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Intro amr govt and politics midterm
Scoal mide term
65
Political Studies
Undergraduate 1
02/18/2015

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Term
Authoritarianism
Definition
a political system in which there is no expectation that the govt represents the people and the institutions of govt do not give the ppl a direct voice in who will lead
Term
Collective-action problem
Definition
A situation in which people would be better if they all cooperated; however any individual has an incentive not to cooperate as long as other are cooperating
Term
Collective dilemma
Definition
When there is conflict between group goals and individual goals or self-interest
Term
Coordination problem
Definition
Any situation in which each individual in a group prefers to act in common with the others but there are multiple possible common actions to take, and for a variety of reasons the individuals have issues coordinating on a single action
Term
Democracy
Definition
rule by the people
Term
Dictatorship
Definition
Rule by one person or party
Term
Free riding
Definition
Ppl benefit from the public good while avoiding the cost of contribution
Term
Institutions
Definition
rules or a set of rules that determine how ppl make collective decisions
Term
Monarchy
Definition
no competition for their position of power
Term
Oligarchy
Definition
the power lie in a small segment of society
Term
Political system
Definition
The way a society organizes and manages its politics across various levels of public authority
Term
Politics
Definition
The proces of making collective decisisions, usually by gov't, to allocate public collective decisions, usually by gov't to allocate public resources and enforce and create rules for the operation of society
Term
Principal-agent problem
Definition
dilemma arising from a problem between at least two individuals
Term
Prisoner’s dilemma
Definition
Each prisoner does better if they both remain silent and cooperate but there is no way to communicate
Term
Private good
Definition
A product or benefit provided to you such that your consumption of it precludes other from consuming it
Term
Public good
Definition
A benefit provided to a group of ppl that each member can enjoy without necessarily having to pay a cost
Term
Republic
Definition
A political system in which public officials are chosen to represent the ppl in an assembly that makes important policy decisions
Term
Antifederalists
Definition
Those who opposed adopting the Constitution as written because they feared that it created an overly strong national gov't
Term
Articles of Confederation
Definition
the constitution drafted by the second constitutional congress in 1777 and ratified by the states in 1781. It set up a weak central gov't consisting of a congress with limited legislative power and virtually no authority over the execution of its laws
Term
Bicameral legislature
Definition
A legislature consisting of two houses or chambers
Term
Checks and balances
Definition
An arrangement in which no one branch of govt can conduct business with out the approval of the other branches
Term
Connecticut Compromise
Definition
An agreement reached at the consitutional convention that there would be a bicameral legislature. with an upper house composed of equal representation for each state and a lower house composed of representation from each state in proportion to the population
Term
Elastic clause
Definition
The provision in article 1, section 8 of the constitution that states that congress can make whatever laws are necessary and proper in order to provide the means to carry out it enumerate powers
Term
Expressed powers
Definition
Those powers specifically described in the constitution
Term
Federalists
Definition
Those who favored adopting the constitution as written because they believed that a strong national gov't was needed to solve the collective dilemmas facing the states
Term
New Jersey Plan
Definition
A plan proposed at the constitutional convention by William Patterson of New Jersey, to amend rather than replace, the standing Articles of the Confederation. The plan called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation among the state along with plural executive appointed by the legislature
Term
Reserved powers
Definition
The powers not granted to the national gov't by the constitution, and therefore reserved to the states
Term
Rule of law
Definition
a system in which all ppl in a society, including governing officials , are subject to legal code that are applied without bias
Term
Separation of powers
Definition
An arrangement in which specific gov't powers are divided among distinct branches of gov't ; typically this means having an executive who is chose independently of the legislature, and this executive powers and legislature power are separated
Term
Supremacy clause
Definition
The section of Article VI of the constitution that states that the Constitution and the subsequent laws of the US are to be the "supreme law of the land", meaning that they supersede any state and local laws
Term
Virginia Plan
Definition
A plan proposed at the constitutional convention by Edmund Randolph of Virginia. Which outlined a stronger national gov't, with and independent executive and a bicameral legislature whose membership in both houses would be apportioned according to state population
Term
Ballot initiative
Definition
An election in which citizen vote directly on a proposition raised by a group of fellow citizens
Term
Block grants
Definition
Given by the national gov't for more general purposes. With these grants, states or localities have considerable freedom to use the money as they see fit
Term
Categorical grants
Definition
specify how the money to be spent and attach many conditions
Term
Commerce clause
Definition
An enumerated power listed in Article 1, section 8, of the constitution that grants congress the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states and with the Indian tribes
Term
Confederation
Definition
a weaker form of union. Implies that subnit gov'ts retain full sovereignty and that the national gov't cannot compel them to act
Term
Cooperative federalism
Definition
A political system in which both levels of gov't, national and state, are active in nearly all areas of policy and share sovereign authority
Term
Dual federalism
Definition
Each level, nation and state, are sovereign in their own right and operate largely independent of each other
Term
Elastic clause
Definition
The provision in article 1, section 8, of the constitution that states that congress can make whatever laws are "necessary and proper in order to provide the means to carry out its enumerated powers
Term
Federalism
Definition
A political system that includes multiple levels of gov't where at least one lower level has a constitutionally protected status and exercises independent authority over important areas of policy
Term
Intergovernmental relations
Definition
The relationship between the diff level of gov't. For example it may pertain to the struggle between the national gov't and the states for authority over a specific policy domain, or it may pertain to the coordination of action between the levels in an effort to achieve common goals
Term
Referendum
Definition
An election in which citizens vote directly on whether to turn over a bill or a constitutional amendment that has been passed by legislature
Term
Reserved powers
Definition
Those powers not granted to the national gov't by the Constitution, and therefore reserved to states
Term
Unitary system
Definition
The national gov't has legal control over the creation and amendment of lower levels of gov't
Term
Affirmative action
Definition
Efforts to redress previous discrimination against women and minorities through active measures to promote their employment and educational opportunities.
Term
Bill of Rights
Definition
The first 10 amendments to the constitution, which enumerates a set of liberties not to be violated by the gov't and a set of rights to be protected by the gov't
Term
Civil liberties
Definition
Freedoms protected from interference by the gov't, such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion
Term
Civil rights
Definition
These (1) enable individuals to engage in activities central to citizenship or legal immigrant status, such as voting or petitioning the gov't; (2) ensure all individuals receive due process and equal treatment under the law; or (3) guarantee freedom from discriminatory actions by others that seek to deny an individual's full status as an equal member of society
Term
Civil Rights Movement
Definition
A social movement of the 1950s and 60s focused primarily on the situation of African Americans but also promoting the goals that all ppl be treated equal under the law and that discrimination based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, and place of origin be eliminated
Term
Due process
Definition
The right to legal protections against arbitrary deprivation of life, liberty ,and property
Term
Equal protection
Definition
The principal the the laws passed and enforced by the states must apply fairly to all individuals
Term
Incorporation
Definition
The process by which rights and liberties established by the bill of rights are applied to state and local gov't through the 14th amendment
Term
Jim Crow Laws
Definition
Laws passed after the civil war to establish a system of segregation of public facilities and private establishments that made African Americans second class citizens
Term
Biased sample
Definition
A sample that does not accurately represent the overall population, is likely to lead to erroneous conclusions about the population
Term
Framing
Definition
Establishing the context for an issue in such a way as to emphasize certain aspects over others
Term
Ideology
Definition
A coherent organized set of ideas and principals that function as a core on which indiviudals draw when forming their attitudes about public affairs
Term
Margin of error
Definition
IN statistical research, the range of outcomes we expect for a population, given the data revealed by a sample drawn from that population
Term
Non-attitude
Definition
A lack of opinion on an issue or an opinion so weakly held that is does not enter into a person's calculations
Term
Party identification
Definition
A psychological attachment to a political party
Term
Population
Definition
The entire group in which you want to learn , such as all adults living in the US
Term
Priming
Definition
The psychological process of shaping people's perceptions of a particular issue figure or policy
Term
Public opinion
Definition
The collection of attitudes and preferences of the mass public
Term
Random selection
Definition
choosing a sample that each member of a population has an equal chance of being selected into the sample
Term
Rationality
Definition
the habit of choosing the best choice among available options given one's interests and information
Term
Sample
Definition
A subset of the population chose to provide information for the research about the population
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