Studied by 1 personpublic goods
no rivalry among consumers can help make an interest group better, such as change in government policy desired by members
prisoners' dilemma
Both Confess-->5 Years \n One Confess, the other doesnt--> Confession goes free \n Both Don't Confess--> one year for each
Olson's theory of interest groups
a lot of groups won’t form in the first place because people only join if there is social pressure or benefits;
- need selective benefit for joining
- collective action, free rider problem
selective incentives
benefits that can motivate participation in a group effort because they are available only to those who. participate, such as member services offered by interest groups
free rider problem
the problem faced by unions and other groups when people do not join because they can benefit from the group’s activities without officially joining
- the bigger the group, the more serious the problem
the problem of collective action
a situation in which the members of a group would benefit by working together to produce some outcome, but each individual is better off refusing to cooperate and reaping benefits from those who do the work
lobbyists / lobbying
people whose job it is to solicit and persuade state and federal legislators to create legislation and vote for bills that favor the interests of the group they represent
- can work for corporations, a private individual, or the public interest
“inside” strategies
tactics employed within DC, by interest groups seeking to achieve their policy goals (direct lobbying, drafting legislation, research, hearings, litigation, working together)
“outside” strategies
tactic employed outside DC, by interest groups seeking to achieve their public goals (grassroots lobbying, mobilizing public opinion, electioneering, cultivating media contacts, bypassing government)
hyper pluralism
theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened
pluralism
theory of government that holds that open, multiple, and competing groups can check the asserted power by any one group
Political Action Committee (PACs)
a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations
material incentives
benefits that have a monetary value, including money, gifts, services, or discounts received as a result of one’s membership in an organization
solidary incentives
sense of pleasure, status, or companionship arising from group membership
purposive incentive
relate to one’s ethical beliefs or ideological principles
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
a 2010 landmark Supreme Court case that rules that individuals, corporations, and unions could donate unlimited amounts of money to groups that make independent political expenditures
dark money
political money where the donors of the money do not have to be disclosed
equality of outcome
the concept that society must ensure that people are equal, and governments must design policies to redistribute wealth and status so that economic and social equality is actually achieved
equality of opportunity
a widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever. talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential
segregation
separation of people based on their racial, ethnic, or other differences
de jure segregatiion
racial segregation that occurs because of laws or administrative decision by public agencies
de facto segregation
racial segregation that occurs in schools, not as a result of the laws, but as a result of patterns of residential settlement
classical liberalism
advocates civil liberties under the rule of law with an emphasis on economic freedom
ascriptive americanism
society is a hierarchy, some groups are on top → rogers smith American culture combines the tradition of liberalism, classical republicanism, and ascriptive americanism
affirmative action
policy in educational admissions or job hiring that gives special attention or compensatory treatment to traditionally disadvantages groups in an effort to overcome present effects of past discrimination
reverse discrimination
practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously
separate but equal
the judicial precedent established by Plessy v Ferguson decision that enabled states to interpret the equal 14th amendment as a means of establishing segregation
nonviolent direct action
strategy used by civil rights leaders such as MLK , in which protestors break “unjust” laws openly but in a “loving” fashion in order to bring the injustices of such laws to public attention
Brown v Board of Education
1954 - SCOTUS overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated
1964 Civil Rights Act
act prohibited because of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin by employers or labor unions
1965 Voting Rights Act
act suspended the use of literacy tests and authorized the appointment of federal examiner who could order the registration of blacks in states and counties where fewer than 50% were registered, or voted previously
civil rights movement
movement in the US beginning in the 1960s and led primarily by blacks in an effort to establish the civil rights of individual black citizens
just law
ordinance of reason that exists for the common good, having been made by legitimate authority and legislated through an appropriate and recognized process
unjust laws
human law that contradicts or otherwise fails to conform to divine and natural law
such a law is never binding on a person’s conscience and must be opposed
14th Amendment
declares that all persons born in the US are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws
set-aside programs
money set aside for specific purpose; to create diversity in things like business ownership (women and minorities)
color-blind jurisprudence
not looking at race when making decisions (SCOTUS)
saying you can redraw districts based solely on race
avoiding discriminatory results instead of discriminatory intent
reconstruction
period after the Civil War when the federal government rules the souther states in order to rebuild them and allow them back into the Union
strict scrutiny
SCOTUS test to see if a law denies equal protection because it does not serve a compelling state interest and is not narrowly tailored to achieve that goal
intermediate scrutiny
a test used by SCOTUS in gender discrimination cases that places the burden of proof partially on the government and partially on the challengers to show that the law in question is unconstitutional
reasonable basis test
use of evidence to suggest that differences in the behavior of two groups can rationalize unequal treatment of these groups, such as charging 16 to 21 years old higher prices for auto insurance than people over 21 because younger people have higher accident rates
Jim Crow laws
limited rights of black people
literacy tests, grandfather clause, poll taxes → limited voting rights
protectionism
theory or practice of shielding a country’s domestic industry from foreign competition by taxing imports
Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
each time a person is paid discriminatory wages, benefits, or compensation, a cause of action arises and the victim has 180 days to file a complaint
disparate impact
condition in which employment practices are seemingly neutral yet disproportionately exclude a protected group from employment opportunity
Obergefell v Hodges
states obligated to recognize same sex marriage from other states
“don’t ask, don’t tell”
military policy announced by Clinton in 1993 that barred officials from inquiring into the sexual orientation of military personnel who admitted to being gay or engaging in homosexual behavior
Great Society
what Pres. Johnson called his version of the Democratic reform program
in 1965, Congress passed many Great Society measures, including Medicare, civil rights legislation, and federal aid to education
New Deal Programs
set of policies proposed by FDR
→ enacted by Congress between 1933 and 1935 to promote economic recovery and social welfare during the Great Depression, providing those in need with jobs and money
Social Security
federal program of disability and retirement benefits that covers most working people
entitlements
policies for which Congress has obligated itself to pay X level of benefits to Y number of recipients
ex: SS benefits
Medicare
a federal and state assistance program that pays for health care services for people who cannot afford them
Obamacare
requires all US citizens to have healthcare and requires those who do not to pay a penalty
Social Security Trust Fund
the “bank account” into which SS contributions are “deposited” and used to pay out eligible recipients
social safety net
the many programs that the federal government provides to protect Americans against economic and social misfortune
democrats SS plan
raise payroll taxes by 3% and increase income ceiling that is taxable
better inflation tracker is to save money
gradually increase the retirement age to 70 (Rs agree)
. maintain the basic structure of a public social insurance system
Republicans SS plan
want to establish individual investment accounts (PRA) ranging from 2-6% of income tax
possible cut future benefits and raise retirement age
privatize part of social security
Obama’s debt commissions plans to save Social Security
gradually increase retirement age
use CPI to better track inflation
to increase payments slower, raise cap on amount of payroll that can be taxed
TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
1996 national act that abolished the longtime welfare policy, AFDC
TANF gives the states more control over welfare policy
distributive policy
public policy such as Social Security that provides benefits to all groups in society
regulatory policy
policy that results in government control over individual and businesses
ex : protection of the environment and consumer protection
redistributive policy
type of policy that takes benefits (usually through taxes) from one group of Americans and gives them to another (usually through spending)
contributory programs
not means tested welfare, funded by taxes
ex: social security, medicare
everybody who pays in can see their return in the policy
non-contributory programs
means tested welfare programs, getting something for nothing,
EX: medicaid, food stamps, housing assistance, TANF: like haandouts for those who qualify
welfare state
concept of govt. in which it plays a key role in protecting and promoting the economic and social well being and health of its citizens - especially, those in financial need
health insurance exchanges
marketplace created to give individuals, small businesses. and others access to affordable private health insurance
the ownership society
term used to describe the social policy vision of President GW Bush, in which citizens take responsibility for their own social welfare and the free market plays a greater role in social policy
Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare
upheld Congress’s power to pass health care reform, but struck down the use of coercive federalism to expand Medicaid
based on taxing power rather than commerce clause
income inequality
the unequal distribution of household or individual income across the various participants in an economy
balanced budget amendment
a constitutional amendment that required that annual spending not exceed revenues, has not been passed
Federal Reserve Board
govern the 12 federal reserve banks, serve 14 year terms - president serves 4 years and is appointed by president
set interest rates and can buy and sell bonds in the market to change money supply
fiscal policy
government policy that attempts to manage the economy, by controlling taxing, spending and the budget
monetary policy
government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates
supply-side economics
an economic philosophy that holds the sharply cutting taxes will increase the incentive people have to work, save, and invest
greater investments will lead to more jobs, a more productive economy, and more tax revenues for the government
regulatory policy
policy that results in government control over individuals and businesses
ex: include protection of the environment and consumer protection
inflation
general and progressive increase in prices
federal debt and deficits
deficits: annual shortfall between revenue and spending (surplus if positive)
debt: the accumulation of all past deficits
goals of economic policy making
full employment, stable prices, balanced budgets and balance of payments
trade deficit
situation in which a country imports more than it exports
full employment
the level of employment reached when there is no cyclical employment
NAIRU Point
Non Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment
specific level of unemployment that exists in an economy that doesn’t make inflation increase
often represents equilibrium between state of the economy and labor marker
misery index
unofficial stat that is the sum of the monthly inflation and the unemployment rate
Keynesian Countercyclical Policies
during the boom periods, the government ought to increase taxes or cut spending, and during periods of economic. woe, the government should undertake deficit spending
Laffer curve
a supposed relationship between economic activity and the rate of taxation that suggests the existence of an optimum tax rate that maximizes tax revenue
indexing
periodic process of adjusting social benefits or wages to account for increases in the cost of living
COLAs
annual cost of living adjustments mandated by law in Social Security and other welfare benefits
mandatory spending
federal spending required by law that continues without the need for annual approvals by Congress
discretionary spending
federal spending on programs that are controlled through the regular budget process
GDP
the total market value of all final goods and services produced annually in an economy
the economic meltdown of 2008 - 2009
lots of toxic debt from cdo’s with terrible mortgages in them, led to stock market collapsing and trillions of dollars just disappearing, housing bubble burst
TARP
bailed out big banks by giving them 700 billion dollars cuz they needed cash to survive the crash, brought out idea of too big to fail
containment
a US foreign policy adopted by Truman in the late 1940s, in which the US tried to stop the spread of communism by creating alliances and helping weak countries resist Soviet advances
deterrence
discouraging military actions by other nations by the threat of force
mutually assured destruction
doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender
balance of power
countries of relatively the same strength and alliances which leads to nothing happening, no economic or military domination
United Nations
international organization formed after WWII to promote international peace, security, and cooperation
diplomacy
tools of foreign policy, personal contact, and negotiations with national leaders and representatives to work out international agreements or to persuade other nations to change their behavior
isolationism
policy of non-participation in international economic and political relations
unilateralism
world order in which one state is in a position of dominance with allies following rather than joining the political decision-making process
Monroe Doctrine
American foreign policy opposing interference in the western hemisphere from outside powers
Note
Flashcard