POLI110 Midterm 1
DC 98:5. And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
DC 98:10. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.
DC 101:79-80. Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another. And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.
DC 121:39. We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
DC 134:1. We believe that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and administering them, for the good and safety of society.
Article of Faith 12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
Normative: how we think it should be
Imperative: stated as fact
Social Sciences: What They Share
Common approaches
Rationality
Identity and subconscious biases
Social influence/pressure
Institutional structure
Common methods
Surveys
Observation
Statistical modeling
Experiments
Focus groups
The challenge of politics
Coming from disagreement to coercive policies
We need government to hold society together (is this true?)
Challenges of voluntary action:
Incentive to do the same thing is the key feature of coordination
USPS:
Solves that mail gets to where it needs to be when it needs to get there
Solves that addresses/locations are standardized
Mutual trust is required in coordination
Non-government solutions:
Repeated interaction between the same two individuals
Reputation (brand name, credit score, etc)
Government solutions:
Contracts (requires courts)
Warranties (requires courts)
Laws against fraud
Food labeling laws
Professional licensing (physicians, contractors, plumbers, etc)
Restaurant inspections
Etc (free market doesn’t work without strong arming?)
Coordination problem:
might prefer different outcomes, but concerned that we all choose the same standard (traffic laws)
Prisoners’s dilemma:
cooperation is mutually beneficial, but there are strong incentives to break loyalty (most market interactions)
Chicken game:
I benefit the most if the other yields, but if neither of us do, we both lose (minimum wage, workplace safety, 40 hours a week limit, limit child labor, ban slavery— see a lot in politics and congress)
Free rider problems:
Another form of a prisoner’s dilemma, with multiple people— attain a desired outcome if all contribute, but all have an incentive to ride free
Solved by collective action: Everyone has to pay due to coercion, whether you want to or not (Jury duty, public school
Selective/moral or purposive incentives
Tragedy of the Commons
Everyone takes a single common resource until it’s destroyed (inverse of free rider, take instead of give)
Institutions - influence which players and which strategies are advantaged
Magna Carta - established that no one, including the king, is above the law.
Magna Carta influence on revolutionary thought - dislike of distant and/or unchecked central power
Glorious Revolution - established rights for common British subjects, especially a parliamentary role in approving taxes
Home rule - until the 1760-70s, Britain mostly limited its governance of the colonies to trade and foreign affairs, allowing the colonies to govern their internal affairs.
Articles of Confederation - a document uniting the original 13 states in an alliance (or “union”), but not one complete nation
Shays’ rebellion - men in financial distress nearly overthrow Massachusetts, predecessor to what could become anarchy
Enlightenment - age of reason, kicked off by Newton
Human nature - arguments shape what kind of government is formed, checks and balances, etc (are humans good or evil? King Benjamin (“natural man…”) vs King Mosiah (govt with minimal checks))
Natural aristocracy - the idea that some people are better than others, though this is not inherited like the royals claimed (legally equal, socially unequal)
Economic concerns of the framers - wanted to keep economy stable
Virginia Plan - A NEW NATION. voters choose a house of representatives sat by population. Then a senate (chosen by the house), national executive (can veto jointly with certain judges), and Judiciary branch
New Jersey Plan - MAINTAIN ALLIANCE OF STATES. State legislatures meet in a single chamber, one vote per state, A of C with a few tweaks: authority to raise revenue, action by simple majority
The Great Compromise - between Virginia and New Jersey plans
Three-fifths compromise - slaves count as ⅗ of an individual in the context of population
Plenary power - gives all power to the government, then details restrictions and guardrails
Enumerated power - government has only specific powers that are listed
Oaks’s five inspired fundamentals - separation of powers; federal division of powers; popular sovereignty; rule of law; Bill of Rights
Federalist (and Federalist Papers) - argued for a union of people, Madison and Hamilton
Antifederalist - argued for an alliance of states
Ratification - all 13 states came in after a big compromise for the bill of rights
How do institutions influence outcomes? (Hint: Strategies and players in the basketball analogy)?
They influence which players and which strategies are advantaged— think how the players would change if there were no three point line
What was the purpose of the Articles of Confederation, and what major flaws (we listed four) made them unsuitable as a governing document?
No revenue source, despite being able to go into debt
States can ignore treaties
No national judiciary
It’s a confederation, meaning no compulsion