POLS 206American National GovernmentReview Sheet-Test 1This is a list of general topics you will need to know in order to do well on the first test.1. What is government?The institutions and processes through which public policies are made for society2. What is politics?Process by which we select our government leaders and what policies they produce – politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues3. What are the formal institutions of the government?Legislative (Congress)Executive (President)Courts (Federal and State)Bureaucracies (Federal and State)4. What is a public good and what are some examples of public goods?- Goods or services provided by the government which are essentially paid by tax payers- Health care, national defense, public highways, etc.5. What is the policy-making process?People linkage institutions policy agenda policymaking inst. policy…- People: interests, problems, concerns- Linkage institution: parties, election, media and interest groupso Want to influence policy agenda (political issues)- Policy agenda: issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics- Policymaking institution: legislature, executive, courts and bureaucracy- Policy: expenditures, taxes, laws, regulations and non-decisions- People: impacts of policy6. What is public policy?A choice that government makes in response to a political issue- Impacts of policies:o Does it solve the problem?o Does it create more problems?- Depending on the answer, policy impacts carry the political system backs to its point of origin: the concerns of the people7. What is federalism?A way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the land and people; (between unitary and confederation)8. Know the types of federalism- Dual federalism: system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres; each responsible for their own policies- Layer cake (distinct layers of government)- Narrowly interpreted powers of federal government- Cooperative federalism: system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between state and the national government- Marble cake (don’t know where each layer of gov’t begins)- Shared costs and administration- States follow federal guidelines- Fiscal federalism: pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system- Unitary: a way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government- All power in the central government- Confederation: all of the power rests with the component parts- United Nations- European Union- Intergovernmental Relations: the workings of the federal systems – the entire set of interactions among national, state, and local governments9. Know the theories of American national governmentPluralism: a theory of government and policies emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies- Groups will work together- Public interest will prevail through bargaining and compromiseElite and Class Theory: a theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization- Not all groups equal- Policies benefit those with money and powerHyperpluralism: (*pluralism gone sour) a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that the government is weakened(Ends up in policy gridlock; too many dominant groups nothing gets done)- Group control policy and prevent government from acting Do not win elections by displeasing groups- Difficulty in coordinating policy implementation- Confusing and contradictory policies result from politicians trying to placate every group10. Know the philosophy of John Locke- Belief in natural rights – rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments- Natural law includes natural rights, including life, liberty, and property- Argued that government must be built on the consent of the governed, in other words,people must agree on who their rulers will be- It should be a limited government with clear restrictions on what rulers can do a. Governments should provide standing laws so that people know in advance whether their acts are acceptableb. The supreme power cannot take from any man part of his property – sanctity of property- Sole purpose of government is to protect natural rights11. What was the goal of the American Revolution and what did it change?The goal was to break away from the English rule and establish their own government, avoiding tyranny at all costs.12. Know the events, plans introduced, and compromises during the Constitution Convention- 55 men; mostly wealthy planters, successful lawyers and merchants- All wanted to “balance the government;” set power against power to avoid tyranny (checks and balances)- New Jersey Plan: each state is represented equally- Virginia Plan: representation based on population- Connecticut Plan: compromise of the two plans; created two houses in Congresso Senate: equal representation; 2 per state – New Jerseyo House of Representatives: population based – Virginia 13. Know the Bill of Rights – the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalists concerns about the lack of basic liberties1. Religion, Speech, Assembly, Petition2. Right to Bear Armsa. Common National, State, and Local Gun Lawsi. Restrictions on owning and carrying handgunsii. Background checks (legally sane, criminal record, etc.)iii. Limited the sale of certain types of weaponsiv. Requirements that guns be stored in a fashion to prevent their theft or children from accessing and firing themb. Courts usually uphold these3. Quartering of Soldiers4. Searches and Seizuresa. Probable cause: when police have reason to believe that a person should be arrestedb. Unreasonable searches and seizures: evidence is obtained in a haphazard or random manner prohibited by the 4th Amendmentc. Exclusionary rule: the rule that evidence, no matter how incriminating, cannot be introduced into trial if it was illegally obtained5. Self-Incrimination, Due Processa. Self-Incrimination: when an individual accused of a crime is compelled to be a witness against himself in courtb. Police must inform suspects of their
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