POLI 278: Political Science Comprehensive Exam Flashcards

Comprehensive Question and Answer flashcards covering Units 1 through 5 of POLI 278, including political concepts, power, authority, ideologies, political culture, socialization, electoral systems, party systems, representation, and campaign dynamics.

What is the primary difference between political science and politics?

Political science is the systematic, objective study of politics that seeks to describe, explain, and analyze political behavior and institutions. Politics is the subjective, value-laden activity related to governing, persuading, competing, and making collective decisions for a political community.

How did David Easton define politics?

David Easton defined politics as "the authoritative allocation of values for society," emphasizing institutions, decision-making, and the distribution of benefits and burdens.

How did Karl Mannheim characterize politics?

Karl Mannheim characterized politics as being defined by domination, competition, unpredictability, conflict, and struggle for power.

How does Janine Brodie conceptualize politics?

Janine Brodie conceptualizes politics as involving both the bonds that unite political communities and the frictions that divide them, emphasizing that politics centers on contested concepts.

What is the core distinction between power and influence?

Power is the ability to shape outcomes, direct behavior, or compel action even against resistance, often relying on authority or coercion. Influence involves persuading or encouraging others to alter their beliefs or actions voluntarily without formal authority.

Why do liberal democracies generally prefer influence over coercive power?

Liberal democracies derive legitimacy from individual liberty, consent of the governed, public debate, and political participation, preferring voluntary compliance through persuasion while reserving coercive power for enforcing laws and maintaining order.

What are Max Weber's three forms of legitimate authority?

1. Traditional Authority: Based on customs and longstanding practices.
2. Charismatic Authority: Based on devotion to the extraordinary personal qualities or vision of a leader.
3. Legal-Rational Authority: Based on formal laws, established procedures, and institutions.

Why is legal-rational authority the dominant form in liberal democracies?

It promotes stability (authority persists when leaders change), equality before the law, predictability, democratic accountability, and protection against arbitrary rule, lodging authority in the office rather than the individual.

Can authority exist without legitimacy? Explain.

Yes, authority can exist without legitimacy (such as in dictatorships, military juntas, or colonial regimes), but it becomes unstable and relies heavily on coercion, fear, and police power rather than public consent.

How did Martin Luther King Jr. challenge legalized racism in the United States?

He exposed the moral illegitimacy of segregation laws through non-violent civil disobedience and moral persuasion, creating pressure that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

What is the difference between legal racism and non-legal racism?

Legal racism refers to discriminatory practices formally embedded in state laws and policies (e.g., segregation laws). Non-legal racism exists outside formal legislation through personal prejudice, stereotypes, social exclusion, and institutional disadvantages.

How do elite theory and class analysis differ in their explanation of power?

Elite theory argues that power is concentrated among a small group of influential individuals occupying key organizational positions (political, corporate, military). Class analysis (associated with Karl Marx) argues power is rooted in economic class relationships and ownership of capital.

What is the difference between a political theory and a political analysis?

A theory is an abstract framework or set of ideas used to explain how political systems operate. An analysis is the practical application of that theoretical framework to examine and evaluate real-world situations.

What does Janine Brodie mean by describing political concepts as 'contested'?

Political concepts like freedom, equality, justice, and power lack single universally accepted definitions; political conflicts often stem from competing interpretations of what these terms mean rather than simple factual disagreements.

How does negative liberty differ from positive liberty?

Negative liberty defines freedom as the absence of external government restraint or interference. Positive liberty defines freedom as having the actual resources, capabilities, and opportunities (e.g., healthcare, education) to realize one's goals.

How does Michel Foucault define the concept of 'power/knowledge'?

Foucault argued that power and knowledge are inseparable: institutions produce knowledge about what is 'normal' or 'deviant,' and this accepted knowledge serves as a tool to regulate behavior and reinforce power structures.

What is Foucault's concept of 'disciplinary power'?

Disciplinary power refers to the process by which individuals internalize societal norms created by institutions (schools, hospitals, prisons) and regulate their own behavior without requiring direct physical coercion.

How do political scientists reconcile Janine Brodie's call for public engagement with the mandate for objectivity?

Objectivity means applying rigorous, evidence-based analysis and fair evaluation rather than partisan advocacy. In times of crisis or misinformation, political scientists maintain objectivity while actively engaging in public debate to clarify facts and institutional mechanics.

What are the four defining characteristics of a state?

1. Population (people living within it)
2. Territory (recognized geographic borders)
3. Government (institutions that make and enforce rules)
4. Sovereignty (supreme legal authority within its territory, free from external control)

What is the difference between a worldview ideology and a focal ideology?

A worldview ideology (e.g., liberalism, conservatism, socialism) offers a comprehensive political philosophy governing all aspects of society, government, and economy. A focal ideology (e.g., feminism, environmentalism) focuses primarily on a single issue or specific social concern.

How do Mudde and Kaltwasser define populism?

They define populism as a 'thin-centred ideology' that considers society to be separated into two homogeneous and antagonistic camps—'the pure people' versus 'the corrupt elite'—and argues that politics should express the general will (volonté générale).

What are the core principles of classical liberalism?

Classical liberalism emphasizes individual liberty, negative rights, formal equality under the law, limited government intervention, and laissez-faire free-market economics.

What are the primary values of conservatism?

Conservatism prioritizes social order, stability, respect for tradition, human imperfection, and gradual, cautious institutional change rather than radical revolution.

Why did socialism historically emerge?

Socialism developed in the 19th century as a critique of industrial capitalism, seeking to address economic inequality, exploitation, and class division through community cooperation, collective welfare, and public ownership or regulation.

What defines fascism as an ideology?

Fascism is an authoritarian, anti-liberal, anti-socialist worldview ideology centered on extreme nationalism, total state control, strict hierarchy, glorification of struggle, and subordination of the individual to a strong leader.

How do reform liberalism and social democracy differ in their core values and goals?

Reform liberalism remains rooted in the liberal tradition; its primary value is individual freedom, using positive rights and regulated capitalism to expand opportunity. Social democracy stems from socialism; its primary value is equality, using substantial state redistribution to achieve social justice.

What characterizes the ideology of the New Right?

The New Right is a hybrid ideology combining neo-liberal economics (free markets, privatization, deregulation, lower taxes) with neo-conservative social values (traditional moral order, law and order, strong national identity, authority).

What is political culture?

Political culture is the aggregate of fundamental political values, beliefs, orientations, and assumptions widely shared within a political community.

What are the three main approaches to identifying political culture?

1. Historical analysis (examining formative historical events)
2. Ideological analysis (examining dominant ideological traditions)
3. Survey research / comparative public-opinion research (measuring citizen attitudes across societies and time)

What is Louis Hartz's Fragment Theory?

Fragment theory proposes that European settler colonies carried only a 'fragment' of the European ideological spectrum with them. For Hartz, both the U.S. and English Canada were essentially liberal fragments that lacked Europe's feudal conservative tradition.

How did Gad Horowitz modify Hartz's fragment theory for Canada?

Horowitz argued that United Empire Loyalists brought a 'Tory touch' (British conservatism/collectivism) to Canada. This conservative element interacted with liberalism, creating the ideological space necessary for socialism/social democracy to take root in Canada.

How did Seymour Martin Lipset compare American and Canadian political cultures?

Lipset attributed differences to their founding events: the U.S. was formed by Revolution (fostering individualism, anti-statism, and distrust of authority), whereas Canada was formed by Counter-Revolution/evolution (fostering order, deference to authority, and collectivism).

How do Janet Ajzenstat and Peter J. Smith challenge Horowitz's interpretation of Canadian political culture?

They argue that Canadian political founding was deeply influenced by classical liberalism and republican traditions (civic participation, popular government, constitutional rights) rather than primarily a Tory conservative inheritance.

What is Ronald Inglehart's Postmaterialist Theory?

Inglehart theorizes that societies experiencing sustained economic security shift from materialist values (economic growth, physical security, order) to postmaterialist values (individual expression, quality of life, environmental protection, gender equality).

According to Blais and Loewen, what are the primary determinants of youth voter turnout in Canada?

Political interest and political information. Their research indicates that young people with medium/high political interest and information have roughly 88% to 89% higher odds of voting compared to those with low interest and information.

What is the difference between a life-cycle effect and a cohort/generational effect regarding voter turnout?

A life-cycle effect posits that young people vote less simply because they are young and will vote more as they age and settle down. A cohort/generational effect means newer generations enter the electorate with permanently lower participation habits that persist as they age.

What is the difference between formalistic and instrumental representation?

Formalistic representation focuses strictly on whether a representative was legitimately elected according to procedural rules. Instrumental representation evaluates how representatives act after being elected and whom/what they substantively represent.

What are the three main models of instrumental representation?

1. Mirror (Descriptive): The legislature should demographically reflect the social/group characteristics of the population.
2. Delegate: The representative acts strictly as a messenger following constituent instructions.
3. Trustee: The representative uses their independent judgment and conscience to serve the public good.

How do Maurice Duverger's cadre parties and mass parties differ?

Cadre parties originated inside legislatures among political elites, featuring small memberships, weak outside organizations, and legislative independence. Mass parties emerged outside legislatures from social movements, featuring large dues-paying memberships, local branches, and strong ideological discipline.

How are Canada's three main federal parties classified in party typology?

• Liberal Party: Classic brokerage party. • Conservative Party: Brokerage/catch-all party with cadre origins and a right-of-centre ideological focus. • NDP: Programmatic/social-democratic mass party tradition.

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of Single-Member Plurality (SMP / First-Past-The-Post)?

Advantages: Clear constituency representation, simplicity, stability (often yields single-party majorities), and accountability. Disadvantages: Disproportionate vote-to-seat results ('artificial majorities'), 'wasted' vote perceptions, underrepresentation of smaller or dispersed parties, and regional distortions.

How does Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system operate?

Voters cast two ballots: one for a local district candidate (elected via SMP) and one for a political party. Top-up party-list seats are distributed to compensate for riding distortions, making overall legislative seats proportional to party vote share.

How does Single Transferable Vote (STV) operate?

STV uses multi-member districts where voters rank candidates preferentially (1, 2, 3…). Candidates reaching a calculated quota are elected, and surplus or eliminated candidates' votes are transferred according to voters' subsequent choices.

What five party systems are identified in the Unit 5 commentary?

1. Single-party dominant
2. Two-party
3. Two-and-a-half party
4. Multiparty with a dominant party
5. Multiparty without a dominant party

What is a political cleavage, and what are its two broad categories?

A cleavage is a durable, politically significant social division separating citizens into groups with distinct identities and interests. Categories: Social cleavages (class, religion, ethnicity, language, region) and Values/Attitudinal cleavages (ideology, cultural values, policy preferences).

How has leadership selection evolved in Canadian political parties?

It transitioned from elite parliamentary caucus selection, to delegated leadership conventions, to direct membership voting (often utilizing weighted ridings or preferential ballots).

What are the core regulations governing federal political party financing in Canada?

Bans on corporate and union donations, caps on individual contributions, campaign spending limits, public disclosure of expenditures and donors, tax credits for contributions, and partial public reimbursement of eligible campaign expenses.

According to Pippa Norris, what are the three historical stages of political campaigning?

1. Premodern: Localized, volunteer-driven, canvassing, rallies, direct contact.
2. Modern: Centralized, professionalized, driven by television, marketing, and polling.
3. Postmodern: Digital technology, micro-targeting, data analytics, rapid response, and the permanent campaign.

What is a valence issue in election campaigns?

A valence issue is an issue where voters generally agree on the desired goal (e.g., economic prosperity, good healthcare), but compete over which political party or leader is most competent to deliver that outcome.

What evidence challenges the 'parties in decline' thesis according to scholars like Green, Palmquist, and Schickler?

While formal party membership and traditional party identification have decreased, the nature of partisan expression has shifted; parties remain indispensable for organizing campaigns, recruiting leaders, structuring legislative activity, forming governments, and aggregating interests.