POLS 102 FINAL EXAM

public good

a shared good or service for which its benefits cannot be limited to those who have paid for it once the good is provided

power

the ability to make another person do what you want, to force others to do what you want

authority

the right to make other people do what you want

legitimacy

the belief that a political order is just; the appropriate ability to make others do what you want, the legal right to make others comply with demands

government

the institutions and processes that make and implement a society's legally authoritative decisions

politics

beliefs about the right size and the proper role of government; who gets what, when, how

citizen

a member of the political community

justice

fair treatment

social contract

most influential modern democratic theory of government; people create government by entering into agreements to live together under a particular form of government

direct democracy

A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives; voters choose public policies themselves

representative

government officials that make laws for the people

democracy

includes direct and indirect democracy; good form of government of, by, and for the many

oligarchy

A government ruled by a few powerful people (bad variation); government of the rich or powerful

monarchy

A government ruled by a king or queen; the good form of government of one

polity

an organized society, such as a nation, state, church, or other organization, having a specific form of government

tyranny

absolute dictator; bad form of government of one

aristocracy

A government in which power is in the hands of a hereditary ruling class or nobility; good form of government of the few (best and brightest)

personal liberty

freedom as the right to personal development rather than the absence of external limits

constitutions

a governing document that sets forth a country's basic rules of politics and government; recognized as an appropriate foundation for a political system

Rule of Law

the expectation that government power must be based on law; the principle that governmental authority is exercised only in accordance with public laws that are adopted and enforced according to established procedures

mercantilism

the theory that the government controls and directs economic activity, particularly foreign trade, in order to maximize the state's wealth

The triangle trade

slaves were brought to America from Africa; sugar, cotton and tobacco were exported to England; and manufactured goods, textiles and rum were sent to Africa to pay for slaves

Seven Years War

(1756-1763 CE) Known also as the French and Indian war. Long and expensive war with the French and Indians ended with the British in control of most of North America

The Sugar Act

1764 - taxed sugar, wine, coffee, and other products commonly exported to the colonies

The Stamp Act

1765; required all printed documents to bear a stamp

Mutiny Act

(Quartering Act) forced colonists to either provide barracks for British soldiers or house them in their homes

The Townshend Acts

1767; imposed duties on many products including tea

The Coercive Acts

Intolerable Acts (1774) allowed Britain to blockade Boston harbor and placed 4,000 more soldiers in Boston

Shays' Rebellion

A 1787 rebellion in which ex-Revolutionary War soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes led by Daniel Shays

A republican system of government

A system of government in which power is exercised indirectly through representatives that are voted into office by citizens of the state

Federalism

a geographic division of power between the national government and state governments

Separation of powers

functional division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government

Checks and Balances

national and state governments check one another's powers

The Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments to the Constitution

appropriations

budget

impeachment

formal charging of a government official with treason, bribery, other high crimes and misdemeanors

enumerated powers

powers that are specifically mentioned in the Constitution; delegated powers

implied powers

powers that are not specifically mentioned but which can be logically implied to flow from those that are enumerated

necessary and proper clause

Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government

delegate

A person appointed or elected to represent others

trustee

A legislator who acts according to her or his conscience and the broad interests of the entire society.

politico

An elected representative who acts as a trustee or as a delegate, depending on the issue

majority party

the party with the most seats

minority party

the party with the second number of seats

speaker of the house

most powerful position in the House of Representatives; the only leadership position in the House that is created by the Constitution

President pro tempore

the official char of the Senate, largely honorary position awarded to the most senior senator of the majority party

standing committees

permanently established legislative committees that focus on specific area of legislation

joint committees

have members from the House and the Senate and are concerned with specific policy areas

conference committee

created to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill; made up of both the House and Senate

select or special committees

temporary committees that serve only for a very specific purpose

legislative oversight

overseeing the administration and investigating scandals

constituency service

Casework, assistance to constituents by congressional members; solving constituent problems

The rule of law

the principle that government authority is legitimately exercised only in accordance with written, publicly disclosed laws that are adopted in accordance with established procedure

imperial

too strong, too powerful for their and our own good

presidency

the individual who happens to occupy the Office of the President of the United States and the institution

delegated powers

Powers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution, for example, the authority to print money.

implied powers

Powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution but logically related to them

electoral college

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

primary elections

an election to determine party candidates for office

legitimacy

the belief that a political order is just; the appropriate ability to make others do what you want, the legal right to make others comply with demands

judicial restraint

a belief that it is appropriate for courts to play a limited role in the government, that judges should be very hesitant to overturn decisions of the political branches of government, and that judges should wherever possible defer to legislative and executive actions

judicial activism

a belief that it is appropriate for courts to play a broad role in the government - that judges should be willing to enforce their view of what the law means regardless of political opposition in the legislative or executive branches

judicial review

the power of courts to review the actions of government officials to determine whether they are constitutional

dispute resolution

settle disputes according to law; primary function of trail courts

law interpretation

The role of the court to decide what the law means when there is a disagreement about meaning, conflicting provisions, or even conflicts between two laws.

precedent

legal system where judges are expected to use past decisions as guides when deciding issues that are before the court

jury justice

The relationship between law and politics is complicated in the U.S. because of political

culture (democratic theory); legal culture (the strong commitment to popular justice as

the will of the people); and constitutionalism (limits on popular justice).

jury of peers

partial jury; jurors would be familiar with the community, its values, and maybe even the defendant and the victim, "local justice"

federalism

two-tiered system of government in which power is divided between a national (or central) government and the subnational units (states, provinces, or regional governments)

unitary system

a political system with one level of government

confederation

political system where the constituent units (the states, provinces, or regional governments) are more powerful than the central (or national) government

the power problem

how much power to centralize in the national government and how much power to leave decentralized with the states

dual federalism

a theory of federalism that describes both the federal government and the states governments as co-equal sovereigns

Cooley Doctrine

Based on the court case Cooley v. Board of Port Wardens, the court developed this doctrine to serve as a guide to decide whether a matter is for local or national regulation. Subjects that are not national and require local diversity of regulation are left to the states, but it does not provide specific answers to questions about whether something requires a single, uniform system of regulation.

cooperative federalism

the national and state governments share power over areas of public policy

States' rights

a belief that a policy is the responsibility of a state government not the national or federal government

interposition

a political doctrine that a state can interpose itself between the people of the state and the federal government when the federal government exceeds its authority

reserved powers

dictated by the 10th amendment; all other powers, not delegated to the national government or prohibited to the states, are reserved with the states or the people

delegated powers

specific powers, Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution lists powers granted to Congress

educative role

media's role of the belief that democracy requires an informed and educated citizenry; expected to provide information to make good political decisions

watchdog role

makes it the opposition in the sense that journalists investigate whatever administration is in control of government in order to hold public power accountable

commercial media

any public communication, such as advertisements, billboards, films, or magazines, that are designed to increase sales or generate profits

framing

the context that the media provide for the information that they provide or the stories they tell; influences the consumer's thinking about the topic

bias

free press is not necessarily a fair press; economic, idealogical, action and conflict and drama, or partisanship

voter fatigue

the apathy that the electorate can experience when they are required to vote too often in too many elections

open primaries

allow anyone who is eligible to vote in the primary election to vote for a party's selection

closed primaries

primary elections where voters are required to register with a specific party before the election and are only able to vote in the party's election for which they are registered

presidential primary

a series of staggered electoral contests in which members of a party choose delegates to attend the party's national convention which officially nominates the party's presidential candidate

caucus

a private meeting of party leaders to choose candidates (delegates) for office

voter turnout

the proportion of the voting-age public that participates in an election; a function of a number of individual factors and institutional factors

rational choice model

developed by Anthony Downs; argued that individuals are self-interested actors who use a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether it is in their self-interest to vote

civic duty model

describes non-material, non-rational incentives for voting

political efficacy

the belief that one's participation matters, that one's decision to vote really makes a difference

individual explanations

focus on an individual's motivations; two main models: rational choice model and civic duty model

system explanations

focus on aspects of the political system that affect voter turnout

voter registration

the requirement that a person check in with some central registry in order to be allowed to vote in an election

"Air" campaigns

campaigns that rely heavily on the mass media

interest group

a collection of individuals or organizations that share a common interest and advocate or work for public policies on behalf of the members' shared interests (advocacy groups)