Poli Sci: Final Exam Concepts

What are the arguments against health care reform and alternatives to the Affordable Care Act? (APT Chap 16, Obama and Haislmaier in TED)

-CRITICS: attacked the "individual mandate" requiring everyone to purchase health insurance, and its taxes on certain categories of medical equipment: opposition played role in republican party gains in house an senate and trump made "repeal and replace" central part of campaign- only major change was getting rid of the individual mandate to buy health insurance -HAISLMAIER= millions of people lost insurance they liked, and many ppl had relationships with doctors disrupted as insurers narrowed provider networks. cost of insurance grew: premiums for many plans increased by more than 10% a year, in part by imposing inflexible rules that prevent ppl from buying the kind of coverage they want, rather than what fed gov says they need. increased taxes: those on middle class families by 770 billion over 10 years, takes away element of individual choice -ALTERNATIVE REFORM= propose reform that uses "market-based" reforms reliant on competition tax changes, and state level regulation to improve efficiency and lower costs -alternate reforms suggested focus on advanced level of care, affordable care, and accessible care

What are tensions between foreign policy making and democracy?

-Conflicts between the requirements for successful foreign policy and democracy: requirements= 1.) consistency. No flip-flops and ideally need to speak with one voice. Relations with allies and signals to adversaries. Obama's "red line" in Syria and Trump and North Korea and closing the Mexican border. 2.) Discretion: Machiavellian conception of policy making. Lie to the people: Pentagon misinformation during the Vietnam war 3.) Centralization: decisions need to be made by small groups of people. Efficiency is key 4.) Secrecy: Classified information (dramatic increase in recent years). War plans. Domestic surveillance. This is why the Wikileaks revelations were so damaging -Democracies: open, inefficient, debates and struggles among institutions= difficult to speak with one voice, buildup to the war in Iraq and the voices of dissent. Dissent within the Obama administration on Afghanistan, Syria, and Iran and Trump's White House on many issues. Biden's team pretty unified on Ukraine. -Unlikely to be consistent: trade policy is a great example. Bipartisanship doesn't hold -Requirement of decentralized leadership. Don't want president unilaterally making foreign policy (Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, trade policy) -Classified information and the need for openness. CIA's secret budget, extraordinary renditions.

Health care reform concerns about Obama Care

-Costs will be more than anticipated (has turned out not to be true) -Too much of a role for the government. "Death panels" and socialized medicine -Will weaken Medicare (can't double-count the Medicare savings). -Employers will drop coverage and pay fines. (for the most part didn't happen) -Big one was healthy people who don't want coverage are forced to get it, but this was repealed by removing the tax penalty for not buying insurance. problems with rollout -11 states have declined expansion of Medicaid- 3 million in coverage gap. -Pledge that "you can keep your insurance if you like it," clearly is not true. Millions are affected, but in general, they are getting higher quality insurance -Initial problems with healthcare.gov. Long wait times, site was often down, verification of personal information hangs up, links to insurance companies were a problem. Also, state-run exchanges have been doing better than national, but many states passed on the chance to set up their own exchange.

What are the tools of U.S. foreign policy? (APT, Chap 17).

-Diplomacy, the United Nations, international monetary system (IMF, World Bank), economic aid, collective security, and military deterrence.

What are the tools of economic policy= Tools of monetary policy

-Discount rate (set by Fed), interest rates charged to member banks for short-term loans from the Fed to member banks. Federal funds rate (set by market but influenced by Fed), interest rate for loans among member banks. Indirect impact on consumer rates. -Reserve requirements was 10% for large banks for many years. It is powerful tool, rarely used, but reduced to 0 in March, 2020. Impact on banks' ability to create money. -Open market policies: selling (contract money supply, increase FFR) and buying (expand money supply, decrease FFR) government securities. Used to influence federal funds rate and, more indirectly, long term rates. Quantitative easing (QE2, QE3) - "print money." -Modern Monetary Theory says it is not a problem to print money as long as there is slack in the economy.

Tradeoffs between the Goals

-Inflation and unemployment. Weakening of the tradeoff since early 1980s. The "misery index." -Policies to ease the trade deficit: protectionism vs efficiency and inflation; weaker dollar vs. inflation (weaker dollar makes imports more expensive). -Redistributive policies (equity) vs. efficiency. -Growth and the environment. Attempts to get around this tradeoff. Cap and trade system for carbon emissions - use market forces to help reduce global warming. Some have argued this would be a perfect time for a carbon tax.

What is hyperpluralism? Does this pose a problem for the implementation of policy that is in the general interest? (lecture)

-Jonathan Rauch- hyperpluralism: intense interest group activity leads to gridlock in government; the exploding number of groups chokes off our ability to govern. Stanadrd view (more access to the "people") and left populist critique (rich have too much access) are wrong -Mancur Olson- The decline of nations: he extends this argument to the comparative context. Nations with strong interest groups decline compared to those with weak groups -Responses to interest group problem -pluralists: do nothing, everything is okay -reformers 1.) lobbying reforms, gift bans, lobbyist registration, limiting the revolving door (The movement of individuals from government positions to jobs with interest groups or lobbying firms, and vice versa) 2.) anti-democratic solutions: limit access of groups to the political system 3.) campaign finance reform 4.) eliminate IG "lifeblood", tax loopholes and subsidies. More market forces: more foreign competition and deregulation

Upon what principle is affirmative action based?

-Lyndon Johnson and the metaphor of the athletes - both running same race and one athlete has everything (equipment etc.) opposed to other athlete: equality of opportunity but not actually equal, so Johnson said give other athlete a head start -relates to small business disadvantages: small and minority owned -passive (make size of the applicant pool more diverse) and active affirmative action (race is a "plus factor" in hiring or admissions decision) -public opinion reveals a racial divide on the issue. White respondents very opposed (by 3-1 margins in most polls) Black respondents support (by about 2-1) -court cases on affirmative action in higher education, employment, and contracting: refer back to lecture outline

What contributions did interest groups make to the quality of democracy in early U.S. history? (deToqueville in TED)

-Madison and the pluralists 1.) David Truman and de Tocqueville argue that interest groups are legitimate voices for intense preferences 2.) overlapping memberships and groups check each other. Prevents majority tyranny 3.) intensity of preferences reflected through groups 4.) interest groups provide the basis for organizing potential interests and speaking for unorganized groups -Critiques of pluralism 1.) unequal access. Schattschneider, "The heavenly chorus of the interest group process sings with an upper class accent" Wealthy and organized have big advantage. This critique is still common in the political left today: AOC, Elizabeth Warren's and Bernie Sanders' presidential campaigns in 2020 2.) Theodore Lowi: Interest group liberalism. All group interests are perceived by government as legitimate

How much of a threat is ISIS? To what extent should we continue to focus on the threat of a terrorism with military force or should we shift national security policy in a more balanced direction? (Olsen and Pillar in TED).

-OLSEN= says ISIS is the most urgent threat to our security security in the world today: ISIS has become more sophisticated even as it loses territory and its ability to communicate to and inspire follows anywhere in the world makes it a significant risk to global stability- advocates a combined response of military action, increased surveillance and intelligence action, and communication efforts that combat the radicalization of people in the US -PILLAR= takes broader view, arguing proposed action against ISIS must be understood in the larger context of the history of the American military abroad: in recent decades military intervention has become more common and less successful and an entire generation of Americans has come of age with its country perpetually at war- led to the impulse that military action is the first option in dealing with any threat, even when it was an initial military response that caused the threat, and when the continued application of force is a continuing cause of radicalization -reason ISIS exists is the Iraq war and the chaos in the region that resulted: urge to fight the group with military force repeats initial error and plays into ISIS's hands- would take hundreds of thousands of troops that would result in another unsuccessful war -both authors: understand threats to US & how to fight them

COVID stimulus legislation

-Paycheck Protection Program got an additional $484 billion in April, 2020, when it was clear that the money was running out quickly. -American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was signed into law in March this year. $1.9 trillion in many of the same areas: support for local and state governments, hospitals, COVID testing and vaccinations, schools, unemployment compensation, small businesses, and direct payments to individuals.

COVID response, monetary policy

-Quantitative Easing: open-ended purchase of Treasury securities and government-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities. Expanded their balance sheet by another $4 trillion! -Lending to securities firms to maintain liquidity in the corporate, money market, and municipal bond markets. -$2 trillion for overnight and short-term repurchase agreements for banks and lower the "discount rate" for overnight loans to banks from 1.75% to .25%. Eliminated the reserve requirement. -Direct lending to corporations, small businesses, and municipal governments.

What are the main arguments why this reform was necessary? (APT Chap 16, Obama and Haislmaier in TED)

-SUPPORTERS: liked its regulation of the health insurance industry, its cost controls, and its expansion of programs and subsidies that increased the number of people with health insurance -OBAMA= has reduced rate of uninsured from 16 to 9% (20 new million ppl to get coverage). expanded access to basic preventive services. slowed the rate of growth of health care costs (reduced increasing cost of priv insurance and lowered cost of medicare/medicaid). improved outcomes: lower hospital readmission rates and frequency of hospital acquired infections

Response to 2008-2009 economic meltdown

-TARP - Troubled Assets Relief Program. $700 billion rescue plan, signed into law on Oct. 3rd, 2008. Original plan was to buy toxic debt. Instead, provided capital to banks. Also consumer credit plans. Resisted helping homeowners avoid foreclosures, but eventually moved in that direction. Ended up turning a profit of nearly $70 billion on the $700 billion. -Bailout of Bear Stearns, AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and Citigroup. Open-ended commitment that was unprecedented. "Too big to fail." -Monetary policy: Fed dropped the FFR to 1% and then to 0-.25%, provided liquidity to financial markets. "Quantitative easing" pumped $3.5 trillion into the economy from 12/2008 through 2015 (another $4 trillion or more on the way for COVID relief - more on that later). -Fiscal policy: stimulus package enacted early in 2009: $787 billion that was equally split between tax cuts, aid to the states, and domestic spending on infrastructure, green energy, and extended unemployment benefits. Classic Keynesian policy: increase aggregate demand. Problem is that it came on the heels of massive deficit spending in the previous eight years. -Jobs growth was steady until COVID hit last spring. Unemployment was down to 3.6%, which is considered below "full employment." The private sector added jobs for 109 consecutive months — more than 21 million new jobs in all — the longest period of sustained job growth on record. -Today there is some concern that banks are repeating the same behavior that got us into the mess in the first place. To some extent this is true, but there are more regulations in place to prevent another crisis. -The Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law (2010)= Created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Addressed "too big to fail", More transparency in derivatives markets, Increased regulation of credit rating agencies, In 2018 Congress increased the size of banks subjected to enhanced regulation from $50 billion to $250 billion

What are the other contributions that interest groups make to the political system? (Truman and deToqueville in TED)

-TRUMAN: -goes back to James Madison in his Federalist 10 about argument that competition between interests should be encouraged has been powerful in American political thought -pluralist theory= competition among groups in society for political power produces the best approximation of the overall public good -Truman argues that such groups have been a common and inevitable feature of American politics -groups form to give individuals a means of self-expression and to help them find security in an uncertain world -uncertainty of the social environment and resulting threat to ones interests is main motivation for groups to form and taming environment is central concern for group members -rather than leading to system ruled by few dominant powers, Truman suggests reality is more dynamic -says critics of IG fail to recognize is the fact that people have multiple or overlapping memberships in groups so that "no tolerably normal person is totally absorbed in any one group"= so there is balance to the views that any one member brings to the organization and overall the political process -potential for new group is always present and features of the interest group system push toward compromise and balance in public policy

Response to COVID pandemic, fiscal policy

-The $2.3 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress with overwhelming, bipartisan support (96-0 in Senate, voice vote in House) and signed into law by Pres. Trump on March 27, 2020. -Cash payments of $1,200 to individuals earning less than $75,000 ($300 billion) -$260 billion for unemployment benefits -$350 billion for small business loans (ran out of money last week, added $350 billion more this week).

How does Theodore Lowi argue that the political relationships in the policy making process are determined by the type of policy that is at stake? (Lowi in TED)

-argues different types of public policies produce different patterns of participation -public policies can be classified as distributive, regulatory, or redistributive, each with its own distinctive "arena of power"=ex: public policies that provide benefits to a single congressional district, group, or company can be classified as distributive: in distributive arena of power, policy beneficiares are active in seeking to expand or extend their benefits, but there is no real opposition rather, legislators build coalitions premised upon "mutual non-interference" interests, and their representatives seek particular benefits, such as a research and development contract, a new highway, or a farm subsidy, but they do not oppose the similar requests of others -the regulatory and redistributive policy arenas also display distinctive dynamics and roles that participants in the process play -lowi's work was important for providing a classification scheme by which social scientists could think more systematically about different public policy and for proposing that we study "politics" as a consequence of different types of public policy: traditionally social scientists have studied politics to see what kinds of policies are produced

How does the right of association serve as a check on majority tyranny? (deToqueville in TED)

-argues that the right to associate provides an important check on a majority's power to suppress a political minority -pointed out that allowing citizens to associate in a variety of groups with a variety of interests provides a political outlet for all types of political perspectives to be heard -also enables compromises to be reached as each interest group attempts to build support among shifting coalitions on individual issues -argued "there is a place for individual independence" in the American system of government. "As in society, all the members are advancing at the same time toward the same goal, but they are not obliged to follow exactly the same path"

What are the ways that groups can solve the collective action problem? (lecture, APT, and Olson in TED)

-coercion= A method of eliminating non-participation or free riding by potential group members by requiring participation, as in many labor unions. -Mancur olson (TED)= the logic of collective action: difficulties that groups have of forming in the first place 1.) the free rider problem for public good provision (non-excludability and non-rival consumption). Public radio. 2.) size of the group: small groups easier to form -Overcoming the collective action problem 1.) selective incentives: informational, material, solidary, or purposive benefits 2.) group sponsorship (groups without real members; people just write checks)

Is income inequality a problem? Is it a threat to democracy or the engine of economic growth? Would reducing regulations help income inequality and promote growth? (Williams, Will, and Hinkle in TED)

-concentration of wealth is more pronounced than income inequality -many think high levels of income inequality mean gross failure of basic norms of fairness, and have harmful consequences for cohesion, civil life, and political stability: view that income inequality is cause and consequence of political inequality as rich are better equipped to rig system in their favor through favorable tax laws and regulations that further protect/concentrate wealth -some believe inequality isn't serious problem and that the alternative of draconian policies that forcefully redistribute wealth is worse -Williams= argues income inequality threatens democracy: high income inequality is associated with more crime, less happiness, poorer mental and physical health, less racial harmony, and less civic and political participation- also found Americans greatly underestimate degree of wealth inequality and would prefer a more equal distribution -Will= counters that income inequality in a capitalist system is truly beautiful because it is the engine of economic growth: people become wealthy because they have great ideas that produce innovative products and in turn, these ideas create thousands of jobs and create innovations that keep consumer prices down= secret to economic growth is allowing wealthy to keep wealth to create jobs -Hinkle= tackle inequality by easing regulations that impede economic growth: rely on free market to create growth and wealth: says there are still many inefficient regulations that are holding back growth and contributing to inequality= copyrights and patents, immigrations policies (especially for high skilled workers), occupational licensing, and zoning all should be modified to encourage more entrepreneurship and job creation

What techniques were used to prevent blacks from voting in the South before the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965? (lecture and APT Ch. 14).

-disenfranchisement= being deprived of the right to vote -grandfather clause= A type of law enacted in several southern states to allow those who were permitted to vote before the Civil War, and their descendants, to bypass literacy tests and other obstacles to voting, thereby exempting Whites from these tests while continuing to disenfranchise African Americans and other people of color. -voter intimidation -literacy tests -white primaries= election only open to white voters and claimed it was private -poll taxes -loyalty oaths -tactics successful: only few thousand black voters were registered to vote in many deep south states

What did the Civil Rights Act mean for African Americans and women?

-effectively outlawed egregious forms of discrimination against African Americans and women, including all forms of segregation. -It also strengthened the enforcement of voting rights and the desegregation of schools -Fight for equal pay and the rights to their body. Women's right to vote. The signification was that 50 years had passed since women were given the right to vote but they were not being treated like equals. This helped women fight and push for civil rights.

Is anonymous campaign funding a problem? (Campaign Legal Center and Riches in TED).

-for the most part donors including Super PACs (can collect unlimited donations, as long as they spend money independently) must be named and submitted in federal campaign finance reports -Proponents of disclosure (Campaign Legal Center)= 1.) says although most funding must be disclosed, the amount that is undisclosed is referred to as "dark money" 2.) Argue that voters have right to know who is speaking through these funds and that non-disclosure increases the risk of corrupt activity and influence -Proponents of anonymous (undisclosed) speech (Riches)= 1.) believes anonymous speech, like provision of funds in campaigns, should be protected. 2.) Says we should care more about the message than who is delivering it. 3.) Better for democracy that ideas be heard and voters can then decide. 4.) Can sometimes be risky if one's support for particular causes is revealed= because gov officials take actions and make decisions that affect the livelihood of organizations and individuals, these people must be able to spend funds in campaign, without fear of reprisal

How does globalization provide challenges to democracy? (Soros in TED)

-globalization= diffusion of interests and ideologies across national borders -proponents of globalization= encourage global economic development and foster universal human rights that are not dependent on where someone lives -critics= fear that globalization will undermine national sovereignty and lead to a "one world" government that leaves everyone at the mercy of distant bureaucrats and officials -critics= see globalization as a smokescreen for corporate hegemony, where multinational corporations exploit workers in countries with low wages, few job protections, and lax environmental regulations, all in the name of higher profits SOROS -believes economic and political globalization are out of sync: capital and markets move freely across national boundaries, political institutions do not -a global "open society" would insure that the political and social needs of all countries are met (not simply the needs of industrialized nations, whose interests tend to dominate international markets) and would foster the development of stable political and financial institutions -would require a broad international organization, either as part of united nations or as independent institution

What are the problems in using GDP as a measure of the health of the economy? (Gertner in TED).

-gross domestic product= standard measure of overall economic activity, the amount of money that is spent during a particular period of time -GDP growth is sign of economic expansion: when people concerned about environmental or quality of life impact of new development/industrial site, leaders reassure them by pointing to economic growth that will follow -Gertner argues that GDP is an inaccurate measure of overall economic well-being: higher GDP doesn't necessarily mean we are better off, because it includes all types of spending- even spending that results from economic waste (gasoline burned by cars in traffic jam), unhealthy activities (consumption of cholesterol-laden foods and the cardiologists bills that often result), or high spending consumerism (buying a new car every few years or the newest electricity-hog appliance) -by comparing "high GDP man" and "low GDP man": person spending more and contributing more to economy may not be acting in nations best interests -political leaders would be better served by a "human development index" that would reveal the nations performance according to measures of health, education, the environment, employment, material well-being, interpersonal connectedness, and political engagement, rather than simply growth

What does it mean to be American? What are the implications for civil rights of how you answer this question? (Warshawsky and Jones, et al. in TED).

-hard to answer because we differ in ethnicity, religion, culture, geography, economic ways, historical identities -one argument tho is that were united by set of political ideals: after 9/11, sense of national unity- americans continue to grapple with issues of security, tolerance, religious freedom, and pluralism- matters that lie at heart of what it means to be american -political differences create problems/tensions in diverse society so authors say what it means to be american has been evolving -they portray pattern of "classic american bargain" where new groups "become american" over time, adopting language and culture: these groups, in turn, change nature of what it means to be an american and later groups become american in this sense, and they themselves revise what it means to be american -in this view= answer to what it means to be american depends on when the question is being asked -Warshawsky: argues american identity centers around commonly held set of ideas that can be considered the american way of life= beliefs in liberty, equality, property rights, religious freedom, limited gov, and common language for conducting political/economic affairs. Sees assimilation into amer. political culture as critical to amer national identity. Asks if changes in gov have changed what it means to be amer? -argues this is a difficult question but concludes straying too far from principles of founders means "we will cease to be americans inany meaningful sense of the word"

How did King distinguish between just and unjust laws? How did he urge his followers to change the unjust laws? (lecture and King in TED)

-have moral high ground by protesting in a nonviolent way -distinction between just and unjust laws- have an obligation to break unjust laws. Comparison to pro-life movement -unjust: a code that a majority inflicts on a minority which minority had no part in inacting -Rosa Parks, Greensboro sit-ins, ole Miss James Meredith, Birmingham, JFK took a public stand, Medgar Evers asassinated the next day -non-violent protest: four distinct steps)= collection of facts, negotiation, self-purification, direct action (civil disobedience)

How did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. view white moderates and white churches in the struggle for civil rights?

-he was disappointed in them -they told him to take it slow and work within the normal political process to create change -white moderates agreed with his goals but not his methods -white churches he thought should have stepped up more and supported the movement

What are the different strategies interest groups use to get what they want? (lecture and APT chap. 10)

-inside strategies 1.) direct lobbying of members of congress or the executive branch 2.) helping draft legislation and regulations, provide research for legislation, testify before congress at hearings 3.) litigation: suing in federal or state court to achieve aims 4.) iron triangles: interest group, congressional committee, and bureaucratic agencies all work in tandem to pursue policy goals (often to the exclusion of other actors) 5.) issue networks: a broader view of relationships between groups and individuals who work together in the short term on some specific issue -outside strategies 1.) grassroots lobbying: getting members to put pressure on elected leaders either through direct contact or mass protests. Can be "astroturf lobbying" 2.) mobilizing public opinion: media campaigns, social media, newsletters 3.) electioneering: try to influence outcome of elections 4.) cultivating media contacts 5.) use the initiative process to change policy directly (initiative= A direct vote by citizens on a policy change proposed by fellow citizens or organized groups outside government. Getting a question on the ballot typically requires collecting a set number of signatures from registered voters in support of the proposal. There is no mechanism for a national-level initiative.)

What are the different types of interest groups and what are their characteristics?

-interest groups= An organization of people who share common political interests and aim to influence public policy by electioneering and lobbying -occupational/economic interest: formed around a profession -non-occupational/public interest or "citizens: environmental issues or like worker safety and other organizations trying to influence in a broad range -single issue: gun rights or abortion and don't have a broad agenda -growth of interest groups= expansion of government, public interest groups, conservative groups, cyclical patterns of group formation: power grows in one area then other groups will form to counter that power

Why does a "weak dollar" help the trade deficit? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

-it means that it is more expensive to buy foreign goods in the U.S. and our exports are cheaper. Buying a fancy BMW or Tesla. -Dollar is strong (1:1). Both cost the same: $80,000 & €80,000. -Dollar is weak ($1=€.70) Tesla still costs $80,000 in the U.S., but Beamer now costs $114,286 (80,000/.7) in the U.S. The Bimmer (not Beamer or Beemer!) still costs €80,000 in Germany, but the Tesla now costs €56,000 (80,000x.7) in Germany. Trade deficit goes down because Germans buy more Teslas and we buy fewer BMWs. But not all currency fluctuations passed on to consumers. -Impact on inflation: stronger dollar helps keep inflation down (cheaper imports), weaker dollar produces higher inflation (more expensive imports).

How did Abraham Lincoln differ from King in terms of his views on how to change policies he disagreed with? (Lincoln in TED)

-lincoln and king have opposing POVs about how to achieve peaceful change in a civil society -lincoln= argues laws must be followed, as without compliance to laws we have no civil society. Change must come from working within the system (ironic because under his leadership there was bloody war about states rights and slavery that could not be solved within system) -king= argues that while people have moral obligation to follow just laws, they have an equally compelling duty to break unjust laws through nonviolent means -king in letter from Birmingham jail= wrote to conservative religious leaders who were concerned about his tactics: outlined procedures for distinguishing between just/unjust laws and for resisting those just/unjust laws.- instrumental in putting pressure on congress (the "system") to change those laws that he and others considered unjust -current. battles over abortion and environment show debate between lincoln and kind are ongoing

What principles should guide our involvement in foreign conflicts? (Lecture)

-no clear rules: national interests vs humanitarian concern -Can humanitarian or moral considerations provide the decision rules: international law, non-violent alternatives, civilian immunity (no civilian casualties) -Debate over nation building: are Iraq and Afghanistan examples of the limits of spreading democracy or a success? current foreign policy issues= -Relations with the Arab world and their complex relationships with Israel. -Foreign trade war with China -Problem nations: Iran and North Korea -Immigration policy and the border with Mexico -international cooperation on COVID-19. -Climate change

What is the "multiple traditions" approach to understanding American civic identity? (Smith in TED)

-political culture: values, beliefs, attitudes, etc. that citizens bring to political life= given diversity in America one might expect diverse thought with rival values challenging each other -however, scholars argue political culture centers around commonly held beliefs bc of unique characteristics of founding of U.S -"liberal tradition"= liberal here means a philosophy that focuses on the individual and minimizing government intervention in daily life- beliefs in equality, private property, liberty, individualism, protection of religious freedom, and democracy are powerful: debate today over how to weigh one belief over other when in conflict which drives wedge between repub. and dem. -social/political movements like civil rights and womens rights movements have not challenged beliefs: most movements show how their beliefs are consistent with these basic american principles -"ascriptive americanism" tradition= society is a hierarchy where some groups are on top and others are below. Those on top are deemed to be deserving of the rights/benefits the liberal tradition can offer; those below are not. Example: treatment of minorities (african americans)- smith argues we shouldn't minimize impact of ascriptive americanism. Public policy influenced by its premises: researchers aimed to show through science the inferiority of some races/groups and these same people expended great intellectual energy to make these illiberal views seem acceptable and consistent with the liberal beliefs that they held simultaneously

Who are the key players in making foreign policy? (lecture and APT Ch.17)

-president= power to nominate ambassadors and appointments are made with the advice and consent of the Senate, commander and chief, power to make treaties and executive agreements -congress= The Constitution authorizes Congress to oversee but not establish U.S. foreign policy, except by law and approval of war and treaties -courts= -State Dept., CIA, NSC, and Pentagon also play key roles. -Biden's team is experienced and internationalist: Jake Sullivan—National Security Adviser; Anthony Blinken—State; Alejandro Mayorkas—Homeland Security; Avril Haines—Director of National Intelligence, Lloyd Austin— Defense.

How did FDR's and Hoover's view of economic policy differ? (FDR and Hoover in TED).

-question: what the limits of gov involvement in economy should be: what extent should free market make economic decisions to maximize efficiency/productivity or should gov regulate markets to pursue equity, address market failures like monopolies/underprovided public goods 1.) FDR (democratic candidate during great depression) -argued federal gov should play role in unemployment insurance, housing for the poor, and public works programs to compensate for the hardship of the great depression -FDR won and new deal changed gov: adopted more active role in regulating economy and providing safety but issues around this still discussed today 2.) Hoover (republican candidate during great depression) -opposed to altering the relationship between gov and private sector: extension of freedom and the exercise of individual initiative that made the American economic system strong and that would gradually bring about economic recovery

What are the recent Court rulings on same-sex marriage? (lecture)

-same sex marriage cases 1.) Proposition 8 in CA and Defense of Marriage Act were both struck down in 5-4 decisions (2013)= he Prop 8 case, Hollingsworth v. Perry, the Court decided that supporters of Prop 8 did not have stand-ing to defend the law, so the district court decision striking down Prop 8 was final (ruled that Prop 8 did not even meet the "rational basis test"). Odd coalition: 2.) U.S. v. Windsor (2013) struck down DOMA as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment. Facts of the case involved $350,000 in estate taxes. Kennedy wrote the majority opinion along with the four liberals. On federalism grounds: states shouldn't have their decisions on marriage undermined by the federal government. DOMA affected more than 1,000 laws. -expansion of same sex marriage 1.) Following the Windsor and Hollingsworth cases, the Supreme Court allowed appeals courts decisions to strike down bans on same-sex marriage to stand. This expanded SSM to 35 states. Winning streak for SSM was broken when the 6th Circuit Appeals court upheld the ban on SSM in KY, OH, MI, and TN. 2.) SC addressed the conflict in the lower courts and upheld SSM in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015 (5-4). Marriage is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. 3.) Congress will pass the Marriage Protection Act to make sure that the Hobbs decision doesn't provide the basis overturning same-sex marriage.

What can or should be done to save Social Security? (John in TED)

-should we view social security as a national guarantee of basic income for retirees no matter what? or should social security be an individualistic program that permits people to succeed or fail based on the choices they make? so is social security a social welfare program or an investment program? -John (from conservative perspective)= strong proponent of personal retirement accounts (PRA), which allows workers to invest a portion of their social security taxes in individual accounts that they alone would control -problem= proposed reform doesn't address transition period: because social security is a "pay as u go" program- payroll taxes paid by todays workers fund the social security benefits of todays retirees- if todays workers are allowed to take a portion of their payroll taxes and put it into a PRA, it means there will be even less money to pay for current obligations for todays retirees -means testing -raise retirement age

What role did the "commerce clause" play in the enforcement of the Civil Rights Act?

-the 1964 Civil Rights Act bars discrimination in employment based on race, sex, religion, or national origin. -this law was upheld on the basis of the commerce clause -Ollie's barbecue case: meat was coming from Minnesota which means interstate commerce so court had right to tell him he has to serve everyone

How is globalization good for you? (Bailey in TED)

-trump went against free trade agreements because he said they destroyed American jobs and allowed other countries to take advantage of US by exporting far more than US than they take as imports -lower labor costs, looser environmental standards, & less regulation means that companies have incentive to shift jobs overseas: result is economic dislocation in regions that see massive job losses and overall economic benefits of these deals are little to those who see livelihoods disappear -free trade has been centerpiece of global economic policy for decades and supporters argue that efforts to protect domestic producers producers through trade barriers (tariffs or taxes paid when good is imported) end up increasing costs of goods, creating inefficiencies, reducing overall wealth -Bailey= summarizes research on effects of increasingly free movement of goods, capital, people across borders: individual income, overall wealth, economic growth, life expectancy, gender equality, child labor, environmental protections, likelihood of military conflict- positive effects of free trade and globalization

How has the role of the United States shifted over our history in terms of relations with other nations?

1. Unilateralism and isolationism= washington and jefferson admonition of entangling alliances, monroe doctrine and regional sphere of influence, emerging as world power in late 19th century, world war I and failed league of nation: retreat from world stage, no large standing army until after WWII, after world war II: US become dominant economy&military in world 2. cold war & containment= -George Kennan "X" article: the need to contain Communism: Combination of military buildup and economic aid. 1947-Marshall Plan. Shifted from justifying in humanitarian terms to "fighting communism." McCarthyism. -Vietnam and the breakdown of the Cold War consensus: domestic protest- violence/bombings on college campuses 3. Detente and deterrence=deter soviet union by nuclear policy- mutually assured destruction, strategic arms treaties with soviet union, nixon and the china card- opened relations w china (soviet union didn't like), cold war depended 1980s 4. Post cold war= iron curtain falls: Hungary was first breach or iron curtain where they protested soviet union, fall of berlin wall, collapse of soviet union and emergence of democracy in eastern europe 5. Post cold war foreign policy= -who are current enemies: Russia is an adversary (2016 election interference), especially after Ukraine. China is still a concern, but not an enemy in term of military conflict. "Rogue states" (Iran and North Korea), ISIS and terrorists. -lack of consensus on intervention: duties as world power, humanitarian concerns vs national interest, switching of roles for liberals and conservatives on interventionist vs. isolationist tendencies when it comes to humanitarian justification.

Health care reform (lecture)

1.) Comprehensive reforms that were not adopted -National single-payer plan ("Medicare for all"). -Public option within the Obama plan. -Market-based solutions: tax credits, expansion of flexible spending accounts; one aspect of a market-based solution that was adopted is more competition across state lines for insurance companies. Something along these lines would have been adopted by Congress if they had repealed Obamacare. 2.)other features: -Individual mandate (not enforced starting in 2019). -Subsidies for 22 of the estimated 28 million who buy insurance through the exchanges. People who make up to 4x the poverty rate ($88,000 for a family of 4, $44,000 for an individual) would get subsidies. Pay no more than 10% of income at the top of that range, less at the bottom end. Recent COVID relief bill expanded these subsidies. -Employers with at least 50 employees have to provide health care or face a fine of $2,000 per employee. -Cannot deny coverage because of preexisting conditions. -Young adults can stay on their parents' policies until age 26 -Closes the Medicare prescription drug "doughnut hole."

What can or should be done to save Social Security? (Lecture)

1.) Democrats plan -Raise payroll taxes by 3% and increase income ceiling that is taxable. -Chained CPI to slow growth of current benefits. -Gradually increase the retirement age to 70 (also Rs agree). -Maintain the basic structure of a public social insurance system. 2.) Republicans' Plan -Establish individual investment accounts ranging from 2% to 6%. -Cut future benefits (raise retirement age?) -Fund by borrowing or slow the growth of benefits -Privatize part of Social Security while retaining some public guarantees 3.) The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (Simpson/Bowles) -"The Moment of Truth" report, December, 2010. CUT BENEFITS= -Index retirement age to life expectancy (would increase to 69 by 2075); current is 66 if born from 1943-1954; goes up 2 months a year so it is 67 for those born in 1960 or later. -Make the retirement benefit formula more progressive (reduce benefits for wealthier retirees). -Index benefits to chained CPI rather than CPI-W. -increase taxes: Increase pay levels subject to payroll tax (so that 90% of all pay is taxed). INCREASE BENEFITS= offer minimum benefit of 125% of poverty for an individual with 25 years of work.

which political reforms are most likely to improve the quality of our political process?

1.) Enhance responsibility: Campaign finance reform, stronger parties (to enact agenda), coordinate presidential and House elections (4 year term for House, 8-year for Senate; "team ticket" voting required) 2.) Encourage participation: Civic journalism, make it easier to vote (national holiday, weekend elections, same day registration) 3.) more responsiveness: term limits, lobbying reform, election reform to promote third parties, such as ranked-choice voting easier ballot access, redistricting reform: bipartisan commissions 4.) The "Third Way": government investment in the infrastructure of the economy and politics, but decrease government involvement in other areas CALL TO ACTION -We get as good a government as we demand. Politicians can't shoulder all the blame -Conflict in politics is not a bad thing: it is a necessary part of the process -Encouraging signs: increase in activism. -Special interests vs. general interests. -Responsibilities as citizens in a democracy.

What are the tools of economic policy? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

1.) Fiscal policy -Countercyclical taxing and spending policy. Try to smooth out economic cycles. -Keynesian policy of "fine tuning" the economy. Based on state of aggregate demand (AD): stimulate the economy when AD is low (during a recession) through tax cuts or increased spending. When AD is high, need to cut spending or raise taxes. -Also borrowing and lending (in addition to taxing and spending). supply side economics: -Different theory about how to use fiscal policy, especially tax cuts. Use tax cuts to stimulate the supply side rather than the demand side. -The Laffer curve: relationship between tax rate and total revenue. -Didn't work out as expected; instead had an explosion of deficits. -Proposed 2023 budget: $4.6 trillion revenue, $5.8 trillion spending, deficit of $1.2 trillion. -Patterns of federal spending.Where does the money go: social security, health care, homeland security

What are the goals of economic policy? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

1.) public order and private property 2.) maintaining a national market economy: promoting the market, protecting property rights (patents, copyrights, etc), regulating the market (monopolies, externalities, transparency, and accountability-insider trading, etc) 3.) promoting social goals: taxation, redistributive policy, spending, the welfare state

What are the goals of economic policy? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

10.) Balance of payments: the trade deficit and the balance of investment income. -Trade deficit grew in the previous decade, fell during the recession, and is back up again recently. A weaker dollar helps the trade deficit: makes it more expensive to buy imports, makes our exports cheaper. Foreign protectionism. Free trade and China. -NAFTA, replaced by USMCA, March, 2020: positive changes for U.S. on autos, steel and aluminum, and the dairy, egg, and poultry markets. TPP (pulled out in 2017), and other trade agreements. GATT and WTO. -U.S. has gone from the world's largest creditor nation to the largest debtor nation. Is this a problem? Financing our debt; foreign governments hold about 30% of our publicly held debt. Foreign financing of our debt cannot continue at this pace indefinitely.

What are the tools of economic policy? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

2.) Monetary policy -Federal Reserve System, created in 1913= 12 Fed Reserve banks; governed by the Fed Reserve Board: Chair Jerome Powell (started in Feb, 2018) and six other Governors who serve on the Board. Independent from the President and Congress. 14-year overlapping terms. The chair has a 4-year term, appointed by the President: Key point is their independence. Biden hasn't even met with Powell yet. -target of monetary policy= money supply and the interest rates, which are crucial in determining economic growth and inflation. -Interest rates. Can only affect indirectly. Long term interest rates are set by expectations for inflation. Impact of money supply and interest rates on the economy: -what is "money"? Role of banks in creating money. "Ah-hah" moment, like the decline in the value of stocks of 22.6% in a single day ("Black Monday" in 1987). This is why the credit freeze in 2008-2009 was so damaging. Depends on faith in the system. "Bitcoin" and other blockchain cryptocurrencies are worth about $900 billion (down from more than $3 trillion a year ago). -money supply and growth and inflation. Monetarist theory. -interest rates--impact on rate of investment and the rate sensitive sectors of the economy (housing, construction, consumer durables).

What are the tools of economic policy? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

3.) Regulatory policy -Address the tradeoff between efficiency and the environment and equity. For example, the costs of tackling global warming. -Two types: industry specific (banking, utilities, etc.) and goal specific (worker safety, clean environment, etc.). -Deregulatory trend of the last 30 years: banking, trucking, telecommunications, airlines, and now public utilities. Efficiency over equity. -How much is needed? "Nanny state" vs. necessary regulation. Big issue in the Trump administration.

What are the tools of economic policy? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

4.) Trade policy -Tradeoff between efficiency and balance of payments (trade deficit). -Protectionist policies: trade sanctions, tariffs, quotas. Has been applied selectively in a few areas with success. Protect domestic jobs - President Trump's tariffs and the cost of each job that was saved; overall there has been a net loss of manufacturing jobs. -Overall, the U.S. has been strongly free trade. -Politics of trade policy: Democrats tend to be more protectionist (links to labor) than Republicans who are more free trade (but not Donald Trump!). Trade war with China has hurt the economy.

What are the goals of economic policy? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

4.) full employment -costs of unemployment (lower taxes, higher spending for social welfare) -full employment act of 1945, would have established a federally guaranteed right to employment. Was defeated. 1946 employment act was passed instead. Largely symbolic, but established the council of economic advisers -how to define? The NAIRU point: non-accelerating inflation rate of unemployment

What are the goals of economic policy? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

5.) stable prices -why is inflation a problem: COLAs and indexing -but, the entire market is not indexed. Penalizes savers and rewards debtors -partisan differences on the goals of full employment (democrats) and stable prices (republicans) -Concern in 2009 about possible deflation (falling prices). However, price increases have been pretty stable recently and close to the Fed's target of 2% inflation.

What are the goals of economic policy? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

6.) Growth and efficiency vs. the environment and equity -Growth as a central goal. Desire to have a better life for our children. -Efficiency: best means to achieve growth? -Limits of this approach (Gertner article in TED): growth in GDP doesn't measure well-being. Divorce, crime, traffic jams, etc. Costs for the environment. "Human development index" as an alternative. -Other things like equity are important as well. Income redistribution.

What are the goals of economic policy? (APT, ch. 15 and lecture).

9.) Balanced Budgets: -one of the most difficult goals to reach because we love spending but hate taxes -Deficit is the annual shortfall between revenue and spending (surplus if positive). Debt is the accumulation of all past deficits. -Has not been a central goal since 2001-focus on reducing the deficit but nobody talks about balancing the budget. -Huge deficits of the 1980s and today. Burden on future generations. Each person has about $67,000 of debt. Interest on the debt accounts for 7.8% of spending ($375 billion in 2021), soaks up capital that could be used for private investment. "Crowding out" effect. Exploding debt today because of COVID response. -Need for different method of accounting? Infrastructure vs. short term spending. -recent controversy with debt: -Debt as a drag on the economy when it hits 90% of GDP? -Raising the debt ceiling has become a political hot potato. Neither party wants to be responsible for something that all of them know is routine. The current debt ceiling is good through June, 2023. -As of 10/31/22, publicly held debt was $24.35 trillion and intra-governmental debt (like the Social Security trust fund) was $6.89 trillion. -Measuring deficits and debt as % of GDP.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of privatization, or even partial privatization? (lecture, John in TED)

ADVANTAGES -to covers more out-of-pocket medical expenses, in combination with more free market forces and a bigger role for private and religious charity -Republicans favor moving part or all of the "pay as you go" system to private account -argument in favor of private accounts is that over the long term investing in the stock market has historically provided returns higher in value than the Social Security checks that people can expect to receive -with private accounts, all assets in the account are owned by the individual and that person's heirs, whereas with Social Security, when an individual dies that person's heirs do not receive any additional benefits from his or her lifetime contributions to Social Security DISADVANTAGES -transition costs: "pay as you go," if we stopped taking payroll taxes and allowed people to put the money into private accounts, there wouldn't be any money to pay for today's retirees and everyone else who has paid into the system for a substantial number of years. -Social Security should be a part of everyone's retirement plan that they can count on. Investing in the stock market is fine as a supplement to Social Security, but it is too risky to be counted on as a sole source of retirement income -administrative overhead costs of these private accounts would eat up any additional returns that they might earn.

What is the problem that the nation currently faces with entitlement programs, especially Social Security? (lecture, John in TED)

JOHN: -baby boom generation has just begun retiring and the amount of money paid out exceeds the amount paid into the system in payroll taxes -soon system will start drawing down a trust fund that has been funded by surplus contributions over previous decades, although paying off the obligations in that in that fund will require additional revenues since the trust fund is made up of special treasury securities that the government in effect, owes itself -by 2035 the trust fund will be exhausted, at which point payroll tax revenues will only be enough to pay 79 percent of scheduled benefits Lecture: -Baby boomers. The number of workers per SS recipient has fallen from 15 in 1950 to a little under three today. In twenty more years, it will only be 2.1. -intergenerational transfer of wealth. Poverty rates of children and elderly. -Current workers are unlikely to get back what they put in. However, a worker who retired in 1990 got back all of his or her contributions, plus interest, by 1999. The older you are, the higher your "rate of return" on your Social Security taxes. -60% of the budget is spent on entitlements (limits action on deficit reduction without tackling entitlements). -Ratio of workers to retirees who receive Social Security

What is the "blame game" and how is it played? (lecture).

can the government govern?= -Divided government (when one party controls at least part of Congress and the other party controls the presidency) and the "blame game." Lack of accountability. Paralyzes action on things like entitlement reform and make it harder to get things done. Unified control now, but filibuster stops Dem. policy in the Senate -Declining trust in government. -Rise of "politics by other means." Growing power of the courts, alternative media and social media, and indictments against politicians.

Nature of current problem with health care (lecture)

-28 million still uninsured- dropping with Obama-care, most other developed nations have 100% coverage. -Health care inflation have leveled off (slowest increase in 2020 in 50 years at 1.8%), but overall health care costs are still rising about 4.4% a year (aging pop.) 17.8% today and 2.5 times more than other OECD countries. -Competitiveness for US companies: auto industry spends more on health care than steel. All of our major competitors have national health care, not employer provided. -Third party payments - no market forces. Compare to decision to buy a car. How to introduce market forces? Not enough information. -As a consequence, we spend much more than any other developed country, but have worse health outcomes. -Yet, people who have insurance, like their coverage. Fear of rationing under "Medicare for all." -inefficiencies in current system: 1.)Overhead in insurance companies (17% vs. 5% for Medicare). Spend time figuring out how to reduce costs rather than provide coverage. 2.)Best practices are not widely implemented. 3.)Need for computerized health records. -80/20 rule: 80% of health care costs are from 20% of the people: Thus the need for universal coverage: the healthy subsidize the sick. Adverse selection if you eliminate pre-existing condition limits without universal coverage.

What are the main features of health care reform (Obamacare)? (APT Chap 16, Obama and Haislmaier in TED)

-3 PILLARS OF ACA: A.) prohibiting health insurers from denying coverage to individuals based on pre-existing conditions B.) a requirement that all individuals have health insurance, either through employers, gov programs like medicare/medicaid, or on private insurance C.) income based subsidies to help with affordability of coverage

What would Mancur Olson say about the ability of interest groups to serve as a check on majority tyranny?

-Americans organize at high rates to pursue common interests in politics but not all groups are created equal and some are much more common: ex= easier to organize groups around narrow economic interests than to organize around broad "public goods" interests -Olson says nature of collective goods explains phenomenon of why some groups organize while others do not -when a collective good is provided to a group, no member of the group can be denied the benefits of that good: ex= congress passes a law that offers subsidies for new for a new kind of energy tech, any company that produces the tech will benefit from subsidy. Any company will benefit even if they did not participate in collective effort to win subsidy -argues that "the larger the number of individuals or firms that would benefit from collective good, the smaller the share of gains that will go to individual or firm"- hence the less likely any one member of the group will contribute to collective effort to secure collective benefit (assume someone else will take care of it, or free rider problem) -less likely in smaller groups= one members share of collective good is larger and more meaningful so any member of group will be willing to make sacrifice to provide benefit shared by entire group -all leads to difficulty in IG to stay organized and pursue large collective goods like pollution control: good benefit large number of people, but benefit of one person is not sufficient for them to sacrifice time or money to succeed or if they believe they will benefit from collective good even if they don't contribute

What are the arguments for and against affirmative action?

-Arguments in favor: 1.) a level of playing field is not enough. There is still discrimination: field experiments in employment and housing, implicit association tests 2.) need to make up for past discrimination 3.) helps provide diversity in the workplace and in higher education 4.) provides role models for minority children in the professions 5.) helps diminish economic inequality between races by helping to create a middle class within racial minorities -argument against: 1.) reverse discrimination 2.) any classification of race is bad 3.) resentment against affirmative action creates backlash against other race-based policies 4.) it promotes racial stereotyping and victimization (Clarence Thomas view)

How is income inequality related to social policy (Lecture)

-Basis for much of social welfare policy. Health care outcomes, crime, overall quality of life for people. -Is growing gap a problem: 1.) Pareto efficiency criterion says no (if a change in policy makes someone better off without making someone worse off, we should do it: free market efficiency). 2.) "trickle down" effect, incentives for poor. 3.) Was at the core of Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign and was a big issue in the 2020 campaign: Warren's wealth tax.