Poli Sci Exam 1

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Bill of Rights

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The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, which define such basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, and press and guarantee defendants rights.

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democracy

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A system of selecting policy makers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences.

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Eighth Amendment

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The constitutional amendment that forbids cruel and unusual punishment, although it does not define this phrase. Through the Fourteenth Amendment, this Bill of Rights provision appleis to the states.

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establishment clause

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Part of the First Amendment stating "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion."

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full faith and credit clause

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A clause in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgments rendered by the courts of other states.

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Gillow v. New York

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The 1925 Supreme Court decision holding that freedoms of press and speech are "fundamental personal rights and liverties protected by the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment from impairment by the states" as well as the federal government. Compare Barron v. Baltimore.

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gross domestic product

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The sum total of the value of all goods and services produced in a nation.

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majority rule

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A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requries that the majority's desire be respected. See also minority rights.

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McCleskey v. Kemp

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The 1987 Supreme Court decision that upheld the constitutionality of the death penalty against charges that it violated the Fourteenth Amendment because minority defendants were more likely to receive the death penalty than were white defendants.

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minority rights

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A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that they might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument. See also majority rule.

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policy gridlock

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A condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. The result is that nothing may get done.

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policy impacts

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The effects a policy has on people and problems. Impacts arej analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost.

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political culture

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An overall set of values widely shared within a society.

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representation

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A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers.

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writ of habeas corpus

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A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody.

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linkage institutions

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The channels or access points through which issues and people's policy preferences get on the government's policy agenda. In the United States, elections, political parties, and interest groups are the three main linkage institutions.

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24 traditional democratic theory

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A theory about how a democratic government makes its decisions. According to Robert Dahl, its cornersones are equality in voting, effective participation, enlightened understanding, final control over the agenda, and inclusion.

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Political participation

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All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. The most common, but not the only, means of political participation in a democracy is voting. Other means include protest and civil disobedience.

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policymaking system

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The process by which political problems are communicated by the voters and acted upon by government policymakers. The policymaking system begins with people’s needs and expectations for governmental action. When people confront government officials with problems that they want solved, they are trying to influence the government’s policy agenda.

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individualism

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The belief that individuals should be left on their own by the government. One of the primary reasons for the comparatively small scope of American government is the prominence of this belief in American political thought and practice.

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politics

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According to Harold Lasswell, “who gets what, when, and how.” Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.

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political issue

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An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and a public policy choice.

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hyperpluralism

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A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened. Hyperpluralism is an extreme, exaggerated, or perverted form of pluralism. Compare elite and class theory, pluralist theory, and traditional democratic theory.

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policymaking institutions

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The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues. The US Constitution established three policymaking institutions – the Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Today, the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most political scientists consider it a fourth policymaking institution.

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public policy

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A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.

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single-issue groups

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Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics. These features distinguish them from traditional interest groups.

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elite and class theory

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A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization. Compare hyperpluralism, pluralist theory, and traditional democratic theory.

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policy agenda

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According to John Kingdon, “the list of subjects or problems to which government officials, and people outside of government closely associated with those officials, are paying some serious attention at any given time.”

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public goods

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Goods, such as clean air and clean water that everyone must share.

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pluralist theory

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A theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies. Compare elite and class theory, hyperpluralism, and traditional democratic theory.

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government

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The institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society.

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constitution

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A nation’s basic law. It creates political institutions, assigns or divides powers in government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens. Constitutions can be either written or unwritten. See also US Constitution.

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judicial review

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The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress, and by implication the executive, are in accord with the US Constitution. Judicial review was established by John Marshal and his associates in the Supreme Court. See also judicial interpretation.

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checks and balances

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An important part of the Madisonian model designed to limit government’s power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions. These institutions continually check one another’s activities. This system reflects Madison’s goal of setting power against power. See also separation of powers.

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Federalist Papers

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A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name “Publius” to defend the Constitution in detail. Collectively, these papers are second only to the US Constitution in characterizing the framers’ intents.

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Declaration of Independence

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The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence.

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Federalists

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Supporters of the US Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption. See also Anti-Federalists and Federalist Papers.

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Marbury v. Madison

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The 1803 case in which Chief Justice John Marshall and his associates first asserted the right of the Supreme Court to determine the meaning of the US Constitution. The decision established the Court’s power of judicial review over acts of Congress, in this case the Judiciary Act of 1789.

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republic

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A form of government that derives its power, directly or indirectly, from the people. Those chosen to govern are accountable to those whom they govern. In contrast to a direct democracy, in which people themselves make laws, in a republic the people select representatives who make the laws.

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US Constitution

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The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of US government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation. See also constitution and unwritten constitution.

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judicial interpretation

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A major informal way in which the Constitution is changed by the courts as they balance citizens’ rights against those of the government. See also judicial review.

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consent of the governed

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According to John Locke, the required basis for government. The Declaration of Independence reflects Locke’s view that governments derive their authority from the consent of the governed.

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separation of powers

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An important part of the Madisonian model that requires each of the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) to be relatively independent of the others so that one cannot control the others. Power is shared among these three institutions. See also checks and balances.

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Articles of Confederation

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The first constitution of the United States, adopted by Congress in1777 and enacted in 1781. The Articles established a national legislature, the Continental Congress, but most authority rested with the state legislatures.

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limited government

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The idea that certain things are out of bounds for government because of the natural rights of citizens. Limited government was central to John Locke’s philosophy in the seventeenth century, and it contrasted sharply with the prevailing view of the divine rights of monarchs.

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Shays’ Rebellion

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A series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by revolutionary war Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings.

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Simpson-Mazzolli Act

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An immigration law, named after its legislative sponsors that as of June 1,1987, requires employers to document the citizenship of their employees. Civil and criminal penalties can be assessed against employers who knowingly employ illegal immigrants.

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Anti-Federalists

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Opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption. They argued that the Constitution was a class-based document, that it would erode fundamental liberties, and that it would weaken the power of the states. See also Federalists and US Constitution.

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Equal Rights Amendment

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A constitutional amendment passes by Congress in 1978 and sent to the state legislatures for ratification, stating that “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Despite substantial public support and an extended deadline, the amendment failed to acquire the necessary support of three-fourths of the state legislatures.

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New Jersey Plan

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The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state’s population. Compare Virginia Plan and Connecticut Compromise.

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Virginia Plan

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The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state’s share of the US population. Compare Connecticut Compromise and New Jersey Plan.

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natural rights

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Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property. The concept of natural rights was central to English philosopher John Locke’s theories about government, and was widely accepted among America’s founding fathers. Thomas Jefferson echoed Locke’s language in drafting the Declaration of Independence.

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factions

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Interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that James Madison attacked in Federalist Paper No. 10. Today’s parties or interest groups are what Madison had in mind when he warned of the instability in government caused by factions.

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Connecticut Compromise

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The compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention that established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives, in which representation is based on a state’s share of the US population, and the Senate, in which each state has two representatives. Compare New Jersey Plan and Virginia Plan.

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formula grants

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Federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations.

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supremacy clause

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Article VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits.

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dual federalism

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A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies. Compare cooperative federalism.

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privileges and immunities clause

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A clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution according citizens of each state most of the privileges of citizens of other states.

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unitary government

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A way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government. Most governments today, including those of Great Britain and Japan, are unitary governments. Compare federalism.

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enumerated powers

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Powers of the federal government that are specifically addressed in the Constitution; for Congress, these powers are listed in Article I, Section 8, and include the power to coin money, regulate its value, and impose taxes. Compare implied powers.

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extradition

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A legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.

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fiscal federalism

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The pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government’s relations with state and local governments. See also federalism.