American Gov Midterm

Government

the system by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals and provide benefits to that society.

Democracy

a form of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule either directly (direct democracy) or through freely elected representatives (republic)

Monarchy/Oligarchy/Totalitarian

forms of government where power is concentrated in the hands of a single ruler (monarchy) / a small & elite group (oligarchy) / a centralized authority that maintains strict control over many aspects of daily life (totalitarian).

Capitalism vs Socialism

Capitalism emphasizes private ownership and free markets, while socialism advocates for government ownership and means of production

Politics

the process of gaining and exercising control within a government for the purpose of setting and achieving particular goals // Lasswell: who gets what, when, how

Political Science

the study of government and politics

“bowling alone” theory

ppl are less involved with community groups than in the past

KNOW THIS DIAGRAM

Magna Carta

rights granted to English ppl in 1215

John Locke

natural law/rights

Hobbes

state of nature

The 2nd cont. cong. was mainly written by

Jefferson

AOC main points

• desire for republic not monarchy

• each state had its own const.

• all states had equal rep.

• central gov. would only have authroity in national defense, settling issues between states, foreign policy

issue w/ the AOC

• national gov. was intentionally weak (no taxation, many used state-backed currency, and amending required unanimous votes)

Const. Convention of 1787 made _____ pres. of convention

Washington

Issues talked about @ Const. Convention 1787

• Fair representation: by population or same for all states?

• Strengthen national government but preserve state autonomy

• What to do about slavery?

• Political rights for all free men without mob rule

Virginia Plan vs NJ Plan

Virginia plan: two houses apportioned

by population (HOR)

NJ plan: one house with one member

from each state (Senate)

Federal System

pwr is divided between state and national gov.

Federalists (won out)

• more educated/wealthy

• stronger national gov.

• concerned about “excess of democracy”

Anti-federalists

• concerned about state and individual rights

• distrust of powerful interest

What was one of the first things congress did?

amend the constitution

• proposed by congress (2/3), ratified by states (3/4)

Issues talked about at Great Compromise

• Bicameral legislature known collectively as Congress

• Senate has equal representation

• House of Representatives has single-member districts apportioned by population

HOR vs Senate

Enumerated Powers

explicitly stated in the constitution (levy and collect taxes; declare war; print money; create rules for immigration; etc.)

Implied Powers

Inferred as needed to govern (minimum wage; interstate highway system; environmental regulation)

Inherent Powers

assumed to exist bc the US exists (acquire territory; legislate for Indian tribes; conduct foreign relations)

The Legislative Process (this is not always followed nowadays—no single subject rule, budget reform laws, some bills skip committees)

Models of Representation

• Delegate: do the will of their constituents

• Trustee: use their own judgment

• Politico: little bit of both

Types of Representation

• economic: pork and barrel

• collective: congress as a whole

• descriptive: shares characteristics w/ voters

pres. qualifications

• 35yrs old

• natural born citizen

• lived in US for 14 consecutive yrs

Checks and balances shown in executive branch (president has pwr to veto legislation)

• Can be overcome by Congress

• Congress can impeach and remove the president from office

• Three have been impeached by House, none removed by Senate

• The president appoints federal judges and Supreme Court Justices, confirmed by Senate

• President negotiates treaties, approved by Senate

• Judicial review of presidential actions

EC pros

• protects interests of minorities

• gives more pwr to states

• allows for two-party system

EC cons

• complex system makes ppl tend to back away from voting

• candidate favored by majority may not win

• swing and small states are given more pwr

role of VP

Actual role depends upon the president

• Sometimes not very active outside of official duties in Senate

• Can act as policy advisor or be put in charge of specific issues

• Might be chosen as running mate for mostly political purposes

First Lady

mostly been a ceremonial role

• Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights

• Nancy Reagan and antidrug campaigns

• Hilary Clinton and national health care reform

most important role of the pres.

leadership

What does the fed. bureaucracy do?

carry out routine tasks of governance (it is also hierarchical form)

Weberian model of bureaucracy

formal procedures (want everything to be the same)

Acquisitive model of bureaucracy

competitive

Monopolistic model of bureaucracy

agencies behave like private sector monopolies

the bureaucracy is mainly staffed by

spoil systems

Civil Service Reform Act of 1883

professionalized government workers (the merit system replaced spoils system)

Independent agencies

smaller in size and scope than cabinet level agencies (CIA, SEC)

Government corporations

created to fulfill a vital service and indented to be self sufficient (post office)

Why do elected official struggle with controlling the federal burecracy?

• bc bureaucrats vastly outnumber them

• Nature of bureaucracy makes it self-sustaining

• It has some policymaking authority

Public Policy

A government action made in the public interest with government authority

pros and cons of bureaucracy

• Bureaucrats have expertise most legislators lack

• Career government professionals should be nonpartisan

• Bureaucrats are not elected and are unaccountable to voters

How diff. ppl oversee bureaucracy