in the past = inc or dec the likelihood we have them in the future
13
Q
advantages of a federal system compared to other systems of government?
A
- Closer to citizens
- reduces conflict
- flexibility and policy experimentation
- facilitation of national policy goals
- Bulwark (defensive wall) against tyranny
—–> Tyranny = bad thing = US take down dictators from other countries
—–> separation of powers = ensures no govt gets more power than the other govt
—–> checks and balance
14
Q
disadvantages of a federal system compared to other systems of government?
A
- Complexity confuses citizens, reduces accountability since the constitution and the system of federalism is so complex that its left to interpretation = causes problems
- Waste and duplication
- Inc conflicts among govt
- Policy inequalities
—–> Public policy is different across states = some states receiving more help than others when it comes to natural disasters
—–> Inc transaction costs - more stakeholders must agree
15
Q
How has federalism changed overtime?
A
Federalism has changed over time as more power and less power has been given to different levels of govt
- over the years, states have been receiving less power while federal has received over power over the states
16
Q
What is dual federalism?
A
- most power = the states
- states and fed govt = separate from each other = no cross over
- layer cake federalism
- very little going over between the two
- occurred before the Great Depression
17
Q
What is Cooperative Federalism?
A
- Federal govt inserting itself into economy by the way of states
- states take money from the Fed govt and this results in a open door for Fed govt to interfere w/ some policies of the states
- overtime, u get addicted to the cash = Fed govt start to control state/local govt
- examples
—–> Block grants: large grants given to the states to fix problems, but in reality, this is a way Fed govt can interfere
—–> Categorical grants: used to fix a specific problem w/ strings attached = making decisions due to guidelines - Marble Cake Federalism
- many interactions between National and state govt
18
Q
What is Coercive Federalism?
A
- resulted from states addicted to federal funding in the 60’s, got the states hooked
- brought about unfunded mandates
—–> ex: general revenue sharing
———> Grant-in-aid program
———> Federal govt provides financial aid to subnational units (state and local govts)
———> doesn’t tell how state or local govt can get the programs done so Federal govt can’t claim credit even if they pay for it
19
Q
state specific factors impacting participation: political culture
A
- at certain times in history, there were times when people vote differently on certain public policies
—–> may vote more conservative or liberal depending on the time period
20
Q
state specific factors impacting participation: level of party competition
A
- if one party is stronger than the other, the individual of the other party may not want to go vote because they think that their party most likely won’t win anyways
21
Q
How do voters decide: use heuristics
A
- decision short-cuts
- certain rules that we follow:
—–> party identification = best predictor
—–> see if we recognize the name ( most times we will if we seen them on media = helps incumbents get reelected since they are already in media
———> the more common the last name is = more likely people will vote for them
———> names that are associated w/ history = may work against or for you
—–> race, sex, ethnicity
———> more likely to vote for a women in some instances
———> more likely to vote for a candidate if you look like them
—–>ballot position = candidates will fight to get to the top ballot position, why: first name u see and most people pick randomly when voting
———> how is this decided?
————-> coin toss
————-> institutions: some states, u have to be a top political party that is mostly voted on in that state, ex: VA
22
Q
How do voters decide: editorial endorsements
A
- if a celebrity endorse it, some people may vote for them, some people may not
- depends on the time-period because endorsements don’t mean as much as now
23
Q
How do voters decide: state of the economy
A
if you are a farmer and ur suffering in income = more likely to pick a candidate that suits more w/ your problem
24
Q
state specific factors impacting participation: registration requirements
A
- may have in-person voting on election day
- may have certain deadlines to vote
25
Q
state specific factors impacting participation: strength of labor unions
A
- some states are right to work states and other states not so much
26
Q
state specific factors impacting participation: Caucus, open or closed primary
A
- Caucus
- Closed Partisan primary
- Open Primary
- Nonpartisan election
27
Q
closed partisan primary
A
- democratic voters receive democratic ballot and pick democratic candidate
- republican voters receive republican ballot and pick republican candidate
- not registered w/ a party = can’t vote in their primary
28
Q
methods for party candidate nomination: open primary
A
- able to vote for whoever (any party)
- no party affilitation required
29
Q
nonpartisan election
A
- candidates run for office w/ out party labels on ballot
30
Q
methods for party candidate nomination: Caucus
A
- members informally meet to cast votes
- informal gatherings of party voters
—–> It’s like a social gathering where they party then near the end, they decide which politician to vote for by choosing sides - since it happens at a open event, it’s harder to choose sides since everyone knows each other
31
Q
methods for party candidate nomination: Semi closed primary
A
- register w/ a party on election day
- able to vote on election day, but only if the voter has an ID
32
Q
methods for party candidate nomination: Blanket primary
A
- voters select candidate regardless of party
- since voters can vote for any party, loyalty to one party is difficult to keep
33
Q
methods for party candidate nomination: semi open primary
A
- vote in any parties primary but must publicly declare in which primary they choose to vote
- since they gotta publicly declare, it destroys loyalty to friends and to parties
34
Q
state specific factors impacting participation: direct democracy
A
- adopt some public policies that are closer to state’s public opinion
—–> ex: death penalty laws, laws requiring parental notification for abortions - higher turnout
- hot ballot issues
35
Q
state specific factors impacting participation: felon disenfranchisement laws
A
-those who been to prison can’t vote in some states in certain election
- your record will go w/ you when u move
—–> states = control registration
—–> Federal govt won’t allow you to vote regardless
36
Q
5 Developments of Federalism?
A
- Reauthorization of Federal Laws
- Waiver Authority
- Competitive Grants
- Institutional Connections
- A Political Disconnect
37
Q
5 Developments of Federalism: Reauthorization of Federal Laws
A
- laws that were already in place aren’t always relooked to be improved upon or removed
- all laws have an end date
- problem, why: state legislators and congress won’t cooperative because:
—–> Congress doesn’t care about what State legislators have to say. They care about business, political problems that they care about, or money
38
Q
5 Developments of Federalism: Waiver Authority
A
- Fed Govt acts as an adult using waivers as candy to entice states to keep to their side of the deal in keeping w/ the law that Fed Govt put in place
—–> ex: specific state action - improves laws
- ensures state accountability to laws
- if you do this for me, I will do this for you
- done state by state
39
Q
5 Developments of Federalism: Competitive Grants
A
- used only by Fed Govt
- used to keep criteria/standards law or regulated
- to encourage improvements in a specific problem
- Fed Govt’s attempt to reform a specific problem
- problem, why?
—–> voluntary participation sometimes = states don’t have to use the money to make improvements
—–> money is given to the top states first as they are doing well, then gradually to other states = hierarchy
—–> often, forced upon states w/ coercive behavior
———> Hard to say no to if states badly “need cash”
40
Q
5 Developments of Federalism: Institutional Connections
A
- No congressional committee in place anymore = hard for officials of all levels of govt to work/communicate together for solutions = problem remains
41
Q
5 Developments of Federalism: A Political Disconnect
A
- everyone is out for their own interest = nothing for common interest gets done
—–> “states’ champions aren’t their champions anymore
———> once voted in by voters (like the Populaire) because they displayed that they were for the people, but once in office, they flip the switch
———> No one wants to yield
—–> Can’t connect because candidates that win primary elections and raise large amounts of money devalues states’ experience/interest
———> more money you have = bigger platform you have = larger amount of voters being wrongfully misled
42
Q
What is Coercive Federalism?
A
- resulted from states addicted to federal funding in the 60’s, got the states hooked
- brought about unfunded mandates
—–> ex: general revenue sharing
———> Grant-in-aid program
———> Federal govt provides financial aid to subnational units (state and local govts)
———> doesn’t tell how state or local govt can get the programs done so Federal govt can’t claim credit even if they pay for it
43
Q
What is the states’ role in elections?
A
- states are allowed to control state/local elections thus they can:
—–> determine time, place, and manner according to the US Constitution
——–> some states, every single year is election year = randomly assigned by states themselves
——-> states are able to manipulate time to make it okay for those w/ and w/ out jobs = accessibility
——-> states are able to switch voting place as much as they want or determine the method of voting that is acceptable
44
Q
What individual specific factors impacting participation?
A
- education
- income
- race/ethnicity
- age
- length of residence
- newspaper readers
- public sector employees
- partisanship
- political interest
- church attendance
—–> able to get social capital by attending church = speaking w/ other church members about issues - group membership
- higher turnout is from older, stable, white, better educated
- lower turnout is younger, recent migrants, minorities
45
Q
What are state specific factors impacting participation?
A
- political culture
- level of party competition
- registration requirements
- strength of labor unions
- caucus, open or closed primary
- direct democracy
- felon disenfranchisement laws
46
Q
What are election specific factors impacting participation?
A
- Presidential vs. other years = people think presidential election matters more = lower turnout at state/local elections
- primary vs. general election
- level of competition
- campaign spending: if ur state gets whole lot of money = will know more about the election
- issues on ballot
- scandal, crisis
- interest group mobilization: the more mobility they have = more they are able to spread the word about their candidate
- state of the economy
- weather
—–> able to impact turnout
——–> may not wanna wait for the bus to go vote if it is raining or snowing
——–> republicans found that raining or any sort of bad weather may affect minorities from turning out = if your republican, pray for rain
47
Q
How do voters decide?
A
- candidates are randomly picked because of lack of info
- heuristics
- race, sex, ethnicity
- ballot position
- editorial endorsements
- interest group endorsements
- state of the economy
- values, single issues, protest votes
48
Q
What is the calculus for determining if voting is rational or not?
A
- get info on issue before election to decide candidate
- select candidate closest to political position
- rational self-interest
—–> pr (vote) = BP – C + D + S
——–> pr means proportional representation (vote)
——–> BP means ballot position
——–> C means cost
——–> D means duty
——–> S means society
—–> even though cost always outweigh your vote, we are:
——–> motivated by duty (d term)
——–> pressured by society (s term)
either of the two drive decision making process
—–> thus: S term and D term makes voting rational
49
Q
What are the barriers to political participation?
A
- gotta be a certain age to vote = gotta be 18
- vote by mail or internet
—-> helps people that may not have a car or transportation to get to their voting location - early/absentee ballots
—-> makes it easier for people to vote, but only for those w/ a official address
—-> thus: disenfranchises people who don’t have an address - required photo ID
—–> requirements of photo ID was put into place to ensure security of the polls
———> No one can vote more than once
———> can’t pretend to be another person
———> disadvantages:
————> it infringes on constitutional rights because it prevents those who don’t have an ID, address, or time to go to the DMV
50
Q
What is direct democracy?
A
- adopt some public policies that are closer to state’s public opinion because its people are more directly involved in the voting process of public policies
- higher turnout because more people are involved
- hot ballot issues
- there are 3 types:
—–> Initiative
—–> Referendum
—–> Recall - In VA, we don’t have direct democracy
51
Q
direct democracy: referendum?
A
-root word = refer = going to start at the legislature
- they write the bill at the legislature and they let the people vote on it
- there are 2 types:
—–> legislative referendum
—–> popular referendum
52
Q
direct democracy: legislative referendum?
A
- can decide to send the bill to the people to let them vote on it = referring it to the people to make the final call
—–> if yes = becomes law
—–> if no = the bill dies - legislature likes this one because the fault is not on them if the people don’t vote a law/bill into law because they did not attempt to find more about it = easily say no due to lack of info
53
Q
direct democracy: direct initiative?
A
- people make the final call
—–> if yes = the bill becomes law and legislatures have to figure out how to implement it because its law = they are required to do so
—–> legislatures don’t like this one because the people decide
54
Q
direct democracy: indirect initiative?
A
- legislatures make the final call
—–> if yes = not immediately into law, goes to the legislature and goes on the calendar to decide. The legislature gotta vote on this
———> if no = the bill dies
———> if yes = the bill becomes law - this decision by the legislature depends on the level
—–> state = state legislature
—–> local = local legislature
55
Q
direct democracy: popular referendum?
A
- we the people get to decide regardless if legislature spends money/time to sell a bill/policy
- people can collect signatures again = enough = won’t go straight to governor = it will go to the people to decide to make it law or not
—–> if yes = becomes law
—–> if no = the bill dies
56
Q
direct democracy: initiative?
A
- the bill or policy starts (initiated) by the people = starting point where we move forward
- process:
—–> knock on doors and collect signatures = to get people to agree with you = the more they agree w/ you = the more likely it will be put on the ballot
—–> People will vote on the ballot
———> if no = the bill or policy dies
———> if yes = 2 things can happen - depending on where you are, it may be easier or harder to collect signatures
- types:
—–> Direct initiative
—–> Indirect Initiative
57
Q
direct democracy: recall elections
A
- often at local level and in the west
- person/group file petition for a public vote to remove an elected official from office before term expires
- it is the people’s impeachment = don’t have to wait for legislature to do anything for you
58
Q
What is populism?
A
- those of this ideology believe in taking power away from political elites like:
—–> incumbent politicians
—–> vested (personal) interests
—–> party machines
And giving power back to the voters - for the common people
- had a short-lived influence on politics
- were called populists
- one of most influential third parties in American history
- had greater influence in the west
- this political party died by 1900
59
Q
advantages of direct democracy?
A
- citizen access
- citizen vote
- higher voter turnout: +4% overall
- improved voter ed because of media and ad campaigns
- greater policy responsiveness by state elected officials
60
Q
disadvantages of direct democracy?
A
- constrain corrupt state/local officials
- give citizens direct control over policy
- policy could be more representative of public opinion
- “Gun behind the door” to motivate legislatures to act = legislatures gotta put the laws that the people approve of in the ballots
61
Q
the difference between how voters decide between candidates vs. ballot propositions?
A
- if voters don’t know who to vote for due to lack of info = they vote for a candidate randomly
- if voters don’t know about the proposition that’s on the ballot, then they vote no in case the ballot proposition does not line up with their ideologies and values.
