Terms Flashcards

survive.

1
Q

The “Fine-Tuned Liberal Democracy” Hypothesis

A

The theory is that everything has to be perfect for liberal democracy to work; anything bad is a result of an imperfect setting.

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2
Q

Socialism

A

No private ownership of anything, everything is public.

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3
Q

Democratic Socialism

A

More equal opportunities for everyone by focusing on taxing the rich.

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4
Q

Capitalism

A

Private individuals and organizations control the economy

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5
Q

Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act

A

The public has access to emergency medical care regardless if you can pay or not; this leads to free rider issue

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6
Q

Affordable Care Act

A

basic healthcare would be covered; more healthcare more accessible to low-income individuals

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7
Q

Government

A

Formal institutions where territory and people are ruled; are important because they provide structure in diff ways (economic, defense, etc.)

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8
Q

Free Rider/Collective Action Problem

A

Free riders are freeloaders who let everyone else do everything bc they can get the benefits for free; a collective action problem is when a group should work together but they fail to

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9
Q

Collective Goods

A

Benefits that are available to everyone and can’t be denied to nonmembers

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10
Q

Selective Incentives

A

Usually, an incentive is given to curb free-riders (ex. if you donate to company A you get to go to a party)

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11
Q

Principal-Agent Problem

A

conflict when the actor is given power by the principal but does not pick decisions that the principal would want (ex. a manager making bad financial decisions that the franchise owner did not want)

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12
Q

The Problem of Ignorance

A

People aren’t politically educated leading to bad decisions.

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13
Q

California Proposition 1 (2018)

A

The state sold $4 billion in bonds to fund veterans and affordable housing; an example of the problem of ignorance because no one knew if 4 billion was enough to solve those issues but just picked it because of “funding veterans and affordable housing”

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14
Q

Representative Democracy

A

The people pick representatives that make decisions for them

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15
Q

Direct Democracy

A

citizens vote directly on laws/issues, can lead to ignorance problem

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16
Q

Oligarchy

A

The powerful control the government/make the decisions (ex, the rich)

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17
Q

Autocracy

A

One person rules (ex. queen/king)

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18
Q

Constitutional Government

A

explicit limits are placed upon government powers

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19
Q

Authoritarian Government

A

no formal limits are placed on government powers but other institutions can limit them (ex. the church)

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20
Q

Totalitarian Government

A

no formal limits are placed on the government and it makes sure to oppress any other form of power (ex. the government in the Hunger Games)

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21
Q

Liberal Democracy

A

A democracy but your rights and property are protected

22
Q

History of and Current Threats to Liberal Democracy (Fukuyama)

A

Threats to liberal democracy are when people try to use their status to avoid power constraints (ex. trump breaking the rules)

23
Q

Popular Sovereignty

A

Majority wins; government based on the people

24
Q

Political Equality

A

people participate equally; one person one vote

25
Q

Equality of Opportunity

A

people can use whatever to reach their fullest potential (ex. wealth and talent)

26
Q

Majority Rule

A

Follow the majority rule, protect minority interests

27
Q

Minority Rights

A

Rights that everyone has (ex. unalienable rights)

28
Q

Founding Fathers

A

(look on the doc)

29
Q

Declaration of Independence

A

Paper that America declared independence from England, stated things such as unalienable rights, liberty, pursuit of happiness

30
Q

Articles of Confederation

A

First ever constitution was basically the basis of the government (very weak, kind of sucked)

31
Q

Confederation

A

A bunch of independent states that are in a group but still have their own power

32
Q

Bicameral Legislature

A

Assembly with two chambers/houses (ex. Senate and the House of Representatives)

33
Q

Virginia Plan

A

representation based on the population; 3 branches (executive, judicial, legislative); likes bicameral legislature

34
Q

New Jersey Plan

A

equal representation regardless of population; likes unicameral legislature

35
Q

Great Compromise

A

representation in House of representative would be based on population; every state would still have 2 votes (basically mashed New Jersey and Virginia)

36
Q

Separation of Powers

A

division of power between the 3 branches + state and federal; government keeps each other in check

37
Q

Checks and Balances

A

The 3 branches keep each other in check (ex. presidential veto power over congressional legislation, Senate approves presidential election, Supreme Court judicial review over congressional decisions)

38
Q

Judicial Review

A

power of courts to review actions of legislative and executive, can declare them unconstitutional (ex. Marbury v. Madison)

39
Q

Three-Fifths Compromise

A

compromise that made it so only three-fifths of enslaved people were counted for the representative population

40
Q

Ambiguous Wording in the Constitution

A

ambiguous wording means that the Constitution can adapt as society progresses and that there is no set-in-stone rule, basically, it depends on how you interpret it; the Supreme Court interprets it

41
Q

Necessary and Proper Clause

A

Article I, section 8 of the Constitution, basically lets Congress make laws “necessary and proper” for their enumerated powers

42
Q

Federalists

A

People that loved strong government; mainly strong central government (ex. Alexander Hamilton)

43
Q

Anti-Federalists

A

People that loved strong state government, hated strong central government; hated the Constitution proposed in 1787

44
Q

Federalist Papers

A

Papers written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to support the ratification of the constitution (reasons in the paper: indirect elections of government officials, longer term limits, as well as representative democracy over direct democracy)

45
Q

Federalist Paper 10

A

James Madison argued that direct democracy would lead to factions, that’s why we should let the chosen higher-ups make decisions (basically the large republic is better because then factions won’t split the nation apart)

46
Q

Federalist Paper 51

A

James Madison talked about separation of powers/checks and balances, every level of government must work together to get stuff done

47
Q

Electoral College

A

Voting used to pick the president, 538 electors, 270 majority vote to win; works based on winner-takes-all/popular vote for the states (ex. California being mainly democrats so majority will always vote blue), third parties get royally fucked by this, swing states become the main focus of the two parties

Alternative: Instead of doing winner-takes-all for each state, we should just do a popular vote for everyone (a person =1 vote)

48
Q

National Popular Vote Interstate Compact

A

Keeps the electoral college however the popular vote winner would win (states give their electoral college votes to the popular winner)

49
Q

Faithless Electors

A

A voter that says they will vote for candidate A but then votes for candidate B

50
Q

Electoral Count Act of 1887

A

Basically how they count electoral votes following an election (might get changed though due to its vague and outdated language which people have abused)

51
Q

Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022

A

Reformed the 1887 version, more concrete rules, limited the power of the vice president during the electoral votes, protected voters by making sure that Congress respects state decisions, put in safeguards for people that try to dismiss the results, Congress must count votes that have been determined to be compliant w/ state and federal law

52
Q

Constitutional Amendments

A

Amendments must have 2/3 vote in Congress or 2/3 in a conventional; 3/4ths of the state legislature must ratify it; no amendment has ever succeeded through convention; the most successful is by the 2/3 vote by Congress and 3/4th ratification of the state legislature