Politics & Social Contracts - Key Terms (VOCABULARY)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on politics, goods, and neo-institutional theory.

Politics as Distribution

The process determining who gets what, when, and how.

Rivalrous Consumption

Consumption by one person reduces the availability of the good for others.

Non-rivalrous Consumption

Consumption by one person does not reduce the availability or utility of the good for others.

Excludable Provision

A good or service that can be prevented from accessing unless payment is made.

Non-excludable Provision

A good or service that cannot be feasibly withheld from access, often leading to free-rider issues.

Free-rider Problem

When individuals benefit from a good or service without paying, making provision difficult.

Private Goods

Goods that are rivalrous and excludable; owned by individuals and can be limited to payers.

Common Goods

Rivalrous but non-excludable goods; usage can deplete resources but is not restricted.

Club or Toll Goods

Excludable but non-rivalrous goods (at least to a point); access is charged (e.g., subscriptions, private parks).

Public Goods

Non-rivalrous and non-excludable goods; can be enjoyed by many simultaneously without payment (e.g., national defense, clean air).

Neo-Institutional Perspective

A framework with five principles: goal-driven behavior, collective action problems, rules solving those problems, outcomes from preferences and rules, and path dependence.

Principle 1: Individual behavior is goal- or preference-driven

People act to pursue personal goals or preferences.

Principle 2: Politics involves collective action problems

Coordinating action among individuals to achieve common goals is challenging.

Principle 3: Institutional rules solve collective action problems

Rules and structures facilitate cooperation and reduce coordination barriers.

Principle 4: Outcomes are products of preferences and institutional rules

Political outcomes reflect individuals' preferences shaped by institutional rules.

Principle 5: Political outcomes are path dependent

History and sequence of events shape present and future political outcomes.

Fundamental Institutions

Basic structures that shape governance and influence where governments come from.

Institutions of Governance

The rules, organizations, and processes that structure how governments are formed and operate.