PS 101 1st EditionExam # 1 Study Guide Lectures: 1 -11Lecture 1-2: Foundations of GovernmentWhy do people submit to government?-For protection of property and individual rightsPrincipal purposes of government-Maintain order— Protect life and property-Provide public good— Promote the general welfare -Promote equality What values typically compete and why?- Values conflict when discussing how far the government should go to accomplish these goals- There is also a broad and narrow view on order; the broad being that it includes social order, so established patterns of authority in society and traditional modes ofbehavior; the narrow view being solely protection of life and propertyDifferences between public and private goods-Public goods are beneficial to all of society, but are unlikely to be produced by voluntary acts; they are indivisible and cannotbe satisfactorily provided by the market or private initiatives; requires cooperation or coercion bycollective action or effective government.-Private goods are items that yield positive benefits to people that are excludable; owners can exercise private property rights that preventthose who have not paid for it from using the good or consuming its benefits; it can be dividedThe free rider problem:-This is when individuals receive benefits from collective activity or the public good whether or not they helped pay for it, leaving them with no incentive to contributeDefinition of ideology-Ideology is a consistent set of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government. A set of ideas about what makes a good society and how to go about constructing itThe two major dimensions of ideology-Role of the government in terms of individuals’ private lives and the economy What do different ideologies (totalitarianism, anarchism, capitalism, etc.) say about the appropriate role of government?-Totalitarianism: Government should do almost everything-Anarchism: Government should do almost nothing-Socialism: Government should have a broad role in the economy, including ownership of basic industries, but there is still private ownership and private life is personal-Capitalism: Some government regulation but mostly free enterprise and private ownership; personal life is private -Libertarianism: Government needs to exist to promote order, but is seen as evil; government should protect life and property ONLYLecture 3: DemocracyDefinitions and competing theoretical views-Democracy: A system in which the people rule; it meets procedural and substantive criteria-Autocracy: The opposite of democracy where the ruling authority imposes its values and policies on society regardless of the people’s wishes;there is no formal limitations on rulers to make policyPrinciples of democratic government-Popular sovereignty: The power to make political decisions is put in the hands of the people rather than just some or one person-Political Equality: Each adult citizen has the same opportunity as every otheradult citizen to participate in the political process-Popular Consultation: Officials must have the way of learning people’s preferences, thenthose preferences must be put into effect-Competition and Alternation in Power: Having changes from time to time such as elections-Majority Rule: When there is a disagreement among the people, governmentshould choose the option preferred by the majority, regardless of what government officials think is rightInstitutions required for large-scale democracy-Institutions are rules that have settled in for the long-haul; they are passed from generation to generation-These include elected officials; free, fair, and frequent elections; freedom of expression; associated autonomy; inclusive citizenship The majoritarian and pluralist models--What are they? What is their vision of how government should respond to the people? What are some major similarities and differences?-Majoritarian: Government by the majority of people— Citizens make their preferences known to elected officials and directly monitor their behavior (The U.S. is a more majoritarian democracy)-Pluralist: Government by a multitude of groups— Government is set up in adecentralized and open manner, so groups can communicate with government-Comparisons of the two:1. Building blocks: Majoritarian- Individuals vs Pluralist- Groups2. Centralization of government: Majoritarian- Centralization vs Pluralist-Decentralization3. Conflict: Majoritarian- Majority and Minority vs Pluralist: A lot of competing groupsWhat do Farrell and von Vacano have to say about what contributes to stable democracy?-Farrell states that “democracy can make use of cognitive diversity in solvingcomplex problems. To make the best use of these potentials, democratic structures must themselves be shaped so that social interaction and cognitive function reinforce each other.” Also resources which include those that are material, social, and culturalthat are needed for participation must actually be broadly shared.-Von Vacano says that “democracy is about free institutions and elections”. He discusses “whether central democratic valuessuch as equality, freedom, representation and religious toleration, have a strong enough presence in the history of political ideas of these regions (Middle Eastern, Chinese, African, Indian, Russian, Latin American, American and European) to provide for the growthof democracy. Lectures 4-5: The ConstitutionDefinitions of federalism, republicanism, separation of powers, and checks aand balances-Federalism: the federal principle or system of government; thedistribution of power between a central authority and the constituentunits-Republicanism: the ideology of governing a society or state as a republic, where the head of state is a representative of the people who hold popular sovereignty rather than the people being subjects of the head of state-Separation of powers: A horizontal division where lawmaking,enforcement, and interpretingduties go to separate branches (judicial, executive, legislative)-Checks and balances: counterbalancing influences by which a system is regulated; these means that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups— no one branch will have too much powerWhy did the colonists declare independence?-They were unhappy with the extreme taxes being imposed upon them without representation. Great Britain taxed them to cover costs for supplying the colonists with military support.The