POLS 1101 Lecture 2 Outline of Last Lecture I Common Collective Dilemmas A Prisoner s Dilemma B A Political Campaign Prisoner s Dilemma a Questions and The Thinking Process of a Candidate b What Actually Happens C Large Scale Prisoner s Dilemma a Free Rider Problem b Solution to Free Rider Problem D Special Case The Tragedy of Commons E Coordination Problems Examples II Coalitions A Unstable Coalitions Example B Principal Agent Problems III Institutions a How do you solve collective dilemmas Examples Outline of Current Lecture I What do constitutions accomplish II Articles of Confederation AOC III Origins of American System IV Constitutional Convention 1787 A Virginia Plan B New Jersey Plan C Slavery D Three major cleavages V Connecticut Compromise VI Features of Constitution VII Constitutional Powers A Separation of Powers B Federal Supremacy VIII Amending the Constitution Current Lecture Features of the Constitution I What do constitutions accomplish 1 Establish rule of law in a society 2 Provide basics of policy making How law is make and by whom 3 Outline responsibilities of government institutions 4 Determine who can serve in government positions II Articles of Confederation AOC First U S governing document ratified in 1781 Each state had one vote in congress Congress had powers but no means of enforcement Required unanimous consent to amend III Origins of American System Articles of Confederations set up a weak national government Could not compel states to pay their share of debt taxes FREE RIDER PROBLEM Government had no real budget during this time Articles lacked effective means of coordination and preventing free riding o Failure led to convention of 1787 IV Constitutional Convention Met in Philadelphia in 1787 to consider amendments to AOC Quickly decided to scrap the AOC and write a new document most people not to happy about this because they came to fix problems and change the old document Founders wrestled with how to combine strong national government with protections of individual liberty A Virginia Plan made by James Madison Set up strong legislature apportioned by population Bicameral legislature with upper chamber elected by lower chamber based on population Proposal gave advantage to large states at expense of small states B New Jersey Plan Small states hated the Virginia plan and didn t want to get screwed Made provisions to AOC Plural executive multiple members are executive by committee EXAMPLE Switzerland Legislature based of EQUAL representation by states C Slavery Civil War Major issue at constitutional convention V VI VII Northern states that favored abolition feared that southern states would refuse to sign if slavery were banned restricted Compromises allowed convention to succeed but set country on path to the Civil War D Three Major Cleavages of convention 1 Strength of National Government 2 Representation in the Legislature 3 Slavery Connecticut compromise about the best they could do at the time seeing that AOC were status quo at the time Bicameral Legislature House representation based on population Slaves count as 3 5 Equal states representation in Senate 2 senators Senators elected by state legislature Unitary executive Powers delegated evenly between upper lower house Features of Constitution Three branches of government that are separate but nonsubordinate branches a President is head of executive branch Elected by electoral college for 4 year term b Bicameral legislation c Independent Judicial branch Justices serve life after presidential nomination and Senate confirmation Constitutional Powers a Expressed powers specifically described in the Constitution Article I Section 8 lists powers of Congress b Elastic clause is more vague Allows Congress to pass all laws that are necessary and proper to carry out enumerated powers A Separation of Powers Federal power divided between three branches of government Overlapping powers lead to checks and balances between branches B Federal Supremacy VIII a Supremacy clause of the Constitution states that federal laws trump state and local laws Major concession by opponents of strong national government b States do have explicit protections and reserved powers Amending the Constitution More flexible process than under AOC 2 3 of each legislative chamber plus 3 4 of state legislatures 2 3 of state legislatures can call for convention proposed amendments need 3 4 of state legislatures ASSIGNMENTS For Thursday Read Kollman pages 50 65