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62 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Facts abot the Governement
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-have great power that regulates thousands of aspecs of our daily life
-influence sociey at large and individual -grown from 3 - 21 million from 70's to 00's -accuesd of runaway grwh -whose interest does it seek to function for (public, elite class, or itself?) |
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Reasons for Growth of Government
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-rapid changes in social institution
-to regulate a unstable industrial capitalism |
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Bureaucracy
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A form of social orgaznization characterized by a division of labor, a hierarchy of authority, a set of formal rules, and job security
-90% of work force involved in some sort of bureaucracy -specialized task organized under a power structure increasingly powerful authroity figures |
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Max Weber and Bureaucracies
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-argued the rational impersonal objective rules and fundamental quality of bureaucracies make them most effcient form of organization
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Pitfall of Bureaucracies
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-"Red Tape"
-the inflexible nature of formal of objective organization structures can effect its nature to respond to a diverse set circumstances |
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Goal Displacement
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The tendency of bureaucracies to substitute informal goals for the official objectives of organization
-it functions formost to sustain itself and leaves the individual struggling to benefit from the system |
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Three Theoretical Approaches
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elite theorists, pluralists, structuralists
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Elite Theorists
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-government shaped by elite class
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Pluralists
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-different interest groups fighting for control wth no one group demoinating
-competition results in a negotiaion and compromise usually ends up in favor of the public |
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Structuralist
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-see government as supporting the elite class as a natural byproduct of corporate capitalist society
-key government decision are meant to serve elite to the nature of capitalism |
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MIlls Perspective
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-coalition military, government and higher ranked members of the economy
-power elite similiar social background... white, ivy league, male, socially coordinated behaviors based on values -middle levels/ interest groups (congress) -masses uninformed public -power elite ensures dominance |
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Later Perspectives after Mills
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-coporate elite is dominant force
-military not influential -politaical and economical elite -majority power is in top coporate ranks |
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Relative Autonomy of Government
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-short run may move against desires of upper class long run it will serve upper class through its interst in the corporate capitalist system
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Voting in America
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-61% voted for president in 2004
-declined over years -Those who need gov. help most don't vote -18-24 47% -55-over 73% -upper income categories 81% -politicians are ambiguous to try to appeal to most voters -exposure in the media is limited by costs -major political issues and poisitions on issues are not clearly explained in media -15 largest newspaper conglomerates account for more than half the total newspaper circulation |
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Special Interest Groups
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An organized group of people who have stake in a particular area of public policy
-most of the time it revolves around financial matters |
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Lobbying
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-The activities of special-interest grounps intended to influence government decision makers
-sway underinformed lawmakers with facts and figures they gathered - cultivate friendships throw parties -promise political support -millions of dollars contributed to shaping political process -uneven amount of support goes to promote coporate interest vs eviromentalist, small business, underclasses -Reaserch funded by corporations influence government policy |
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Justified assumptions by approaches
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1. competing interst groups in and out the government trying to shape governmnet policy
2. diverse groups and with unequal power ex elite dominate decision making 3. average no politicalpower 4. limits to government to carry out unpopular policy and world market influence |
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can we pay politicians to vote a certain way?
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nope but we can donate large contributions tthat wil sawy a vote
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Conflict of Interest
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-The thical dilemna that occurs when a officeholders official duty and his or her personal intersts conflict
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Spoils System
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-A political system in which government jobs and favors are handed out in exchange for political support
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Bribery
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-giving officials money or some other reward in order to influence the way they carry out their duties
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Focus of the Media
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-media makes it harder for the elected officials to engage in illegal activities
-a lot of attention is drawn towards misbehavior outside office |
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Public Cynicism
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-22% confidence in congress
-41% in supreme court -44% in teh presidency -reasonable skepticism is good b/c of corruption -too much skepticism turns into overwhelming cyncism that can lead to apthy and indifference -makes problems worse -media ability to expose government members without former restraints allows for more brodcast of personal and professional failings |
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Justified assumptions by approaches
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1. competing interst groups in and out the government trying to shape governmnet policy
2. diverse groups and with unequal power ex elite dominate decision making 3. average no politicalpower 4. limits to government to carry out unpopular policy and world market influence |
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The Military Dilemna
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-worry is not in military takeover but economoic and political dependence
-sshort term boom benefits but daage long term as they take away skilled man power away from pulic sector -even after the Soviet unio failed the budget increased funding military specific products and 3 million active duty and reserve soldiers -military has its own lobbyists |
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Military-industrial complex
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the powerful interst group formed by the military and the civilian corporations that supply it with services, materials, and equipment
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can we pay politicians to vote a certain way?
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nope but we can donate large contributions tthat wil sawy a vote
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Defense Conversion
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Changing corporations and workers from military to civilian work
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Conflict of Interest
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-The thical dilemna that occurs when a officeholders official duty and his or her personal intersts conflict
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Spoils System
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-A political system in which government jobs and favors are handed out in exchange for political support
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Bribery
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-giving officials money or some other reward in order to influence the way they carry out their duties
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Focus of the Media
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-media makes it harder for the elected officials to engage in illegal activities
-a lot of attention is drawn towards misbehavior outside office |
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Justified assumptions by approaches
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1. competing interst groups in and out the government trying to shape governmnet policy
2. diverse groups and with unequal power ex elite dominate decision making 3. average no politicalpower 4. limits to government to carry out unpopular policy and world market influence |
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Public Cynicism
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-22% confidence in congress
-41% in supreme court -44% in teh presidency -reasonable skepticism is good b/c of corruption -too much skepticism turns into overwhelming cyncism that can lead to apthy and indifference -makes problems worse -media ability to expose government members without former restraints allows for more brodcast of personal and professional failings |
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can we pay politicians to vote a certain way?
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nope but we can donate large contributions tthat wil sawy a vote
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The Military Dilemna
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-worry is not in military takeover but economoic and political dependence
-sshort term boom benefits but daage long term as they take away skilled man power away from pulic sector -even after the Soviet unio failed the budget increased funding military specific products and 3 million active duty and reserve soldiers -military has its own lobbyists |
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Conflict of Interest
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-The thical dilemna that occurs when a officeholders official duty and his or her personal intersts conflict
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Military-industrial complex
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the powerful interst group formed by the military and the civilian corporations that supply it with services, materials, and equipment
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Spoils System
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-A political system in which government jobs and favors are handed out in exchange for political support
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Defense Conversion
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Changing corporations and workers from military to civilian work
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Bribery
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-giving officials money or some other reward in order to influence the way they carry out their duties
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Focus of the Media
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-media makes it harder for the elected officials to engage in illegal activities
-a lot of attention is drawn towards misbehavior outside office |
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Public Cynicism
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-22% confidence in congress
-41% in supreme court -44% in teh presidency -reasonable skepticism is good b/c of corruption -too much skepticism turns into overwhelming cyncism that can lead to apthy and indifference -makes problems worse -media ability to expose government members without former restraints allows for more brodcast of personal and professional failings |
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The Military Dilemna
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-worry is not in military takeover but economoic and political dependence
-sshort term boom benefits but daage long term as they take away skilled man power away from pulic sector -even after the Soviet unio failed the budget increased funding military specific products and 3 million active duty and reserve soldiers -military has its own lobbyists |
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Military-industrial complex
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the powerful interst group formed by the military and the civilian corporations that supply it with services, materials, and equipment
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Defense Conversion
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-Changing corporations and workers from military to civilian work
-encourage defense contracts to find civilian markets |
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Blacklisting
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the practice pf denying employment and economic opprotunities to people b/c of their political views
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Examples of government violation of civil liberties
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-Watergate (wire taps, burgulary, tax audits, destroyed evidence)
-Opposition to Vietnam (covert agents working towards promoting illegal activity of different activist groups to get them arrested, illegal surviellance, various other methods of personal and group attack on opforce |
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War on Terror civil liberties
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-Treatment of terror suspects
-torture, sexual humiliation and intimidation |
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Corporations threatening Civil Liberties
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-background check
-voicemail/ email -smoker discrimination - electronic records |
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USA PATRIOT ACT
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-allowed for increased monitoring of emails and warranted searches
-access to records -deportation |
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Taxation
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-Americans among the lowest overall taxation for all the industrial countries
-public wants more government services and less taxes -popular trend in taxation laws generally follows a slashing of taxes for the rich |
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Democracy
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Not jsut a system of government
-"of the people, for the people" |
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Campaign Finance Reform
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-campaign financing one of the most importat reason for corruption
-money can be spent in an unlimited amount as long it is seperate from the canidates election committee - having all campaigns regulated and controlled would limit influence -current system compromises the official into selliong out to financial power that be |
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Empower local governments
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Pros
1. bring nations politics closer to the people 2.provide actual self determination to the communities we live in Cons 1 could be abused majority in area 2.can deal with larger problems like wolrd economy and pollution |
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Term Limit
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legislation that limits the amount of terms
-break power of entrenched incumbents -inexperience |
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Covert Operations
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secret operations carried out by the government agencies such as the CIA
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The Functionalist Perspective on Government
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Governemnt has five basic functions
1. enforces norms when social institutions fail 2. settle disputes between groups and individuals 3.planning/directing social institutions 4.deal with needs unmet by social institutions 5. international relations -needs to be more organized -remove secrecy and corruption -proctect civil liberties |
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The Conflict Theorist Perspective on Government
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Government works to repress conflict instead of resolve it
impose standards of dominant group better representationof those not politically active in government will lead to a better ditribution of wealth and steps toward equality |
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The Feminist Perspective on Government
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women need equal representation in government in order to give equality across gender lines
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Inteactionist Perspective on Government
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how we think about governemnt influences how it functions ... cynicism threatens to completely falter any form of change in goernment
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Poitical Socialization
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the process by which people lean their political values and perspectives
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