POL 201 MISHLER 1 Study Guide
Electoral College
Representatives selected in each of the states their numbers based on each states total number of senators and representatives, a majority of electoral college votes elects the president.
Federalist Papers
Definition: A collection of essays by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison to build support for the ratification of the constitution (1788). Significance: extremely influential to the constitution being ratified and are still used for interpreting and understanding the constitution.
Dual Federalism
A system in federalism in which state and national powers are neatly divided between the national and state gov. most powers of the national gov are not shared with the states, and most powers of the states are not shared with the national gov.
Civic Duty
Definition: A citizen's belief they should vote, serve on a jury, etc. Significance: people with a sense of civic duty are more likely to vote
Political Efficacy
Definition: A citizen's faith and trust in the government; ability to understand and influence political affairs Significance: a person with political efficacy is more likely to vote belief that ones political participation really matters that ones vote can actually make a difference.
Shays' Rebellion
Definition: A grassroots uprising (1787) by armed Massachusetts farmers protesting foreclosures Significance: let to the the articles of confederation to be replaces by the constitution. poor indebted landowners in Massachusetts blocked access to courts and prevented the govt from arresting or repossessing the property of those in debt, the fed gov was too weak to help Boston remove the rebels a sign that the Articles Of Confederation werent working effectively.
Bicameralism
Definition: A legislation with 2 chambers Significance: The US legislative branch is bicameral two parts of legislate branch- house and senate-
Elite Democracy
Definition: A system of government in which few people control large amounts of power in the government Significance: Assumes that elites are more active and tolerant than the public system for common people to choose among competing leaders: elites in business, military media and education make decisions, elections are symbolic/
14th Amendment (Due Process)
Definition: Addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws, no denial of life, liberty, or property, and citizens are equal (no discrimination) Significance: Most recently, Trump's immigration rules are said to conflict with the 14th amendment
Direct Democracy
Definition: All citizens participate in making govt decisions Significance: impractical in US elections because there are so many people form of democracy in which people decide policy initiatives directly. As opposed to a representative democracy in initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for reps who then decide initiatives EX Switzerland
Necessary and Proper Clause
Definition: Allows congress to make laws necessary for the carrying out of other laws (same as elastic clause) Significance: federal tax laws; record-keeping, reporting, etc.
Referendum
Definition: An election in which a bill passed by the state legislature is submitted to voters for approval Significance: allows citizens to vote directly on legislature procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by the legislature.
Categorical Grants vs. Block Grants
Definition: CG - grant only for narrowly defined purposes. BG - grant with a broad set of objectives Significance: CGs are the main source of aide for state and local governments
Rationality
Definition: Classical democracy assumption that citizens should make rational (smart) decisions on policies which are best for themselves instead of others Significance: Making votes based on assumptions of what others want is not a way to make accurate policy decisions acting in a way that is consistent with ones self interest.
Political Culture
Definition: Collection of beliefs and values about the justification and operation of a country's government. Broadly shared values beliefs and attitudes about how the govt should function. American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality and democracy. Significance: Has an effect on individual's perceptions of political legitimacy.
Elastic Clause
Definition: Congress has the ability to pass laws that are necessary and proper to carry out the earlier laws Significance: used to interpret and expand enumerated powers clause in article 1 section 8 of the Constitution that gives congress the right to make all laws that are necessary and proper to carry out its expressed powers. The elastic clause is also sometimes called the " necessary and proper clause"
American Illusion (Dahl Book)
Definition: Dahl argues that the US constitution only serves as a model for emerging democracies in the 3rd world, and not in advanced democracies Significance: Parliamentary system is mostly used; disproves American conception that our constitution serves as an international model Illusion nations based their system off of ours when in reality the American system is unusual compared to that of other democratic nations
Bill of Attainder
Definition: Declaring a person or group of people guilty and punishing them, often without trial Significance: Constitution forbids being charged without due trial
Equality of Condition vs. Equality of Opportunity
Definition: EC - argues that people must have an equal distribution of wealth. EO - assumes that everyone is on the same playing field and has the same opportunities. Significance: EO is expected and thought to exist in the US but think of things like right to healthcare, quality education, or even employment
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Definition: Feds supported the constitution and a strong national government. Anti-feds opposed the constitution and a strong central government Significance: These 2 groups provided America with the roots for its liberal/conservative divide that still exists today Federalist believed that bigger was better- no bill of rights needed and supoorted the constitution and wanted a stronger govt. Anti federalist believed smaller was better ( pro bill of rights and did not support the constitution) and wanted a stronger state opposed a stronger gvt.
Poll Tax
Definition: Fee that one must pay in order to vote Significance: interferes with free and fair elections; some may not be able to afford the fee
Federalism
Definition: Form of government which divides power between federal govt. and states Significance: Allows government to function on a smaller scale
Formal/Informal Limits on Political Opportunity
Definition: Formal (restrictions set by law) citizenship and age. citizen sage sex race literacy Informal (restrictions set by inconvenience or difficulty of voting) long poll lines, bad weather, elections during working hours, voter registration Significance: Helps us under stand by people do not vote even if they have political opportunity.
Bill of Rights
Definition: Formal statement of the fundamental rights of US citizens (first 10 amendments) Significance: Protects people from the national government having too much power; played central role in country's constitutional development.
Jeffersonian Model
Definition: Founded in opposition to federalism; opposes aristocracy Significance: emphasizes local government over national government please get trust on the basic goodness and wisdom of the people, oppose "big govt" and favors keeping political decision as close to the people as possible.
Gladiators/Transitionals/Spectators/Apathetics
Definition: G - party activists, T - help with voting process and stay involved, S - vote and influence voting, A - complain who is in office and don't do anything Significance: based on classical assumptions of democratic citizens
Collective/Public good
Definition: Good enjoyed simultaneously by a group as opposed to a divided private good Significance: Clean Air, USPS a good or service that, by its very nature, cannot be denied to anyone who wants to consume it.
Empirical Theory
Definition: How the political world works (laws that are unalterable, world run by political elites.) Significance: certain laws shouldnt and likely won't be changed due to research and fact, normative theory supports changing laws depending on what is culturally accepted. argument explaining what actually occurs: empirical theorists first notice and describe a pattern and then attempt to explain what causes it.
Mercantalism vs. Laissez-Faire
Definition: LF is a free market economic system with no gov interference. Mercantalism is an economic system with a focus on trade and dominating trade routes Significance: the open market system of today is a version of LF while America was discovered in the Mercantalist era. LF a form of capitalism under which people compete freely with minimal gov intervention in the economy. Mercantalism economic theory that states nations wealth is based on amount go gold and silver it possess: colonies exist for the good of the mother country.
Ex Post Facto Law
Definition: Laws that make an act illegal when it was legal before Significance: Provides protection from being charged for a crime that was legal until after it was committed.
Anarchy
Definition: Political philosophy that government is evil and should not exist; everyone would pursue freedom in their own way Significance: leads to interpersonal conflict a lack of govt snd law, confusion
Separation of Powers
Definition: Powers divided by 3 Branches of government Significance: It prevents one branch from gaining too much power (checks and balances) makes the three branches of government to keep on part from overpowering the rest legislative, executive and judicial
Checks and Balances
Definition: Principle that allows each branch of government to exercise some form of control over the others Significance: keeps each branch of government in line a system set up by the constitution in which each brand of the federal govt has duties that serve check, control, the action of the other branches.
Voter Mobilization
Definition: Process of motivating citizens to vote Significance: 2016 elections had record low voter turnout; could have used better voter mobilization; many speculate Clinton's defeat was due to her inability to mobilize democratic voters. a party efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and persuade them to vote.
Connecticut Compromise/Great Compromise
Definition: Proportional Representation in the House and 2 reps per state in the senate Significance: we still use this system today agreement during the constitution convention that congress should be composed of a senate in which the states would be represented equally, and a house in which representation would be based upon a states population.
Ruling Elit
Definition: Small group of elites that make decisions for all with unlimited power Significance: complete exclusion of public from political process small group of flies make decision for all, unlimited power, no competition
Revenue Sharing
Definition: State and Local Govt get a portion of federal tax revenues Significance: allows federal government to assist local and state governments in their monetary needs. a grant program that begun in 1972 and ended in 1987 that funneled money directly to state and local governments on the basis of formulas that combine population figures with levels of demonstrated need
Judicial Review
Definition: Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of laws Significance: most often in favor of national powers and not state sovereignty. allows the supreme court to declare acts of the other two branches of the govt unconstitutional note that the constitution does not grant the power of judicial review to the Supreme Court. Rather, the supreme court established the power of judicial review in the case of Marbury V Madison west produced a video re- enactment of this case that the instructor may wish to order, entitled " Equal Justice Under the Law " Marbury V Madison
Supremacy Clause
Definition: The constitution and laws made under its provisions are the supreme law of the land Significance: Supreme court interpreted supremacy clause as giving the court the power of judicial review established the US Constitution def statues and treaties as " the supreme law of the land"
Articles of Confederation
Definition: The first constitution of the US with an association of states with weak central government Significance: established the first national US government Under the Articles Of Confederation, congress would become the single branch of the national govt, but it would have limited powers in order to protect the liberties of the people.
Writ of Habeas Corpus
Definition: The right of an accused person to be brought before a judge and informed of the charges and evidence against him/her Significance: serves as a check to make sure the court respects federal constitutional rights
Normative Theory
Definition: Theory of how the political system should work, what ought to be, right vs. wrong Significance: laws are written one way but not always interpreted the same way a theory that suggests how leaders can determine an appropriate amount of employee participation when make decisions
Virginia Plan vs. New Jersey Plan
Definition: Virginia plan: House of reps and NJ plan: senate Significance: This issue is still debated too, especially in terms of illegal immigration and the most recent presidential election. In V plan, all states would be represented proportionally to their population. In the NJ plan states would each get one more.
Recall Election
Definition: Voters can remove an elected official before their term is over Significance: No president has ever been successfully recalled, 2003 gov. of cali was recalled and replaced with Schwarzenegger
Limited Indirect Participation
Definition: You only get to vote on policy makers but not the policy itself Significance: an assumption of elite democracy
Alienation
Definition: an individual's enduring sense of estrangement or rejection of the prevailing political system Significance: makes people less likely to participate in politics a feeling of personal powerlessness that include the notion that gov does not care about the opinions of people like oneself.
Devolution
Definition: delegation of power to a lower level Significance: causes a dilution of power
Classical Democracy
Definition: every citizen has the right to vote and the duty to participate actively in the system; decisions should be made by majority vote. Significance: founders were afraid of this; established republicanism to protect the country from 'mob rule' people do not elect reps to vote on their behalf but vote on legislation and executive bills in their own right participation was by no means open, but the in group of participations was constituted with no reference to economic class and they participated on a scale that was truly phenomenal
Socio-Economic Status (SES)
Definition: income, education, and occupation Significance: Those with lower SES are more likely to be affected by govt decisions but are also less likely to vote social status a persons real or perceived position in society or in an organization.
Cooperative Federalism
Definition: mixed and interdependent government Significance: comes into play with issues where the federal and state policies differ system in which both federal government and state government cooperate in solving problems
Grandfather Law
Definition: taking into account old laws/rules for existing situations but new policies for new situations Significance: social security example
Unlimited Direct Participation
Definition: the belief that the public should vote on all policy decisions Significance: an assumption of classical democracy peoples voice heard through votes and actions of people themselves.
Legitimacy/Authority
Definition: the right to make decisions for society, authority is the acceptance of the public of your authority Significance: Those with authority may not always have legitimacy (Exampled mafia) Legitimacy of the authority figure suggests we are more likely to obey people we believe have authority over us, An authority is seen as legitimacy if the person is higher than us within a social hierarchy. EX teachers and policemen are given the power to punish. some authority figures abuse these powers and become destructive.
Populism
The belief that the common person is every bit as good as those with wealth and power.
political ideology
a coherenty organized set of beliefs about the fundamental nature of good society and the role that govt out to play in achieving it.
Great Compromise
created two houses of congress : one bases on population( house of reps); one gave equal representation to each state( the senate) Proposed by Roger Sherman
political socialization
the process by which individuals come to have certain core beliefs and political attitudes