POLISCI-103

What is politics?

Any decision made by a group

How are politics and government different

politics are the decisions made by the group, governments are how we organize political thinking and decision making

Why is it difficult to govern?

1.Coming to a collective decision can be very difficult

2.Getting people to work together is also difficult

What are Collective Action Problems?

1. Agreement

2. Trust

3. Shared resources

Name and define/describe 3 specific types of CAPs

The Coordination Problem

• As a group becomes larger and more diverse, decision-making becomes more and more difficult.

The Prisoner’s Dilemma

• A situation where making the best choice for each of us gives rise to the worst outcome for all of us. This creates problems, because someone has to take the fall in some kind of way, or everyone has to suffer some consequences.

The Morality Problem

• People try to make the best choices for themselves

• It’s hard to prioritize the needs of others

What does it mean to say that human beings are “rational”?

humans want to advance their goals, it doesn’t concern morality or if these endeavors are successful it just means we have goals, beliefs, and means. This is hard because sometimes we have mutliple goals that are in conflict with each other, we have insufficient information, or we have oppositing strategic thinkers.

What is the difference between strategic and expressive behavior?

Strategic behavior is when we act to produce a particular outcome, such as someone going out for a political march or a protest.

Expressive behavior is when we act to communicate or embody an emotion, value or identity; think of it as a friend who isn’t really interested in going to a protest but goes because their friend is there.

What is “opportunity cost”, and why should we care about it?

Opportunity cost is the idea that we have to give up something to reach a certain goal or thing, whether it’s time, money, attention, or social capital. Whereas information cost is the resources needed to acquire, evaluate, and retain information.

What are heuristics? How are they used in human thinking?

heuristics are a cue that substitutes for analysis. Think about democrats and republicans. Heuristics act as something we can see instantly and understand their apparant values instantly. Wheres as slow deliberate thinking allows you to understand something more deeply, but requires more time.

Why do political economists say that institutions shape behavior?

We can see this because when someone is on opposing sides, we naturally act as some sort of opposition against the otherside. Yes, I would agree that this is most of the time true. Governments shape our behavior. Religion shapes our behavior. Families shape our behavior.

What is “political culture?”

a set of values, beliefs, ideas, and preferences common to a group

What was the Enlightenment?

an 18th-century European intellectual and philosophical movement that emphasized reason, individualism, and skepticism of traditional authority

What were the core principles of the Enlightenment?

1. Real-world events have natural causes
2. Human reason can discover those causes
3. People’s lives have intrinsic value
4. Life can be better than it was in the past

These affect our political culture because they encourage us to think about these aspects of existence and whether they align with our reasoning.

What are the important elements of classical liberalism?

1. Why are there governments (Without governments, people have “perfect freedom”)

2. We create governments by making a trade

3. We create governments for a purpose (to protect natural rigths )

4. Government’s power should be limited, like its role (Meant to prioritize individual values and choices)

How does classical liberalism differ from contemporary liberalism?

classical liberalism teaches that the state is a threat to our freedoms, whereas contemporary liberalism says that businesses and people can infringe on them also.

What are some of the main ideas of the “New Left” and “New Right”?

The New Left differs by offering stronger unions, more programs, taxing the rich, employer vs employee, and is combined with democratic movements from the 60s

The New Right promises tariffs, is more skeptical on foreign trade, and focuses more heavily on the nation itself and borders.