Chapter 1: Why Government? Why Politics?

What is one of the most important concepts in western political thought?

"the state of nature"

"Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely"

19th Century Italian-British figure, Lord Acton (1834-1902)

What is political power?

An authority held by a group within a society that allows for the administration of public resources and implements policies for society. Power may be acquired as a means of governmental direction or in opposition to a government group. Read more: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/political-power.html

Who described what they believed to be the attributes of a just society and the best form of government to achieve justice?

Ancient Greek Philosophers Plato and Aristotle

What is the good form of government "The Few"?

Aristocracy = a class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility; a government or state ruled by an aristocracy, elite, or privileged upper class; government by those considered to be the best or most able people in the state; a governing body composed of those considered to be the best or most able people in the state; any class or group considered to be superior, as through education, ability, wealth, or social prestige; can turn into oligarchy

What is the bad form of government "The Many"?

Democracy = (tyranny of majority) A situation in which a government or other authority democratically supported by a majority of its subjects makes policies or takes actions benefiting that majority, without regard for the rights or welfare of the rest of its subjects

Why do governments exist everywhere if governments everywhere are widely criticized?

Governments are responsible for using law to create and maintain aspects of good public order; freedom (or liberty) is highly valued in America; individual freedom is an essential element of democracy; most common understanding of individual liberty in the US where freedom is usually defined as the absence of government limits

What is politics?

In democratic political systems, politics is about different beliefs about how much power government should have and what government should be doing; more likely to be about the role of government-the purposes and uses of government power; also about doing the right things or the wrong things, whether public policies should change, and whether the government has the right priorities; often about where to strike the right balance between allowing individuals the freedome to do what they want, to live their lives without government restrictions, and giving government power to control behavior in order to maintain good public order; about reconciling individual, ideological, and partisan differences of opinion about the power problem

What are the basic questions to be asked about American (or any other) government?

Is government necessary? is it possible to live without government? Why do governments exist all over the world when people all over the world are so critical of government?What should the government do? What are the criteria for determining whether the government provides a good or service rather than having it provided by the private secotr?

Who states "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains"?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Who wrote The Social contract?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Who wrote An Essay Concerning the True Original, Extent and End of Civil Government?

John Locke

How wrote A theory of Justice?

John Rawls

Who wrote On Liberty?

John Stuart Mill

What sociologist identified the three types of authority?

Max Weber

What is the good form of government "The One"?

Monarchy = a state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch. Compare absolute monarchy, limited monarchy; supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person; can turn into tyranny/autocracy

What is the bad form of government "The Few"?

Oligarchy = (rich or powerful) a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few; a state or organization so ruled; the persons or class so ruling.

What is the good form of government "The Many"?

Polity = a particular form or system of government: civil polity; ecclesiastical polity; the condition of being constituted as a state or other organized community or body: The polity of ancient Athens became a standard for later governments; government or administrative regulation: The colonists demanded independence in matters of internal polity, a state or other organized community or body. Democracy = government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system; a state having such a form of government: The United States and Canada are democracies; a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges; political or social equality; democratic spirit; the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power; which can turn into mobocracy, tyranny of the majority, or ruled by King Numbers

What is representative democracy?

The People--elected representatives--public policy (laws)--republic/representative democracy; individuals do not directly govern themselves

What 17th Century English political philosopher believe that life in a state of nature (without government), would be "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short' because human beings are self-interested actors who will take advantage of others?

Thomas Hobbes

Who wrote the "Leviathan"?

Thomas Hobbes

What is the bad form of government "The One"?

Tyranny = arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority; oppressive or unjustly severe government on the part of any ruler; undue severity or harshness; a cruel or harsh act or proceeding; an arbitrary, oppressive, or tyrannical action: Autocracy = government in which one person has uncontrolled or unlimited authority over others; the government or power of an absolute monarch; a nation, state, or community ruled by an autocrat; unlimited authority, power, or influence of one person in any group.

What is "the state of nature"?

a concept used in moral and political philosophy, religion, social contract theories and international law to denote the hypothetical conditions of what the lives of people might have been like before societies came into existence.

How did John Locke describe life in the pre-government "state of nature"?

a condition where "all men" are in "a state of perfect freedom to order their actions and dispose of their possessions and persons, as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave, or depending upon the will of any other man

Political science at the system level of analysis

a just political system is one that maintains a political order where individuals are treated fairly, where the system treats people fairly as is therefore a legitimate system of governance

What is the Constitution?

a social contract

What does the Preamble to the US Constitution declare?

an interest in creating a form of government that promotes justice; Constitution was established "in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity..."

What is John Stuart Mill most remember for?

articulation of the Harm Principle

David Easton defined politics?

as "the authoritative allocation of values for a society"

Harold Lasswell defined politics?

as the determination of "who gets what, when, how"

Traditional authority

based on long-established customs, practices, and social structures and relationships; power that is passed from one generation to another historically included the hereditary right to rule

Why does Hobbes believe that individuals who are living a precarious existence in the state of nature decide to enter into a social contract?

because it creates a government with enough power to maintain order by controlling behavior

Why is authority a contested concept?

because, while the conceptual difference between authority and power is clear, the practical differences may be hard to identify because of disagreements about whether a law is legitimate

What is distributive justice?

concerned with the proper distribution of values or valuables among the individuals or groups in a society; can be things of material value or non-material values; based on distributed equitably based upon merit; who gets what and who should be getting what

rational-legal authority

depends on formal laws for its legitimacy; like the constitution or other kind of law gives an individual or an institution power; most modern societies rely upon this kind of legal-rational authority to determine whether power is legitimate

Article I Section 9

does provide the Congress may suspend the writ of habeas corpus "when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it"

what is positive externalities?

education, vaccination, crime control

First Amendment

freedom of religion, speech, press, and association are individual liberties that are guaranteed by the First Amendment

Article I, Section 8

grants Congress power to provide for the "general Welfare of the United States", but it does not define general welfare

What did John Stuart Mill believe

he elevated the importance of individual liberty as a political value and advocated for stronger protection of individual liberty from restrictions by government and the rule of the majority

What is an negative view of human nature?

humans are self-interested or even quite capable of evil and need government to keep order

What is a positive view of human nature?

humans basically public-spirited or even benevolent; humans are capable of getting along well w/o government

What is the market failure monopoly?

if a single business has a monopoly in a particular sector of the market, the lack of competition will result in market inefficiency or failure

What did John Locke believe?

individuals decided to leave the state of nature and live under government because government offered greate protection of their rights including the right to life, liberty, and property

What is the free rider problem?

individuals have an economic incentive to enjoy the benefit without paying the cost

Political science at the individual level of analysis

justice is as simple as a person's expectation that she or he will be treated fairly

What is expected from a Government?

maintain good public order, provide national security, maintain public safety, and provide material prosperity and economic stability

Explain the concept justice?

many definitions of justice, but most include a moral or ethical component-commonly identify a particular set of values as important; politically it describes a proper ordering of things, values, and individuals within a society; a just political system is one that maintains a political order where individuals are treated fairly, where the system treats people fairly as is, therefore, a legitimate system of governance

Explain the concepts of legitimacy:

political legitimacy is the foundation of governmental authority as based consent of the governed; it is a normative or value-based word that indicates something is approved of

what is negative externalities?

pollution that is caused by making or using a product but which is not reflected in its price

What is the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890?

prohibited monopolies (or restraints of trade), because the industrial revolution resulted in sugar, steel, and monopolies that limited competition

Eight Amendment

prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment", but does not define what is cruel and unusual

Fourteenth Amendment

prohibits the state governments from denying to any person within their jurisdiction the "equal protection of the laws"

Forth Amendment

provides the people a right "against unreasonable searches and seizures", but it does not define what is unreasonable

charismatic authority

refers to special qualities, great personal magnetism, or the distinct ability to inspire loyalty or confidence in the ability to lead; is personal; in politics is often based on popular perception; sometimes associated with the cult of personality, where neither tradition nor laws determine power

What is restorative justice?

relevant to the criminal justice system; emphasizes the importance of restoring the victim (making the victim whole again) and rehabilitating the offender

The US is a republic. What is a republic?

representative democracy

What happens if there is too much power given?

strong governments can threaten individual rights

What was John Rawls argument?

that 'justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought; believes that people create governments because they believe that life under government will more just, fairer, than life without government

What is the Harm Principle?

that the only legitimate reason for using law to limit an individual's freedom was to prevent one person from harming another; considers laws that are passed to prevent a person from harming themselves inappropriate---seatbelt laws, helmet laws, prohibiting drug use, etc...

What is meant by power?

the ability to make another person to do what you want, to force others to do what you want, using coercion or force to make someone comply with an order, independent of whether it is proper or legitimate to demand that another person obey and order

what is the market failure equity?

the assurance that everyone is a society has fair access to certain goods and services that are available in the private market and public goods;

popular sovereignty

the belief that the people are sovereign, that the people are the ultimate source of governing authority

What do the Anarchists believe that the private sector can provided?

the goods and services, as well as the good public order that most people have come to expect from government

What is another reason people worry about government power?

the government can use its criminal justice powers to take away a person's life or liberty, and the government can use its civil justice powers to take a person's property

Authority

the legitimate or socially approved use of power. It is the legitimate power which one person or a group holds over another. The element of legitimacy is vital to the notion of authority and is the main means by which authority is distinguished from the more general concept of power.

What is direct democracy?

the people--public policy (laws)--direct democracy; voters choose public policies themselves

Anarchism

the political philosophy that believes government is unnecessary and that government power is illegitimate because it is based on force or compulsion

what is retributive justice?

the proper response to wrongdoing; most relevant to the criminal justice system and the theory and practice of punishment as reflected in sentencing policy; law of retribution--lex talionis--the belief that punishment should fit the crime

Explain what mixed form of government means:

three forms: monarchy (presidency); aristocracy (the Senate, the Electoral College, and the Supreme Court); democracy (the House of Representatives; elections); was created as part of the institutional system of checks and balances to provid measure of protection against corruption and abuse of power

What does "failed states" mean?

too little power; weak governments; provide havens for criminals or terroists

what is the market failure externalities?

when a market transaction affects individuals who are not a party to the transaction

Subsidiary principle

wherever possible decisions should be made by the private sector rather than the government, and wherever possible decisions should be made by the lower level of government (local) rather than the higher level of government

What does the Declaration of Independence explain?

why the American colonists were justified in fighting the Revolutionary War against Great Britain