Quiz 1 Flashcards
Define and explain
politics as governance
definition: the art or science of government that deals with the form, organization, and administration of a state or part of a state, and with the regulation of its relations with other states
significance: the organization and operation of the government is essential for the purpose of carrying out its duties and responsibilities, its efficiency, and its response to the needs of its citizens
Define and explain
politics as power
definition: the process through which a society settles its conflicts
significance: understanding how certain figures rise to power is essential to understanding the organization of our society
List
root of conflict in American politics
- founding of the United States
- distribution of power
- Constitution and its interpretation
List
sources/mediators of conflict in American politics
- checks and balances
- courts
- political parties and elections
- public opinion
- mass media
Define and explain
government
definition: formal institutions through which a land and its people are ruled
significance: the way society organizes itself has been the study of countless scholars and is yet to be perfected
List
purposes of government
- to supply benefits that require coordination and agreement
- to establish and preserve the rights of its citizens
- to secure liberty for all (or some)
- to secure equality for all (or some)
List
explanations of government from political science
- state of nature
- social contract
- collective action problem
- tragedy of the commons
- externalities
- uncertainties and crises
Explain
Thomas Hobbes’s theory of the state of nature
individuals sacrifice some liberty for the protection of government
everybody would be at war with everyone without any protection
Explain
John Locke’s theory of the social contract
“all men” are born free and equal
people create government when law becomes inadequate
contract based on limited political authority and conditional on ruler’s fulfillment to serve public good
contract is rooted in popular sovereignty
Define and explain
public good
definition: a benefit that is non-excludable and non-depletable
significance: often undersupplied due to lack of market incentives
Define and explain
externalities
definition: “spillover effects” of private commercial activity
significance: the general public is most affected by externalities while lacking any influence over their negotiations
Define and explain
positive externalities
definition: when non-market actors enjoy benefits of market activity without paying for it
significance: the government wants to subsidize positive externalities because they are good for general population
Define and explain
negative externalities
definition: when non-market actors bear costs of market activity without compensation
significance: government wants to regulate/eliminate negative externalities because they are bad for general population
Define and explain
collective action problem
collective action dilemma
free-rider problem
definition: everybody wants benefits without paying for them without government
significance: government is unable to function without resources of its own to carry out its responsibilities – so somebody has to be willing to supply them
Explain
solution to collective action problem
governmental power can solve collective action problems through persuasion (selective benefits) or coercion (penalties)
Define and explain
tragedy of the commons
definition: the theory that people will use common resources to the point of depletion
significance: access to non-excludible but rivalrous resources leads to overconsumption and ultimately depletion of common resources to the detriment of everybody
solutions include imposition of private property rights, government regulation, or development of collective action arrangement
List
variances in governments
- form/structure
- distribution of power
- constraints on state power
Define and explain
autocracy
definition: a system of government by one person with absolute power
significance: governments in control of one person without any limits on power often lack accountability on behalf of its citizens
Define and explain
oligarchy
definition: a form of government in which power rests with a small number of people
significance: oligarchies, similar to autocracies, greatly lack in accountability on behalf of their citizens
Define and explain
democracy
definition: system of government in which political power is vested in the people and citizens play a significant role in the governmental process
significance: democracies grant influence over their leaders, agendas, and functions to their citizens by fulfilling the concept of popular sovereignty
Define and explain
popular sovereignty
definition: the principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives, who are the source of all political power
significance: the most fundamental quality of any democracy is the influence of its citizens over the inner-workings of a government
List
characteristics of democracies
- popular sovereignty
- equality
- liberty
List
2 types of democracies
- direct democracy (pure democracy)
- representative democracy (republic)
List
2 dilemmas of representative democracy
- trustees vs. delegates
- principal-agent relationship
List
3 models of power distribution in democracies
- elite model
- pluralistic model
- hyper-pluralistic model
Define and explain
elite model (of power distribution in democracies)
definition: the theory that a small minority, consisting of members of the economic elite and policy-planning networks, holds the most power—and that this power is independent of democratic elections
significance: built on premises that power is concentrated, elites are unified, the non-elites are diverse and powerless – fear for your lives!
Define and explain
pluralistic model (of power distribution in democracies)
definition: the theory that politics and decision-making are located mostly in the framework of government – but that many non-governmental groups use their resources to exert influence
significance: all of the rules of the game are already laid out, but outside forces are responsible for tipping the scale in certain directions
Define and explain
hyper-pluralistic model (of power distribution in democracies)
definition: theory that the government is unable to function properly when a large number of different groups or factions become so politically influential
significance: it is essential to prevent the rise of a monopoly on the political culture in order for the government to properly function
List
constraints on governmental power
- constitutional
- authoritarian
- totalitarian
Define and explain
Constitutional constraints on power
definition: System of government with formal and effective limits on power
significance: citizens are ensured their clearly laid-out boundaries and know what to expect from their government
not all constitutional governments have constitutions
Define and explain
authoritarian constraints on power
definition: system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on power — but, in practice, power can be constrained by other entities
significance: able to be constrained by other entities (such as armies, corporations, religious groups, etc.)
Define and explain
totalitarian constraints on power
definition: system of rule where government recognizes no limits on power
significance: often involves trying to absorb anything that attempts to place a limit on power
List
important guardrails on democracy
- mutual toleration
- forebearance
Define and explain
mutual toleration
definition: tolerating political competitors
significance: opponents in political discourse mutually benefit from understanding that their interests are the same
Define and explain
forebearance
definition: respect for institutions of a country
significance: opponents must agree on the fundamental rules of the game before competing with one another
List
key indicators of authoritarian behavior
- rejection of (or weak commitment to) democratic rules of game
- denial of legitimacy of political opponents
- tolerance or encouragement of violence
- willingness to curtail civil liberties of opponents
Define and explain
political culture
definition: broadly shared, characteristic, and deep-seated values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function
significance: political culture serves as the battleground for all discourse on the priorities, functioning, and efficiency of the government and its processes
List
values that makeup American political culture
- liberty
- equality
- popular sovereignty
- individualism
Explain
role of liberty in American political culture
spelled out in founding documents
probably most central of all American values
Explain
role of equality in American political culture
flexible concept over time (applied to different groups at different times)
both an ideal and a lie
Explain
role of popular sovereignty in American political culture
enlightened citizens practicing self-government
Explain
role of individualism in American political culture
commitment to personal initiative and self-reliance
uniquely American
List
4 problems of American values
- principle policy paradox
- clash of values
- values are not guaranteed to all people at all times
- differing interpretations/applications of values
Identify
source of most conflicts in American political culture
clash of cultural values
list
2 themes of American Revolution
- collective action despite rationality
- expected benefits outweigh expected costs
list
characteristics of American political culture after American Revolution
- little sense of national unity
- intense distrust of a strong central government
- economic divisions among the states
Define and explain
Articles of Confederation
definition: first written US Constitution that established a confederation of equal states and lasted from 1781 to 1787
significance: failed due to lack of independent judiciary and executive branch but provided many lessons for drafting our current Constitution
List
governmental powers in the Articles of Confederation
- making war and peace
- making and signing treaties
- spending money
- regulating trade with Native Americans
List
weaknesses of government in the Articles of Confederation
- no taxation
- limited protection from foreign and domestic threats
- inability to regulate commerce
- inability to raise revenue
- inability to deal with state competition
- collective action problem
Define and explain
Shay’s Rebellion
definition: an armed uprising in Massachusetts in opposition to the state government’s increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades in the midst of a debt crisis amongst the citizenry
significance: exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and led toward a shift in thinking on the power of the federal government when drafting the current Constitution
Identify
social class of 1787 Constitutional Convention
elites (wealthy and educated white men)
List
conflicting interests at 1787 Constitutional Convention
- property (slavery)
- representation
List
goals of 1787 Constitutional Convention
- solve collective action problem among states
- create a government more compatible with economic interests
- find compromise to advance new structure of government
Explain
difference between federalists and anti-federalists
the federalists favored a Constitution with a strong central government
the anti-federalists favored a Constitution that promoted strong state governments
Explain
the “great compromise” of the 1787 Constitutional Convention
the Virginia Plan would have created a legislature with representation in proportion to each state’s population or revenue contribution (good for big states)
the New Jersey Plan would have created a legislature with equal representation of each state without regard for population or revenue contribution (good for small states)
the Connecticut Compromise created a bicameral legislature with an upper house (Senate) and a lower house (House of Representatives) to combine the interests of big and small states
Explain
three-fifths compromise
agreement reached during the 1787 United States Constitutional Convention over the counting of slaves (as three-fifths of 1 person) in determining a state’s total population
List
key elements of constitution
- compromise between competing interests
- marriage of interest and principle
- government based on popular consent
- separation of powers and federalism prevent the abuse of power
- vague language allows for flexibility
- Bill of Rights protects liberty
Define and explain
Bill of Rights
definition: first ten amendments of the Constitution
significance: protects the liberty of citizens
written to address concerns of anti-federalists
Define and explain
tyranny of the majority
definition: an inherent weakness to majority rule in which the majority of an electorate pursues exclusively its own objectives at the expense of those of the minority factions
significance: causes certain people to face punishment or unfair treatment because their situation is different from the situation of most of the people in a democratic country
List
means of opposing tyranny
- pluralism
- separation of powers
- federalism
Explain
structure of US government as laid out in US Constitution
Article 1 creates the legislative branch
Article 2 creates the executive branch
Article 3 creates the judicial branch
List
reasons for separation of power
- tyranny of the minority
- tyranny of the majority
- balancing minority rights with majority rights
- preventing tyranny
Define and explain
necessary and proper clause
elastic clause
definition: the clause in Article I, Section 8 of the US Constitution that empowers the Congress to make all laws necessary for executing its other powers and those of the federal government as a whole
significance: broad interpretation used to significantly expand power of federal government over states and legislative branch over executive branch
Define and Explain
10th Amendment
definition: 10th amendment to Bill of Rights which states that the federal government has only those powers delegated to it by the Constitution and that all other powers not forbidden to the states by the Constitution are reserved to each state
significance: limits the federal government to work within confines of US Constitution and significantly expands power of states
Define and explain
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
decision: American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes that they find to violate the Constitution of the United States
significance: principle of judicial review emerges from this decision even though it is not explicit in Constitution
List
provisions of Constitution related to federalism
- Commerce Clause
- Necessary and Proper Clause
- 10th Amendment
- Full Faith and Credit Clause
- Comity Clause
Define
enumerated powers
powers laid out for the federal government
Define
concurrent powers
things both state and federal government can do
Define
denied powers
things that state and federal government cannot do
Define
implied powers
powers assumed by federal government from the Necessary and Proper Clause
Explain
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
asked “can Maryland tax a central bank?”
created principle of implied powers
leads to growth of federal government over time
Explain
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
asked “can one state tell another state that a steamboat cannot operate in waters between states?”
gave federal government power to regulate interstate navigation
Explain
Wickward v. Filburn (1942)
asked “are acreage restrictions in violation of limits on Congressional power?”
decided that government is allowed to regulate how much crop you grow
reasoned that growing your own wheat causes you not to buy wheat from market – so it indirectly related to commerce clause
