POLS 233: Politics and Policy In the United States: Final Review

What is participation?

any attempt to influence what the political system does

What is expectation?

Self-interest should prompt involvement

What is opportunity cost?

Investments you make to be involved, which could have been used for other pursuits

How can the rate of participation be manipulated?

Through public policies that increase or decrease costs

What are political resources?

Assets that can be used to facilitate participation

What is the voting calculus equation?

The probability that voting matters (the benefit of your candidate winning) + the duty or benefits derived from the act of voting > the cost

What are the two perspectives on voting?

An instrumental act to produce benefits that reflect your interests and an expressive act, where the benefit is in the doing

What is the margin of error?

An estimate of how far off the poll’s sample may be from correctly representing the population

How can we evaluate polls?

Looking at the sample, the source, the question wording, and/or aggregation/consensus

What is partisan polarization?

Greater agreement within each party and sharper differences between the two parties

What is affective polarization?

The phenomenon where individuals’ feelings and emotions towards members of their own political party or group become more positive, while their feelings towards members of the opposing party or group become more negative

What is information assumption?

Voters should know what their interests are and can determine which candidate better aligns with those interests

What is voting assumption?

Voters cast ballots consistent with their interests

What is responsiveness assumption?

Politicians care about votes and therefore voters’ interests

What is low-information rationality?

A process that emotionally incorporates learning and information from past experiences, daily life, the media, and political campaigns

What is heuristics?

Decision shortcuts that do not require a heavy investment in becoming informed

What is the spatial model of voting?

Voters choose the candidate closer to their ideological or issue ideal point

What are the central claims of pluralist theory?

Representation is a byproduct

Interest groups are inclusive

The system is self-correcting

Resources of interest-groups are non-cumulative

Government institutions offer diverse groups multiple points of access

Group affiliations exert cross-pressures on individuals

What are the core values of party theory?

Political equality

Electoral democracy

Responsibility

When is electoral democracy possible?

When voters can cast a self-interested vote without expanding much effort or other resources

Who were the Federalists led by?

Alexander Hamilton

Who were the Anti-Federalists led by?

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison

Why are there two political parties?

Dualist nature of most conflicts

Continued socialization into the two-party system

Election laws favor the two larger parties

Winner-take-all system

What is Duverger’s Law?

The number of viable parties in a democracy will be equal to the number of seats in competition plus one

What are the major goals of the members of Congress?

Get elected, deliver good policies, and acquire power

What are direct effects?

Electoral effects of resources available to the incumbent just because he or she holds office (perquisites)

What is the norm of universalism?

Important aspects of Congress are organized to benefit all members equally

What is distributed policymaking?

Members divvy up policy to as many members as possible

What are particularized benefits?

Benefits aimed at one specific district

What are selection effects?

Electoral effects that occur indirectly via candidate deterrence

What is a quality challenger?

A challenger who has previously held elected office, local celebrity, or some other attribute that gives legitimate electoral prospects

What is packing?

The opposing party’s voters are pushed into one or a few districts

What is cracking?

The opposing party’s voters are divided into many different districts, allowing the preferred party to win elections in several districts against a divided opposition

What is the difference between district-centered representation and party-centered representation?

District-centered representation has incumbent re-elections based on personal following and policy responses to districts, autonomous committees that reflect the interests of the district median voters, policy making particularized that is characterized by the norm of universalization, and party leaders are relatively weak

Party-centered representation has incumbent re-elections based on partisanship of district and partisan tides, committees serve as arms of parties, policy making reflects the national party commitments, and party leaders are given more influence

What is the difference between district-centered and party-centered committees regarding appointments, agenda, and accountability?

District-centered committees are based on policy interests, seniority, and power; are delegated to senior committee members; and members are accountable to districts, who judge individuals

Party-centered committees still factor interest and seniority but more power with party leaders, party leaders exert more control, and members are also accountable to party leaders and judged by party in government

What explains why Congress might move from a district-centered to a party-centered mode of operation?

“conditional party government” and “cartel theory”

What does “conditional party government” emphasize?

Polarization facilitates strong parties and more authority delegated to party leaders because there is more internal agreement within the party and a larger threat from the opposing party

What does “cartel theory” emphasize?

The importance of the party brand to members’ re-election prospects and the need to protect the brand from defection in the ranks

What is gridlock region?

The area between the chamber medians

What is a filibuster?

A delay or blocking tactic used by opponents of proposed legislation by talking or threatening to talk until the Senate is forced to abandon that proposal

What is a cloture vote?

A vote to stop a filibuster

How does partisan polarization make change more difficult?

By expanding gridlock zones when power is divided between the parties

What does it mean by going public?

A strategy whereby a president promotes himself and his policies directly to the American public for support

What does unilateral presidency mean?

Powers and authority that have developed as expectations for the president have expanded

Presidential power is largely the power to what?

Persuade

What is prestige?

Public popularity

What two components does presidential leadership have?

Power and responsiveness

What two kinds of resources are relevant in examining presidential power?

Formal resources and personal resources

What does it mean when it is said that the presidency is “unitary”?

The chief executive is a single person rather than a council or “plural” executive

What is the central argument of Justice Antonin Scalia in “A Matter of Interpretation”?

Judges should interpret laws based on their original meaning at the time of enactment

In “Active Liberty”, what does Justice Stephen Breyer advocate for?

Considering the broader purpose and consequences of laws to promote democratic participation

Which judicial philosophy emphasizes the importance of the Consitution’s original meaning?

Originalism

What is Justice Breyer’s approach to constitutional interpretation best described as?

Purposivism

How do Scalia and Breyer differ in their views on the role of the judiciary?

Scalia focuses on the text’s original meaning while Breyer considers the law’s purpose and contemporary implications

Unlike interest groups, _____ run candidates and seek government control

Parties

What kind of issues are things everyone agrees on?

Valence issues

What is stare decisis?

The norm of respecting judicial precedent

Voting is an _______ act if done to produce benefits the reflect interests

Instrumental

What is presidential leadership made up of?

Power and responsiveness

In Congress, there is tension between what two types of representation?

District-centered and party-centered

What is judicial restraint?

Deference to the elected branches

According to the ______ model, partisanship is a lasting force that shapes other judgments

Michigan

What theory emphasizes the importance of the party brand?

Cartel theory

A ______ forecast is one made from an aggregation of polls

Consensus

When gridlock does not exist but the policy is unfavorable, an interest group will target the _______

Pivots

What system does Congress operate under?

Committee

What is retrospective voting?

Voting based on past performance

What is pocketbook voting?

Voting based on personal finances

In the population, there are many more partisans than there are true ________

Independents

In SMDP, a candidate needs a ______ of the vote to win

Plurality

In the ______ model, voters choose the closest candidate

Spacial

What is ideology?

A way of thinking about policy issues

What is one reason incumbent reelection rates are so high?

Those who might lose often retire