American Gov Lecture 2: Representative Government & Public Goods (Vocabulary)

Vocabulary flashcards covering representative government concepts, theories of representation, guardrails, and goods classifications.

Representative Government

Citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf rather than deciding every issue directly.

Direct Democracy

A system where citizens participate directly in decision-making, practical only on a small scale.

Republicanism

A form of democracy that uses elected representatives and civic virtue as core principles.

Autocracy

Opposite of democracy; rule by a single authority with concentrated power.

Contractarianism / Social Contract

Idea that legitimacy comes from the consent of the governed and the ability to elect leaders.

Transmission of the Popular Will

Process by which the people’s preferences are conveyed to government through elections and representation.

Single Member District (SMD)

Electoral system where each district elects one representative (MP); example path: voters → MPs → Cabinet → PM.

Presidential System

System where voters elect both the legislature and the president, with a clear separation of powers.

Delegate Theory

A theory of representation where the representative does exactly what constituents want.

Trustee Theory

A theory of representation where the representative is trusted to make the right decisions, possibly using their own judgment.

Guard Rails

Checks and limits on government power to prevent abuse within liberal democracy.

Rule of Law

Principle that government actions are constrained by law and individual rights are protected.

Collective Action Problems (CAPs)

Problems that arise when individuals’ incentives conflict with the common good; government aims to solve them by organizing public goods.

Public Goods

Goods that are nonexcludable and nonrival; available to all without diminishing others’ use.

Excludable

Goods or services from which non-payers can be legally or practically excluded.

Nonexcludable

Goods or services that non-payers cannot be effectively excluded from using.

Rival

One person’s use of a good reduces another person’s ability to use the same good.

Nonrival

One person’s use of a good does not reduce others’ ability to use it.

Private Goods

Goods that are both Excludable and Rival.

Common Goods (Common-Pool Resources)

Nonexcludable and Rival goods that are available to all but can be depleted through use.

Low-Congestion Goods (Club Goods)

Excludable but nonrival goods; access can be limited and congestion is a factor.

Przeworski’s Definition of Democracy

“Democracy is a system in which parties lose elections.”