Political Science 1101 Test 1

Front 1

agency loss

Back 1

discrepancy between what citizens would like in an ideal agent and how agents actually are

Front 2

agenda control

Back 2

capacity to set the choices available to others

Front 3

agent

Back 3

someone who makes and implements decisions on behalf of someone else

Front 4

authority

Back 4

the right to make and implement a decision

Front 5

bargaining

Back 5

a form of negotiation in which two or more parties disagree propose exchanges and concessions to find a course of acceptable collective action

Front 6

cabinet

Back 6

formal group of presidential advisers who head the major departments and agencies of the federal government. chosen by president and approved by the senate

Front 7

coalition

Back 7

an alliance of unlike-minded people or groups to achieve the same common purpose such as lobbying, legislating, or campaigning for the election of public officials

Front 8

collective action

Back 8

an action taken by a group of like-minded individuals to achieve a common goal

Front 9

collective goods

Back 9

goods that are collectively produced and freely available to achieve a common goal

Front 10

command

Back 10

the authority of one actor to dictate the actions of another

Front 11

compromise

Back 11

settlement in which each side concedes some of its preferences in order to secure others

Front 12

conformity costs

Back 12

the difference between what a person would ideally prefer and what the group with which the person makes collective decisions actually does. individuals pay conformity costs whenever collective decisions produce policy outcomes that do not best serve their interests

Front 13

consitution

Back 13

a document outlining the formal rules and institutions of government and the limits placed on its powers

Front 14

coordination

Back 14

the act of organizing a group to achieve a common goal.

Front 15

delegation

Back 15

the act of one person or body authorizing another person or body to perform an action on its behalf

Front 16

direct democracy

Back 16

a system of government in which citizens make policy decisions by voting on legislative themselves w/o representatives

Front 17

externalities

Back 17

public goods or bads generated as a byproduct of private activity: pollution caused by private cars

Front 18

focal point

Back 18

focus identified by participants when coordinating their energies to achieve a common purpose

Front 19

free-rider problem

Back 19

a situation in which individuals can reieve the benefits from a collective activity whether or not they helped to pay for it, leaving them with no incentive to contribute

Front 20

government

Back 20

the institutions and procedures through which people are ruled

Front 21

initiative

Back 21

an approach to direct democracy in which a proposal is placed on an election ballot when the requisite number of registered voters have signed petitions

Front 22

institution

Back 22

an organization that manages potential conflicts between political rivals hleps them to find mutually acceptable solutions and makes and enforces the societies collective agreements. ex) congress, presidency and supreme court

Front 23

majority rule

Back 23

the principle that decisions should reflect the preferences of more than half of those voting. one of the fundamentals of democracy

Front 24

office

Back 24

subdivision of some government departments that confers on its occupants specific authority and responsibilities

Front 25

parliamentary government

Back 25

a form of government in which the chief executives is chosen by the majority party or by a coalition of parties in the legislature

Front 26

plurality

Back 26

a vote in which the winning candidate recieves the greatest number of votes over 50 %

Front 27

politician

Back 27

elected professional who specializes in providing compelling reasons for people with different values and interests to disagree on the goals that action is intended to achieve

Front 28

politics

Back 28

the process by which indivduals and groups reach agreement on a common course of action even as they continue to disagree on the goals that action is intended to achieve

Front 29

power

Back 29

an officeholder's actual influence with other officeholders, and, as a consequence, over the government's actions

Front 30

preferences

Back 30

individual's choices, reflecting economic situation, religious values, ethnic identity, or other valued interests

Front 31

principal

Back 31

an individual with the authority to make some decision. this authority may be delegated to an agent who is supposed to act on the principal's behalf

Front 32

prisoner's dilemma

Back 32

a situation which two or more actors cannot agree to cooperate for fear that the other will find its interest best served by reneging on an agreement

Front 33

private goods

Back 33

benefits or services over which the owner has full control of their use

Front 34

privitization

Back 34

prevent a common resource from being over-exploited by trying to benefit of its consumption to its cost

Front 35

public goods

Back 35

goods that are collectively produced and freely available for anyone's consumption

Front 36

referendum

Back 36

an approach to direct democracy in which a state legislature proposes a change to the state's laws or constitution in which all the voters subsequently vote on

Front 37

representative government

Back 37

a political system in which citizens select government officials, who acting as their agents, deliberate and commit to the citizenry to a course of collective action

Front 38

republic

Back 38

a form of democracy in which power is vested in elected representatives

Front 39

separation of powers

Back 39

the distribution of government powers among several political institutions. three branches in us: legislative, executive, and judicial

Front 40

simple majority

Back 40

a majority of 50 % plus 1

Front 41

supermajority

Back 41

a majority larger than a simple 51% majority, which is required for extraordinary legislative actions such as amending the constitutions or certain congressional procedures

Front 42

tragedy of the commons

Back 42

a situation in which group members overexploit a common resource, causing its destruction

Front 43

transaction costs

Back 43

the costs of doing political business reflected in the time and effort required to compare preferences and negotiate compromises in making collective decisions

Front 44

tyranny

Back 44

a form of government in which the ruling power exploits its authority and permits little popular control

Front 45

veto

Back 45

the formal power of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of congress. a veto can be overridden by a 2/3rd vote in each house

Front 46

zero sum

Back 46

issues for which mutual gains through cooperation are not possible

Front 47

antifederalists

Back 47

a loosely organized group (never a formal political party) that opposed ratification of the constitution, which the group believed would jeopardize individuals freedom and states rights. after ratification, the efforts of the antifeds led to adoption of the first 10 amendments, the bill of rights

Front 48

articles of confederation

Back 48

the compact among the thirteen original states that formed the basis of the first national government of the us from 1777-1789, when it was supplanted by the constitution

Front 49

bicameral legislature

Back 49

a legislature composed of two houses or chambers

Front 50

bill of rights

Back 50

the first 10 amendments to the us constitution

Front 51

checks and balances

Back 51

a constitutional mechanism giving each branch some oversight and control of the other branches

Front 52

commerce clause

Back 52

the clause in article 1, section 8, of the constitution which gives congress the the authority to regulate commerce between other nations among states

Front 53

confederation

Back 53

a political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers they expressly delegate to a central government

Front 54

declaration of independence

Back 54

the document drafted by thomas jefferson and adopted by the second continental congress on july 4, 1776 declaring the independence of the 13 colonies from great britain

Front 55

electoral college

Back 55

a body of electors in each state, chosen by voters, who formally elect the president and vice president of the us. each state's number is equal to its representatives in congress. an absolute majority of the total electoral vote is required to elect a president and vice president

Front 56

faction

Back 56

a group of people sharing a common interest who are opposed to other groups whit competing interests. .. any group with interests contrary to the general interests of society

Front 57

federalists

Back 57

name given to two related, but not identical, groups in the late 18th century american politics. first group supported ratifying the constitution. the second group dominated national politics during the washington and adams administratives

Front 58

great compromise

Back 58

the agreement between the large and small states at the constitutional convention that decided selection and composition of congress

Front 59

home rule

Back 59

power given by states to a locality to enact legislation and manage its own affairs locally. also applies to Britain's administration of the american colonies

Front 60

judicial review

Back 60

the authority of the court to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional and therefore invalid

Front 61

logroll

Back 61

the result of legislative vote trading

Front 62

nationalist

Back 62

constitutional reformers led by james madison and alexander hamiltion who sought to replace the articles of confederation

Front 63

necessary and proper clause

Back 63

the last clause of article 1, section 8. grants congress authority to make all laws that are necessary and proper and execute those laws

Front 64

new jersey plan

Back 64

new jersey delegate william patterson's proposal for reforming the articles of confederation. favored by delegates who supported state's rights

Front 65

pluralism

Back 65

a theory descrbing a political system in which all significant social interests freely compete with one another for influence over the governments policy decisions

Front 66

popular sovereignty

Back 66

citizens delegation of authority to their agents in government, with the ability to rescind that authority

Front 67

shay's rebellion

Back 67

uprising of 1786 led by daniel shays to protest the state's high taxes and aggressive debt collection policies. demonstrated the a of c's inability to keep peace and stimulated interest in strengthening the national government leading to the Philadelphia convention

Front 68

state's rights

Back 68

safeguards against a too-powerful national government that were favored by one group of delegates to the constitutional convention. supported retaining those features of the a of cs that guarded states prerogatives

Front 69

supremacy clause

Back 69

a clause declaring the national laws are supreme law of the land and take precedence over any laws adopted by states or local governments

Front 70

take care clause

Back 70

a clause instructing president to take care that laws be faithfully executed

Front 71

matching grant

Back 71

a grant of money given to the state government for which the federal government provides matching funds, usually between $ 1-2 fore every dollar the state spends in some area

Front 72

virginia plan

Back 72

constitutional blueprint drafted by james madison that sought to reform the a of cs
-introduced at constitutional convention
-proposed tripartite national gov but provided popularly elected legislature that would dominate national decision making

Front 73

block grant

Back 73

a broad grant of money given by the federal government to a state government. specifies a general area in which the funds may be spent but leaves it to the state to allocate specifics

Front 74

cutthroat competition

Back 74

competition among states that involves adopting policies that each state would prefer to avoid

Front 75

dual federalism

Back 75

a system of goverment in which the federal goverment and state government each have mutually exclusive spheres of action

Front 76

elastic clause

Back 76

allows congress to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing of power

Front 77

enumerated powers

Back 77

the explicit powers given to congress by the constitution ... include powers of taxation , coinage of money, regulation of commerce, and provision for the national defense

Front 78

externality

Back 78

public goods or bads generated as a byproduct of private activity

Front 79

federalism

Back 79

a system of government in which power is divided between a central goverment and a several regional governments

Front 80

grant-in-aids

Back 80

funds given by congress to state or local governments for a specific purpose

Front 81

nationalization

Back 81

shifting to the national government responsibilities traditionally exercised by the states

Front 82

preemption legislation

Back 82

laws passed by congress to override or preempt state or local policies

Front 83

race to the bottom

Back 83

when states race to provide a minimum level of services or regulation

Front 84

shared federalism

Back 84

a system in which that national and state governments share in providing citizens with a set of goods

Front 85

tenth amendment

Back 85

offers the most explicit endorsement of federalism to be found in the consitution

Front 86

unitary government

Back 86

a system of government in which a single government hold the power to govern the nation