POSC 100 Exam 1
two other advantages that a federal system offers compared to a unitary system include:
- because states and even localities, have their own taxing, spending, and policy making powers, policy experimentation and innovation is another possibility, as is the tailoring of policy to local preferences -competition among states and localities to attract individuals, and businesses may maximize efficiency of government services
direct democracy vs. representative democracy
- direct democracy is a system of government where both elective representatives and citizens have the opportunity to present legislation - representative democracy is a system of government where only elected officials have the opportunity to present legislation
identify two main shortcoming of the Articles of Confederation
- the United States had great difficulty conducting its foreign affairs successfully, as there was no national military and competition among the states for foreign commerce, allowed the European powers to play them off against one another -states had too much power under the AoC and the central govt was powerless under the AoC
why did Madison oppose the Bill of Rights? Cite two reasons
1) Unnecessary: the federal government was already limited to the exercise of enumerated powers 2) Undesirable: in trying to specify a list of rights that the federal government could not violate, one would inevitably omit some rights, thereby disparaging them
identify three deficiencies in the Articles of Confederation that let to the call for a Federal Convention
1)effectively collect taxes 2) defend the United States 3) regulate commerce
In their public campaign, the Anti-federalists emphasize the Constitution had no...
Bill of Rights
The anti-federalists argued that the powers of the national government should be limited by adding a __________ to the Constitution to limit the government's power
Bill of Rights
who has the power to propose,veto, and specify the details of legislation in (i) parliamentary systems and (ii) presidential systems?
Parliamentary: - propose: executive - veto: legislature - policy detail: executive executive serves at the pleasure of the legislature. Example: Britain. Presidential: - propose: legislatures - veto: executive - policy detail: legislature
why do self interested individuals typically "defect" when playing the prisoner's dilemma?
Self interested individuals tend to defect when playing the prisoners dilemma because they will get a high reward if the other individual cooperates and the second worst post punishment if the other individual defects too
why did the British government tell John Adams that they would not negotiate treaties related to Revolutionary War disputes with the with the national govt?
The British responded that since the United States under the Articles was unable to enforce existing treaties, it would negotiate with each of the 13 states separately
Why was the Declaration of Independence politically remarkable ?
The Declaration was remarkable because, despite the differences among the colonists along economic, regional, and philosophical lines, if focused on grievances, goals, and principles that might unify the various groups
unitary system
a centralized government system in which lower levels of government have little power independent of the national government
the countries that are most likely to adopt federalism include those with...
a diverse, ethnic, linguistic, or sectional groupings, such as Switzerland, Canada, and the U.S
what is the relationship between political efficacy and citizen participation in government?
a feeling that one can make a difference lead to higher participation, and joining can increase one's efficacy
autocracy
a single individual rules (king, queen, or dictator)
focal point
a solution that everyone thinks of, doesn't even need to be discussed
federalism
a system of government in which power is divided by a constitution, between a central government and regional governments
democracy
citizens play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the election of key public officials
direct democracy
citizens vote directly on laws and policies
all successful govts share what two features?
coercion and collecting revenue
A ______ is a system of government, in which member states retain almost all of their sovereign authority, and delegate, limited powers to a weak central body
confederation
differences between cooperation and coordination
cooperation: - force may be needed -communication WILL NOT solve cooperation problems coordination: - force is not needed - communication ALWAYS solves coordination problems
what are the consequences of decline levels of political efficacy?
declining levels of political efficacy can lead to declining levels of political participation, and withdrawal from political life
since 1960, has Americans' sense of political, efficacy increase, decreased, or remained constant?
decreased
federalism helps such nations manage social differences by presenting citizens with many opportunities to______. This is one advtange that a federal system offers compare to to a unitary system.
express their preferences, promising to maximize democratic participation
Those who supported the constitution because it contains a strong national government were known as the _______ and those who oppose the new constitution, because they wanted a week or national government were known as the ___
federalists ; Anti-federalists
citizenship
informed an active membership in a political community
what is a confederation? when writing the articles of Confederation, why did Americans want a confederation?
it is decentralized system. national govt is weak. local units have autonomy (the right or condition of self govt). Americans wanted a confederation bc it would decentralize the national govt and replicate home rule?? -they wanted a confederation bc it would force cooperation amongst govts -federation?: cooperation and coordination & helps manage diversity
what is meant by enumerated powers (Article 1, Section 8)?
it lists everything the federal govt. can do
why was the Declaration of Independence philosophically remarkable?
it was remarkable for its assertion that govt could not deprive people of certain "unalienable rights" that include "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"
Staggered, six-year terms in the United States Senate were designed to make that legislative body_________. By contrast, two-year terms in the US house were designed to make that legislative body _________
more resistant to popular pressure ; directly responsible to the people, which encouraged popular support for the new Constitution
normative vs positive theory
normative theory: what we think the govt should be (what kind of govt SHOULD we have?) positive theory: the reality (why do we have the govt that we do have?)
representative democracy
people select representatives and they have a significant role in gift decision making
what are the consequences of declining trust and government? Why does it matter if Americans have low levels of trust in their government?
result in opposition -> weakens govt. a weak govt can do little to help citizens (longer explanation: opposition to the taxes necessary to support such programs, and also make it difficult to the attract talented workers to public service)
oligarchy
small group (landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants) controls most of the governing decisions
under the articles of confederation, the Confederation Congress could not compel states to conform to the law, because...
states could choose to accept or ignore laws of the Articles of Confederation
political efficacy
the belief that one can influence government and politics
why were the western states more likely to adopt progressive reforms?
there were more protestants there. Increase protestant power over Catholic power
the Virgina Plan proposed a ____ system of govt where local units such a states and counties implement laws, but really make their own
unitary
a political reformer is someone who...
wants to change the rules of government. They want specific policy outcomes.
