[email protected]://ajmadonn.myweb.uga.edu407 Baldwin HallMW 1:30-2:30 (Office Hours)The Logic of American Politics (6th Edition) - Kernell, JacobsonGeorgia Politics in a State of Change – Bullock, GaddieOptional: Founding Brothers/ The Impending Crisis/ Showdown at Gucci Gulch/ The Walls of Jericho/ The Rehnquist ChoiceDiscussion Session – Friday (10%) Gustavo [email protected] (60%) – September 16, October 21, November 13Final (30%) – December 9Chapter 1Bias – to cause partiality or favoritism in (a person); influence, especially unfairlyPolitics – the process through which individuals and groups reach agreement on a course of common, or collective, action – even as they may continue to disagree on the goals that action is intended to achieveInstitutions – a set of rules proscribing a process for reaching and enforcing collective agreementsConstitution – establishes a nation’s governing institutionsThe US Constitution sought to reassure diverse interests that they would be better off under the proposed system than under the AoCAuthority – the acknowledged right to make a particular decisionPower – the actual influence with other officeholdersInstitutional DurabilityAuthority is general assigned to the institution, not the office holder, therefore it should exist long after any office holder leavesPeople make plans contingent on the expectation that the institution will persistHard to agree on an alternativeCollective action problemsCoordination – increase with size of group; arise from uncertainty and incomplete information; a focal point targets the group’s actions toward a common purposePrisoner’s dilemma – every political exchange must tactitly solve thisEach side, to get something, must typically give up something of value in returnExchanges occur because each side recognizes that it will be made better offBut each side also worries that its party will renege on its agreementDilemma is solved by:Make reneging and defection very expensiveCreate institutions that guarantee agreements are honoredLarge groups must also contend with their member’s temptation to free ride:To defect from the agreement by withholding their contribution to the groups undertaking while enjoying the benefits of the collective effortQuartet versus symphony exampleCan’t free ride in a quartet (larger group = easier to free ride)Size plays a critical role in free ridingFree riding arises when citizens recognize that their small contribution to the collective enterprise will not affect its successIn order to get around free riding:Private inducements to perform those actions the collective effort requires if it is to succeedEx) direct benefits that come with membership; government can use force of law to induce participationTragedy of the Commons – community has a collective good that is in danger of being squandered unless members cooperate to preserve itThe good exists and will be destroyed if exploitation is not brought under controlIn order to avoid this, proper institutional design is keyLink the individual’s personal interest to provision of the collective goodBy: Force, privatization, private inducementsA primary challenge generally leads politicians to become more liberal/conservativeThe key to successful collective action is to increase benefits while mitigating costsThe costs that are especially common are:Transaction Costs – the time, effort, and resources required to make collective decisionsCan be particularly cumbersome with large numbers of peopleSometimes intentionally so, such as the transaction costs included to change the ConstitutionIs very difficult to change so that it is not frequently doneConformity Costs – The difference between what one body prefers and what the collective body requires, i.e. what one gives up for the collective goodThere are usually “losers” in politicsTransaction costs and conformity costs arte typically inversely relatedLowering transaction costs, such as giving the government the power to make important decisions quickly, will increase conformity costs in that the collective will not be involved in the decision making and inevitably people will disagree with the decisionE.g. Patriot ActsDesigning Institutions to Achieve Collective Action:Majority Rules - ½ + 1 (simple majority)Only mentioned twice in Constitution (Electoral College and House)Delegation – Assigns authority to make and implement decisions to some smaller number of persons who are expected to act in behalf of the larger group of interestPreferred solution to controlling transaction costsAgent – the person who has been delegated powerPrincipal –the person who has delegated powerAgency Loss is usually inevitable (discrepancy between agent and principal) and can be acceptable or unacceptablePlurality – rule by the prevailing group, not necessarily a majorityRepresentative Government – citizens limit their decisions to the selection of government officials who, acting as their agents, deliberate and commit the citizenry to collective enterprisesContrasts with direct democracy, where people make decisions themselvesRepublic – voters elect their representative, but these representatives are constrained in following the majority’s dictates in the form of constitutional guarantees for minoritiesUSA has a separation of powers as opposed to ParliamentLow conformity, high transaction costsDecreases accountabilityPoliticians - the class of professionals specializing in discovering collective enterprises that citizens with different views can agree upon for the collective goodStrategic behavior – choosing to favor their constituents’ preferences over their own in order to better their chances of successAre the gains from a collective public effort greater than private action?Private goods – things people buy and consume themselves in a market place that sets prices by supply/demandPublic goods – costs are born collectively and nobody can be excluded from themExternalities – negative public goods (pollution, etc.)Can be minimized by usage feesThe states had to surrender some of their autonomy to the national government in order to prevent free ridingAfter the War, stats engaged in cutthroat competition for foreign commerceTherefore, Framers placed foreign policy under executive, gave Congress the explicit authority to regulate commerce, and engage in foreign treatiesSlavery was part of the debatesLed to 3/5