POLS 101 Intro to American Politics

Government

The institutions through which a land and its people are ruled

Autocracy

A form of government in which a single individual rules

Oligarchy

A form of government in which a small group of landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants controls most of the governing decisions

Democracy

A system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in government, usually through the selection of key public officials

Constitutional Government

A system of rule that establishes specific limits on the powers of the government

Authoritarian Government

A system of rule in which the government’s power is not limited by law, though it may be restrained by other social institutions

Totalitarian Government

A system of rule in which the government’s power is not limited by law and in which the government seeks to eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it

Politics

Conflict and cooperation over the leadership, structure, and policies of government

Five Principles of Politics

1. All political behavior has a purpose (the rationality principle)

2. Institutions structure politics (the institution principle)

3. All politics is collective action (the collective action principle)

4. Political outcomes are the products of individual preferences, institutional procedures, and collective action (the policy principle)

5. How we got here matters (the history principle)

Institutions

A set of formal rules and procedures, often administered by a bureaucracy, that shapes politics and governance

Jurisdiction

The domain over which an institution or member of an institution has authority

Agenda Power

The control over what a group will consider for discussionV

Veto Power

The ability to defeat something even if it has made it on to the agenda of an institution

Decisiveness Rules

A specification of when a vote may be taken, the sequence in which votes on amendments occur, and how many supporters determine whether a motion passes or fails

Delegation

The transmission of authority to some other official or body (though often with the right of review and revision)

Principal-Agent Relationship

The relationship between a principal (such as a citizen) and an agent (such as an elected official), in which the agent is expected to act on the principal’s behalf

Transaction Costs

The cost of clarifying each aspect of a principal-agent relationship and monitoring it to make sure both parties comply with all agreements

Collective Action

The pooling of resources and the coordination of effort and activity by a group of people (often a large one) to achieve common goals

Free Riding

Enjoying the benefits of some good or action while letting others bear the costs

Public Good/Collective Good

A good that (1) may be enjoyed by anyone if it is provided and (2) may not be denied to anyone once it has been provided

Tragedy of the Commons

The idea that a common resource, available to everyone, will more likely than not be abused or overused

Path Dependency

The idea that certain possibilities are made more or less likely because of historical events and decisions—because of the historical path taken