Logic Chapter One: The Logic of American Politics

POLS 001 - American Political Systems

authority

The right to make and implement a decision.

bargaining

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

bicameralism

The practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers that share power.

cabinet

The formal group of presidential advisers who head the major departments and agencies of the federal government. Members are chosen by the president and approved by the Senate.

coalition

An alliance of unlike-minded individuals or groups to achieve some common purpose such as lobbying, legislating, or campaigning for the election of public officials.

collective action

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

collective goods

Goods that are collectively produced and freely available for anyone’s consumption.

compromise

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

conformity costs

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

constitution

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

coordination

The act of organizing a group to achieve a common goal. It remains a prerequisite for effective collective action even after the disincentives to individual participation (i.e., prisoner’s dilemma problems) have been solved.

direct democracy

A system of government in which citizens make policy decisions by voting on legislation themselves rather than by delegating that authority to their representatives.

focal point

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

free-rider program

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

government

The institutions and procedures through which people are ruled.

initiative

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.

institutional design

The construction of political institutions and processes for managing conflicts and reaching collective agreements between competing interests.

institutions

In a democracy, organizations that manage potential conflicts between political rivals, help them find mutually acceptable solutions, and make and enforce the society’s collective agreements. Among the prominent federal political institutions in the United States are Congress, the presidency, and the Supreme Court.

offices

Subdivisions of some government departments that confer on its occupants specific authority and responsibilities.

parliamentary government

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

politicians

A small group of professionals tasked by society with discovering and coordinating mutually attractive collective decisions.

politics

The process through which individuals and groups reach agreement on a course of common, or collective, action; even as they disagree on the intended goals of that action.

power

An officeholder’s actual influence with other officeholders and, as a consequence, over the government’s actions.

preferences

Individuals’ choices, reflecting economic situation, religious values, ethnic identity, or other valued interests.

prisioner’s dilemma

A situation in 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.

private goods

Benefits and services over which the owner has full control of their use.

privatize

To prevent a common resource from being overexploited by tying the benefit of its consumption to its cost.

public goods

Goods collectively produced and freely available for anyone’s consumption.

referendum

An approach to direct democracy in which a state legislature proposes a change to the state’s laws or constitution that all the voters subsequently vote on.

regulation

Setting up rules limiting access to a common resource and monitoring and penalizing those who violate them.

representative government

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

republic

A form of democracy in which power is vested in elected representatives.

separation of powers

The distribution of government powers among several political institutions. In the United States, at the national level power is divided between the three branches: Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court.

tragedy of the commons

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

transaction costs

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

tyranny

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

zero-sum game

As in elections, one side’s gain is the other side’s loss.