Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
69 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
State of Nature
|
Thomas Hobbes - Governments are instituted to protect us from our own instincts. We will attempt to dominate others and lust for power if left to our own devices.
|
|
|
Social Contract
|
John Locke - Individuals sacrifice some of their liberty to create a government with political authority that will serve the public. Political power is derived from the public and vested in a conditional authority (popular sovereignty is rooted in the Social Contract concept).
|
|
|
Collective action problem
|
Everyone wants the benefits of public goods and common resources, but no one wants to pay for them. Governments can solve this problem through either coercion or persuasion. Also known as the "free rider" problem.
|
|
|
Tragedy of the commons
|
People will use common resources to the point of depletion. Think about the English Commons example the term is derived from (people bringing their cows to feed on town grass more often than the grass can regrow).
|
|
|
Negative externalities
|
When non-market actors bear the costs of market activity without compensation. Examples: pollution, overfishing.
|
|
|
Positive externalities
|
When non-market actors enjoy the benefits of market activity without paying for them. Examples: public education, flu shots.
|
|
|
Uncertainties and crises
|
Another reason to have government. We need someone to be able to respond to events outside our control, such as national security emergencies, economic disasters, natural disasters, scarce resources, domestic strife, and medical epidemics.
|
|
|
Free rider
|
Someone who participates in generating the collective action problem (using public goods and common resources without paying for them).
|
|
|
Public good
|
Goods that are non-excludable and non-divisible (not rival in consumption). Examples: National defense, a clean environment, education.
|
|
|
Autocracy
|
One person rules with absolute power (king, dictator, etc.).
|
|
|
Oligarchy
|
A small set of people (usually landowners) control most of the decisions in government
|
|
|
Democracy
|
System of rule in which political power is vested in the people. Key components are popular sovereignty, liberty, and equality.
|
|
|
Trustees vs. Delegates
|
Trustees decide independently what's in the best interests of the people. Delegates do exactly what the citizens want, regardless of their own opinions.
|
|
|
The Principal-Agent Relationship
|
The principal is the person being represented, while the agent is the person representing them. In the case of U.S. government, the principal is the public and the agents are our elected officials. When the relationship is working well, the agent is always responding to what the principal wants. When it isn't, elections are used to readjust it.
|
|
|
Elite model
|
Decisions are made by a small group of people with political, economic and social control. The democracy actually functions more like an oligarchy. One of the Three Models of Democracy.
|
|
|
Pluralistic model
|
All interests are free to compete in a democracy, and through this competition comes influence. One of the Three Models of Democracy.
|
|
|
Hyperpluralistic model
|
Pluralism spun out of control. There are too many competing interests, which results in gridlock. Democracy doesn't function as it should. One of the Three Models of Democracy.
|
|
|
The Power Elite
|
Book written by C. Wright Mills - Businesses, the military-industrial complex, and politicians fool us into thinking we have control over them while they make government decisions independent of us.
|
|
|
Constitutional
|
System of rules in place that effectively limit the power of government. Can be substantive (explicitly stating what a government can or cannot do) or procedural (stating how a government can assert its authority).
|
|
|
Authoritarian
|
No formal limits on government authority, but informally there are institutions that check its power. Examples: Religious, military, and organized business/labor groups.
|
|
|
Totalitarian
|
No formal or informal limits on government power.
|
|
|
Federalists
|
Wanted a strong central government that could promote commerce, prevent political strife, protect the new nation from international feuds, etc.
|
|
|
Anti-Federalists
|
Wanted a decentralized government where states would hold most of the power.
|
|
|
Federalist Papers
|
A series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in defense of federalism - in order to convince citizens to ratify the Constitution.
|
|
|
Political trust
|
What the U.S. public thinks about the motivations and performance of its government.
|
|
|
Political efficacy
|
What the U.S. public thinks about its own capabilities and power to influence its government.
|
|
|
American Ethos
|
The four core values of American culture: liberty, equality, individualism, and popular sovereignty.
|
|
|
Popular sovereignty
|
People have the ability to modify their governments to suit their needs. In other words, governmental power is derived from the people. Can also be described as "enlightened citizens practicing self-government."
|
|
|
American Exceptionalism
|
The thesis that the political institutions, character, and heritage of the U.S. is unique vis-à-vis all other nations. The product of the American Ethos in our political culture. Supported by the fact that the U.S. has no Socialist Party, no strong labor movement, and a small welfare state relative to other developed democratic nations.
|
|
|
Articles of Confederation
|
First written constitution of the United States. Had limited powers of central government, a confederation of equal states, and a Congress, but no independent judiciary or executive branch. Was weak for several reasons: The government couldn't tax, raise revenue, or deal with state competition, and only limited protection from foreign and domestic threats was provided. Essentially one big collective action problem.
|
|
|
Virginia Plan
|
Representation was to be based on the population of each state or the proportion of each state’s revenue contribution to the national government. "Virginia is for Proportional Representation."
|
|
|
New Jersey Plan
|
Each state was to be represented equally regardless of population.
|
|
|
Great Compromise
|
Compromise over the Virginia and New Jersey Plans at the Constitutional Convention. Created a bicameral legislature, with different means of representation. Also known as the Connecticut Compromise.
|
|
|
Three-Fifths Compromise
|
Another compromise at the Constitutional Convention - each slave was to be recognized as three-fifths of a citizen. Was the result of fundamental difference between slave states and non-slave states - were slaves property or citizens? Over 90% of slaves were in five states who thus refused to budge on the issue, so it was an example of tyranny of the minority.
|
|
|
Tyranny of the majority
|
When a simple majority completely eliminates the minority voice. This is the reason it is important to give the minority a voice - it's so as to avoid their oppression.
|
|
|
Tyranny of the minority
|
When a minority is able to block proposals they disapprove of despite being outnumbered. Example: the Three-Fifths Compromise.
|
|
|
Necessary and Proper Clause
|
Grants Congress the ability to do whatever is "necessary and proper" to execute its enumerated (explicit) powers. Article I, Section VIII, Clause XVIII.
|
|
|
10th Amendment
|
All powers not granted to the national government or prohibited to the states are granted to the states or to the people.
|
|
|
Reserved powers
|
Powers which are, by default, given to the states or people.
|
|
|
McCulloch v. Maryland
|
1819 - Maryland tried to resist the establishment of a National Bank by levying a tax on all non-Maryland bank notes. A clerk named McCulloch refused to pay the tax, and the case went to the Supreme Court. The case is significant for two reasons. First, it sent the precedent for implied powers by stating that Congressional powers do not have to be explicitly stated if they can be justified through the Necessary and Proper Clause. Second, it used the Supremacy Clause to rule that state governments could not attempt to impede valid constitutional actions taken on the national (federal) level.
|
|
|
Commerce Clause
|
Gives Congress the power to regulate commerce between states, foreign nations, and with the Native American tribes. Was used in Wickard v. Filburn (1942) to rule that Wickard was affecting interstate commerce by growing extra wheat beyond his quota, even though it was for his own personal use, and he could therefore be penalized by the national government.
|
|
|
Dual federalism
|
Federalism from 1789-1937 - "layer cake" federalism. Two layers of government, separate and distinct. Arose from the conflict between the Necessary and Proper Clause and states' rights. National and state governments are considered equal and don't interact. This type of federalism gave birth to the Doctrine of Nullification, in which Southern states informally nullified national laws they disapproved of, claiming that they infringed upon states' rights.
|
|
|
Cooperative federalism
|
Federalism from 1937-1975 - "marble cake" federalism. Arose from the New Deal - trust in government was renewed. More sharing of responsibilities. Overlapping jurisdiction in some cases - areas where it is unclear who is in charge (national or state). Example: Medicaid.
|
|
|
Regulated federalism
|
Federalism from 1975 - present. Began as the national government established funding streams to help states meet their goals, and evolved into a way to pursue national goals. Provides incentives for states to behave in certain ways through either coercion (sticks) or persuasion (carrots).
|
|
|
Bill of Rights
|
Provides both substantive and procedural restraints on government activity - a document outlining certain civil liberties. Substantive restraints deal with actual activities that the government cannot engage in (quartering of soldiers), while procedural restraints craft paths the government must follow (e.g. "innocent until proven guilty").
|
|
|
Civil liberties
|
Protection FROM government. Protection of citizens from improper government action. (e.g. "due process")
|
|
|
Civil rights
|
Protection BY government. Obligations of government to protect citizens from illegal actions of other private citizens or other government agencies. (e.g. Civil Rights Act of 1964).
|
|
|
14th Amendment
|
Any person born or naturalized in the U.S. is a citizen, and states can't abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens, deprive them of life, liberty, or property without "due process," or deny them equal protection under the law. Known mostly for the "Due Process Clause," which laid the foundation for civil rights.
|
|
|
Incorporation of the Bill of Rights
|
Because the Supreme Court ruled in Barron v. Baltimore (1833) that the Bill of Rights did not necessarily apply to the states, states had free reign over individuals. This changed when the Bill of Rights was informally "nationalized" in the 1960's. The process of gradual nationalization was called "selective incorporation."
|
|
|
Opinion
|
A weighted sum of valenced beliefs, which varies by intensity, centrality, information base, and stability.
|
|
|
Public opinion
|
Citizens’ attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events. The topic is a lot more complicated than that, though, so read your notes for more info.
|
|
|
Measurement effects
|
The reliability and validity of a measurement. Reliability is whether or not a subject's response to the same question remains the same when asked multiple times, and validity is whether or not the question is actually capturing (evaluating) the concept it is supposed to capture.
|
|
|
Interviewer effects
|
When the interviewer is to blame for measurement error. This can be because subjects wish to give socially desirable answers, defer to the race, gender, or bias of the interviewer, or because the interviewer cannot understand the subject's answers due to language barriers.
|
|
|
The echo chamber
|
The public's tendency to spew back what the politicians are saying and claim it's their own opinion.
|
|
|
White noise
|
Opinions that make no sense; contradictory opinions. An example might be someone who identifies as fiscally conservative but supports expanding welfare programs.
|
|
|
Miracle of Aggregation
|
The "miracle" of public opinion in the aggregate being relatively rational, despite the ignorance of most individuals.
|
|
|
Heuristic
|
A "mental shortcut" someone uses to make a decision (e.g. a liberal voting straight ticket Democrat because he doesn't know enough about the candidates to make an informed decision).
|
|
|
Reception-Acceptance-Sampling Model
|
Taking in a political message from the outside world, accepting it as valid, and offering your own opinion in turn (usually whatever is most primed in your mind at the time; you'll probably say a variant of someone else's opinion).
|
|
|
Political socialization
|
Acquisition and modification of political beliefs over the course of your life (lifecourse, socioeconomic status, social identity, culture, historical period, institutions, etc.).
|
|
|
Principle-Policy Paradox
|
We tend to value things like freedom of speech, religion, etc, but we don't always support them in practice. Example: McCarthyism and the Red Scare.
|
|
|
Framing
|
The ability of the media to influence HOW the public thinks about an issue by highlighting some considerations and neglecting others. Example: The definitions of affirmative action she gave in class.
|
|
|
Priming
|
Process by which the media, by selecting some issues as “newsworthy” while ignoring other issues, influences the standards or criteria by which the performances of political elites are evaluated. Example: The George H.W. Bush example from class.
|
|
|
Agenda setting
|
The ability of the media through the selection of issues as “newsworthy” to influence what both the public and government consider important issues/problems of the day. Example: the Ethiopia famine example from class.
|
|
|
Watchdog/Whistleblower Role
|
The media protects the public against public officials by exposing corruption and abuses of power. This ensures transparency and increases accountability. Example: Watergate.
|
|
|
Informer Role
|
The media acts as a conduit of information to the public. "Enlightens" them and helps them make more informed decisions (facilitates popular sovereignty). Example: Any news story in the world.
|
|
|
Scorekeeper Role
|
Keeps track of campaign promises and promised policies and whether politicians fulfill them.
|
|
|
Massive Effects Era
|
1930's-1950's - Scholars believed the effects of the media were enormous, and assumed the public was captive, attentive, gullible, and receptive. Tools for analysis were not as sophisticated in this period, and technology was fairly new, so much of this theory was conjecture. Example: Fireside Chats & improved trust in government.
|
|
|
Minimal Effects Era
|
Social scientists believed the media had very little effect on the public; complete reversal of their previous position.
|
|
|
Renewed Respect Era
|
The current era, where the scholarship is being reassessed with better analytical tools. Current opinion is a mix of the previous two eras.
|
