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VB vocab Flashcards

1
Q

Adam Smith

A

an english economist whose Wealth of Nations argued that individual rational choices in a free market are the ideal way to foster efficient economic activity

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2
Q

agency theory

A

(principal-agent model) the basic premise is that bureaucracies are agents that act on behalf of the legislature–the principal or “client”–in a relationship similar to a business contract

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3
Q

agents of political socialization

A

the sources from which a group learns the political culture, which can include schools, parents, the media, politicians, friends, and religious leaders

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4
Q

agreement reality

A

things that we believe are real even though we have never directly experienced them through our five senses

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5
Q

alliances

A

an agreement between groups or individuals to join resources and abilities for a purpose that individually benefits the members of the alliance

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6
Q

anarchists

A

radical ideologues who long for a lack of authority or hierarchy because they believe that human beings are capable of peacefully intermingling and ordering society without broad, formalized governmental structures

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7
Q

appellate jurisdiction

A

a higher court’s authority to review the record from a trial court

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8
Q

aristocracy

A

a wealthy landowning elite

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9
Q

arrow’s theorem

A

the idea that elections cannot be the perfect means of making decisions because the method by which the votes are tallied can significantly alter the outcome

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10
Q

atomization

A

the deliberate isolation of people from each other in society to keep them from forming a group that could threaten a leader’s hold on power

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11
Q

authority

A

where knowledge, natural ability, or experience makes it rational for people to choose to place themselves in a subordinate position to another individual or group

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12
Q

authority leakage

A

when the distortions created by communication down a chain of command make it impossible to control those who act

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13
Q

balance of power

A

the way in which the distribution of power across the international system influences the pattern of alliances that tend to form in an anarchical environment

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14
Q

bandwagoning

A

opportunistic international alliances in which nations ally with the bully in order to carve out their own slices of the spoils

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15
Q

bicameral legislature

A

a legislature with two houses

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16
Q

bureaucracy

A

the position within the political-administrative structure–the desk, not the person–that defines the role or function to be performed

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17
Q

capitalism

A

an economic system based on the free market and individual competition for profits

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18
Q

central bank

A

a kind of sort of government bank that loans imaginary money to real banks

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19
Q

checks and balances

A

a system whereby each branch of government can limit the powers of the other branches

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20
Q

civil law

A

the branch of law that typically deals with relations among private individuals and groups

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21
Q

civil law system

A

system of law based on the proposition that law is a codified, constructed entity that a legislature or some other lawmaking political body has constructed

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22
Q

classic conservatism

A

a political ideology that emphasizes the belief that people should be generally free from governmental constraints or interference

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23
Q

cockroach theory of politics

A

the idea that politicians do not want to be spotted anywhere where they might be stomped on; thus, when they see others caught by the media in a scandal they try to avoid getting noticed for a similar indiscretion

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24
Q

cognitive frameworks

A

the set of instinctual and learned filters the human mind uses for sorting the mass of incoming information and selecting which bits it will recognize and pass on to the thinking parts of the brain

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25
Q

cohabitation

A

under the French political system, when the president is from one political party while a different political party controls the legislature

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26
Q

collective action

A

coordinated group action that is designed to achieve a common goal that individuals acting on their own could not otherwise obtain

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27
Q

common-law system

A

law system characterized by the strong role of the judge in cases and the importance of precedent

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28
Q

communism

A

a political ideology that advocates, via revolution, a classless, socialist society in which justice and fairness for the whole previal over the interests of individuals

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29
Q

conceptual frameworks

A

the personal experiences, preferences, and expectations that we all use to make sense of the world

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30
Q

confederal system

A

a system where the local governmental units have all the real power

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31
Q

constructivism

A

a theoretical perspective in international relations that holds as its fundamental claim that human beings construct the reality around them–the reality upon which decisions and choices are made–through language and communication

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32
Q

criminal law

A

the branch of law that concerns relationships involving the government and its relationship with individuals and organizations

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33
Q

crosscutting cleavages

A

when a group contains many different points of conflict, thus allowing people to find many points of agreement and conflict within the group

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34
Q

cultural ownership

A

the idea that something that is part of a group’s shared identity can also be owned

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35
Q

culture

A

the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic

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36
Q

currency

A

a universally accepted “placeholder” between trades of all the myriad different forms of real wealth, simplifying trade and enabling the fractionalization of whole goods

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37
Q

deflation

A

situation in which the number of currency units is falling relative to available wealth

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38
Q

delegate

A

representative who attempts to do exactly what his or her constituents want

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39
Q

democracy

A

rule by the people, usually through elected representatives, under a constitution that provides protection for basic rights and majority rule

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40
Q

democratic peace

A

the observation that liberal democratic political regimes do not fight one another

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41
Q

democratic socialism

A

a political ideology that advocates for a socialist state through democratic means

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42
Q

dictatorship

A

form of government in which power is centralized in a single person or possibly a small group of people

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43
Q

direct democracy

A

a political system in which all citizens gather together to share perspectives, debate, and vote on policies

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44
Q

dispute resolution

A

the role of courts to peacefully settle disputes and keep order in society

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45
Q

divided government

A

when one political party controls the presidency and another party controls either all or part of the legislature

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46
Q

divine right of kings

A

the principle that earthly rulers receive their authority from God

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47
Q

dramatic imperative

A

the need for commercial news outlets to focus on rare and unusual events that have a tremendous impact on people in order to draw an audience

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48
Q

electoral college

A

an election system in which electoral votes are divvied between the states according to population

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49
Q

enlightened self-interest

A

the idea that people will restrain their self-interest in recognition of the need to preserve a common resource

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50
Q

experiential reality

A

things that we directly experience through our five senses

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51
Q

fascism

A

a political ideology that argues for the supremacy and purity of one group of people or nationality in a society

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52
Q

federal law

A

the law of the national government

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53
Q

federal reserve rate

A

the interest rate that federal reserve charges on loans to banks

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54
Q

federal system

A

systems in which the final authority for at least some aspects of government are left to the local or subnational level

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55
Q

feudalism

A

an economic system under which peasants raise crops and livestock on small plots within the landlord’s estate and are obligated to give a substantial percentage of their production to the landlord in exchange for protection

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56
Q

filibuster

A

a delaying tactic used by a senator or a group of senators in which they indefinitely talk about a bill in order to frustrate the proponents of the bill and ensure defeat of the measure

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57
Q

first-past-the-post system

A

an electoral system in which the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether that person has a majority of the votes cast; there is no runoff election

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58
Q

foreign policy analysis

A

a theoretical perspective in international relations that holds that understanding how decisions are made within the structure, process, and context of domestic politics is essential for understanding international politics

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59
Q

framing

A

the use of a speech to provide a cognitive framework for understanding an issue, policy, or candidate to predispose people to interpret a myriad of facts and snippets in one way rather than another

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60
Q

geographic representation

A

a legislature divided according to geography; people are represented by the area they live in

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61
Q

gerrymandering

A

the process of intentionally drawing districts to gain a partisan advantage

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62
Q

going rate

A

when judges, through past sentencing, set the context for plea bargaining, which occurs when defense attorneys and prosecutors negotiate about what the appropriate penalty should be for an offense for which a plaintiff pleads guilty

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63
Q

government

A

the creation of institutions or structures to provide the security that people continually need; the result of a group’s need to institutionalize, or make permanent, its power

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64
Q

gridlock

A

when the checks and balances within the presidential system work too well so that they not only prevent one institution from overwhelming the others but also prevent anyone from doing much of anything

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65
Q

group identity

A

the degree to which members identify with a group and, conversely, identify who is not part of that group, a process that affects the group’s strength, cohesiveness, and survival

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66
Q

head of government

A

the political role of a country’s president or ruler as the leader of a political party or group and chief arbiter of who gets what resources

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67
Q

head of state

A

the apolitical, unifying role of a country’s president or ruler as symbolic representative of the whole country

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68
Q

hegemon

A

a dominant power–either an individual or, in the case of international politics, a country powerful enough to dominate all others

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69
Q

hereditary monarchies

A

the most common form of monarchy; used by almost all of the world’s existing monarchies. under a hereditary monarchy, all rulers come from the same family and the crown is passed along from one family member to another

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70
Q

hierarchy

A

a societal structure that elevates someone or some group to a position of authority over others

71
Q

humanist

A

an idealist who is interested in and motivated by concern fo the broader human condition and the quality of people’s lives

72
Q

idealism

A

a way of looking at the world in which the focus is on what we would like to do or what we would the world to be; also refers to a theoretical perspective in international relations that stresses the quest for peace

73
Q

idealist period

A

the two decades between the world wars that were marked by the effort to envision and attain a perfectly peaceful world

74
Q

ideological representation

A

representation in which people’s belief is the main concern of leadership

75
Q

immobilism

A

when, because of the complexity and fragility of a ruling coalition, it becomes nearly impossible to enact any kind of coherent policies out of fear that a coalition party will break away and force the government to collapse

76
Q

imperial presidency

A

the accumulation of tremendous power in the presidency at the expense of the other branches of government, especially the legislative branch

77
Q

imperialism

A

the extension of an empire’s or nation’s rule or authority over foreign countries or the acquisition and holding of colonies and dependencies for the purpose of economic gain

78
Q

individual security

A

focus on the continued safety of the individual

79
Q

inflation

A

situation in which the number of currency units in circulation is increased, measured relative to the real stuff of value out there, which reduces the value people place upon each unit of the currency

80
Q

initiatives

A

questions that are put on the ballot by citizens, usually after some type of qualification process–for example, the collection of a significant number of signatures on a petition

81
Q

injunctive power

A

the power of courts to stop governments, individuals, or groups from acting

82
Q

inquisitorial system

A

in a civil law system, a prolonged pretrial investigative process

83
Q

institutions

A

the organizational structures through which political power is exercised

84
Q

iron triangle

A

the situation in which the bureaucracy is captured and redirected to focus on the needs of an interest group rather than on the public interest or even its original mandate

85
Q

judicial review

A

the power to declare laws and government acts to be in violation of the nation’s constitution or in some other way illegal under the structure of the country

86
Q

jurisprudence

A

a philosophy of law

87
Q

laissez-faire capitalism

A

an economic system allowing very little, if any, government involvement, interference, or regulation

88
Q

law in action

A

how laws are applied and enforced in the real world

89
Q

law in books

A

the laws as they are written

90
Q

league of nations

A

an international institution created after World War I that attempted to bring nations together to peaceably resolve conflict in a form of collective security

91
Q

legal system

A

a social construction built upon a basic conceptualization of how the law is created and how it functions

92
Q

legitimacy

A

people’s voluntary acceptance of their government and its exercise of authority

93
Q

majoritarianism

A

rule by the majority

94
Q

karl marx

A

a german economist, theorist, sociologist, and philosopher most notable for his works criticizing capitalism and advocating communism–a classless, collective socialist society

95
Q

matriarchy

A

a form of social organization in which the mother is recognized as the head of the family or tribe and descent and kinship are traced through the mother’s side

96
Q

means of production

A

the mechanisms for transforming labor into wealth

97
Q

median voter

A

the one voter in the center of the ideological spectrum

98
Q

mediated reality

A

reality that comes to us through channels of information flow, primarily through the news media, and our understanding of how information is selected, sorted, and presented to us through the news media

99
Q

minority government

A

when the majority party does not share power with any other party but relies on an agreement that states another party will provide support or will abstain from voting if there is ever a no-confidence vote

100
Q

monarchy

A

an authoritarian government with power vested in a king or queen

101
Q

monetary policy

A

the collection of the most commonly used mechanisms that governments use to manage the collective resource of currency

102
Q

multiparty systems

A

systems composed of multiple, distinct, and officially recognized groups, otherwise known as political parties

103
Q

mutual exploitation model

A

the idea that the news media exploits elites by using them for cheap sources of news that they know will interest the public while, at the same time, the elites exploit news media sources by using them to communicate with the public and present a public image that will help their political, economic, or social ambitions

104
Q

national security

A

encompasses the requirement to maintain the survival of the nation-state through the use of economic, military, and political power and the exercise of diplomacy

105
Q

natural law

A

a type of jurisprudence that presumes that there is some higher law, which originates with God or nature, and that this higher law is discoverable by the use of reason

106
Q

oligarchy

A

government by the few, especially for corrupt and selfish purposes

107
Q

original jurisdiction

A

a court’s authority to be the first tribunal to hear a case

108
Q

other

A

someone who is identified as an outsider and not part of the group, defined as a means of initiating conflict, and is therefore identified as the enemy

109
Q

overhead democracy

A

system of government in which elected officials–who are periodically held accountable to the desires of the voting public–are put at the top of the bureaucratic hierarchy or are otherwise entrusted with mechanisms that allow them to effectively control the unelected portions of the government

110
Q

panopticon

A

a social mechanism of control in which people know that while they are not watched all the time, they may be watched at any time

111
Q

parliamentary system

A

a system in which there is a fusion of legislative and executive institutions

112
Q

patriarchy

A

a form of social organization in which the father is recognized as the head of the family or tribe and descent and kinship are traced through the father’s side

113
Q

peer policing

A

a system in which people police each other

114
Q

policy stability

A

when the social and economic environments within the country tend to be very consistent over time

115
Q

political capital

A

an individual’s or institution’s reserve of power that can be called upon to achieve political goals

116
Q

political culture

A

the shared social context from which people make political choices

117
Q

political ideology

A

you know, that thing where you take an ideal and turn it into a bunch of cheesy slogans for action in pursuit of the utopia that supposedly results from the ideal

118
Q

political science

A

field of study characterized by a search for critical understanding of the good political life, significant empirical understanding, and wise political and policy judgments

119
Q

political socialization

A

the process by which the group teaches the shared context to members of society

120
Q

political theory

A

a body of work aimed at developing knowledge about politics and political systems

121
Q

politicos

A

people who are active in party politics

122
Q

politics

A

individual or combined actions of individuals, governments, and/or groups aimed at getting what they want accomplished, when those actions have public consequences

123
Q

polity

A

constitutional government that is a mixture of democracy and oligarchy

124
Q

pork barrel politics

A

occur when representatives use their political office to bring federal money to their districts through projects and jobs

125
Q

positivist jurisprudence

A

a type of jurisprudence that views law as simply the command or will of the recognized sovereign authority of the state

126
Q

power

A

the ability to get something done

127
Q

preference falsification

A

when people hide the way they truly feel while publicly expressing what those in power want them to communicate

128
Q

presidency

A

an executive institution that includes all formal and informal powers–the offices, the staffs, and the historical precedents that define it

129
Q

presidential system

A

a system in which there is a separation between legislative and executive institutions

130
Q

prime minister

A

a member of parliament, who, as the leader of the winning party in the parliament, exercises some of the functions of a chief executive

131
Q

principal-agent model

A

also called agency theory, the basic premise that bureaucracies are agents that act on behalf of the legislature–the principal, or “client”–in a relationship similar to a business contract

132
Q

private law

A

law that is concerned with the relations among private individuals and private organizations

133
Q

privileged group

A

a group that is given access to something created by a private entity although that group did not directly contribute to its creation

134
Q

proportional representation

A

a system in which there is representation of all parties in a legislature in proportion to their popular vote

135
Q

public goods

A

resources shared by the community

136
Q

public law

A

law that concerns relationships involving the government and its relationship with individuals and organizations

137
Q

realism

A

a way of looking at the world in which the focus is on what we are able to do, what is possible for the world to be; also refers to a theoretical perspective in international relations that views international politics as a strategy game

138
Q

referenda

A

questions that legislatures put on the ballot for people to vote on

139
Q

reform liberalism

A

a political ideology that argues that within a capitalist system, government should play a role in regulating the economy and removing major inequalities

140
Q

regime security

A

the leaders’ ability to protect their hold on power

141
Q

representative democracy

A

system of government in which people vote to select who will represent their interests rather than voting on the actual issues of the moment

142
Q

republic

A

a government in which decisions are made by representatives of the citizens rather than by the citizens themselves; also refers to a country without a monarch or an authoritarian leader

143
Q

revolution

A

mass uprisings focused on the goal of tearing down and replacing the current government

144
Q

safety valve

A

a mechanism that allows people to blow off steam in order to avoid larger conflict

145
Q

scientific method

A

a specific set of rules and processes for pursuing knowledge with observation, hypothesis, building, experimentation, and replication

146
Q

security

A

the ability to protect oneself and one’s property

147
Q

self-policing

A

a social mechanism by which only a few enforcers are needed to maintain control of the population because the fear of being punished keeps people in line

148
Q

separation of powers

A

a system designed so that no one branch of government can become too powerful over the others

149
Q

shadow government

A

a type of oversight performed in a parliamentary system by those members of the minority party who would take the office if that party were to capture the majority

150
Q

sharia

A

the system of islamic law

151
Q

socialism

A

an economic system in which society controls the means of production

152
Q

socially responsible investing (SRI)

A

the purchasing of stock in corporations or the acquiring of proxy votes from willing corporate stockholders by groups seeking to change or influence the direction of corporate policies

153
Q

sophist

A

one who in ancient Greece taught promising young men practical skills, such as rhetoric, so that they could be successful in public life–they did not focus on metaphysics or ethics

154
Q

spin

A

the use of a speech to provide a cognitive framework for understanding an issue, policy, or candidate to predispose people to interpret a myriad of facts and snippets in one way rather than another

155
Q

stag hunt

A

a commonly used parable that demonstrates how the interdependence of actions and choices affects collective efforts to attain a goal

156
Q

state law

A

the law of the states and their localities

157
Q

state security

A

the ability at the governmental level to protect borders and governmental structures from outside threats

158
Q

statutory interpretation

A

when courts must interpret what a law precisely means to maintain specificity

159
Q

structures

A

basic elements that governments need in order to govern that determine, enable, and limit how the particulars of the government take shape

160
Q

subcultures

A

smaller cultures within the main political culture

161
Q

totalitarian

A

a form of government that tries to control every aspect of life, sometimes down to the level of thought

162
Q

tragedy of the commons

A

a problem that demonstrates how the rational choices of individuals collide with the needs or interests of the larger community

163
Q

trustee

A

a country or government charged with the oversight of a trust territory

164
Q

two-party system

A

a system that favors moderate political parties that can create coalitions to gain sizable numbers of voters

165
Q

tyranny of the majority

A

an unrestrained majority that bands together to rule a society with a ferocity and cruelty comparable to a dictator

166
Q

unicameral legislature

A

a legislature with one house

167
Q

unitary system

A

a system in which sovereignty and authority rest quite clearly with the national government

168
Q

unity system

A

a system in which sovereignty and authority rest quite clearly with the national government

169
Q

unity government

A

when the two major parties, though in opposition, work together to achieve a higher national purpose

170
Q

utopia

A

an ideal world

171
Q

vote of no confidence

A

a parliamentary device by which the government can be dissolved by a simple majority vote of the legislature

172
Q

winner-take-all system

A

an electoral system in which there is no proportional representation

173
Q

world systems theory

A

the idea that politics occur within an economic structure defined by exploitative trade relationships, with corporate, class, and multinational entities defining the units of action

VB vocab (1 decks)

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