Lecture 2 Lecture 1 Outline I Challenges confronting America II Negative connotations with the government a Media high expectations separation of powers federalism III Positive things in the government a Common defense free education disease control social services IV Government is not perfect but we do need to give them credit for some things V Get involved where government is deficient voting interest groups POLS 206 1st Edition Lecture 2 Outline I In the news a Groundwork for a strike against Syria b Congressional authorization c Is the US justified in getting involved II Weird news Kim Jong Un and Antony Weiner III What is Politics a Harold Laswell b Negotiation bargaining compromise IV Collective Decisions buying a dog where to go on vacation who becomes president a How can government use these institutions to resolve conflict i Coercive power V Rational Choice Theory VI Hobbesian World Without government life would be brutal and short VII Collective action program Individual rationality leads to collective irrationality VIII Is cartel behavior good i Boycott or not 1 Luxury items 2 Essential items Lecture 2 Notes I In the news a Groundwork for a strike against Syria is being laid out Ships in the Mediterranean clear and decisive but limited action b We are still unclear about who ordered the chemical attacks Could it have been an attempt to draw the west into a war c British and French government were supportive but the UK put their involvement on hold until they know more II III IV V d Members of congress call on the president for congressional authorization e Is the US justified in getting involved Weird news a Telegraph reports i Kim Jong Un had his ex lover executed by a firing squad ii Antony Weiner has found to have paid supporters to show up at campaign events for 15 hour for crowds on demand What is Politics a Harold Laswell process by which you decide who gets what when and how Politics is all about resolving conflict in a peaceful way b Negotiation bargaining compromise c War resolves conflict through other means It exists where people are interdependent wherever people have to make collective decisions Collective Decisions buying a dog where to go on vacation who becomes president a Commonalities i Can t have 2 simultaneous policies ii Conflict isn t bad its human nature We all have different histories traditions and experiences iii Different backgrounds different opinions iv Sometimes conflict is easy sometimes it is complex and requires an elaborate set of institutions to resolve the conflict v Electoral laws congress presidency bureaucracy and judicial system collective set of these institutions 1 The government deals with a lot of complex decisions and you need elaborate institutions to change this conflict 2 The higher the complexity of the conflict the more complex the institutions a Set a precedent for future conflict b How can government use these institutions to resolve conflict i Coercive power nobody except for the government can force you to do what you want 1 Monopoly on legitimate use of force 2 If you break the law you go to jail 3 Enforce collective agreements due to coercive power a Arrested even though famous Charlie Sheen Rush Limbaugh Mel Gibson and John Edwards b This does not mean though that the law is always right Rational Choice Theory a Costs benefits and probabilities b Even though as a group people would have done well together there is always that one person who produces more and devalues the production of others VI Hobbesian World a Without government life would be brutal and short b People are self interested c Do what is best for self even though it is worse for the collective d Produce as much as possible but as a group restrict output e Individual and group incentives come in conflict undermine with each other VII Collective action program a Individual rationality leads to collective irrationality b Difficult for individuals to organize for the betterment of the group due to selfish interests Need a central authority to step in occasionally i It is hard for the individual to form a cartel or boycott and restrict output VIII Is cartel behavior good a What is good for one group might not be good for another b Good versus bad depends on who you are c What are you supposed to do in the face of a cartel i Boycott or not 1 Luxury items are easy to boycott due to the fact that there are alternatives and it is easy to life without Ice cream 2 Essential items not so much due to extreme necessity and lack of alternatives Gas a Forgoing this is an inconvenience and it won t last 3 Compliance with a boycott costs the individual something 4 Cant trust that all other member will cooperate and eventually people will choose to do what is best for them