POLS 1101: Final Exam
45 Cards in this Set
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Agency Loss
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The discrepancy between what citizens ideally would like their agents to do and how the agents actually behave
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Agenda Control
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The capacity to set the choices available to others
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Agents
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Someone who makes and implements decisions on behalf of someone else
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Authority
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The right tot make and implement a decision
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Bargaining
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A form of negotiation in which two or more parties who disagree propose exchanges and concessions to find a course of acceptable collective action
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Cabinet
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The formal group of presidential advisers who head the major departments and agencies of the federal government
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Coalition
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An alliance of unlike-minded individuals or groups to achieve some common purpose such as lobbying, legislating, or campaigning for the election of public officials
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Collective Action
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An action taken by a group of like-minded individuals to achieve a common goal
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Collective Goods
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Goods that are collectively produced and freely available for anyone's consumption
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Command
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The authority of one actor to dictate the actions of another
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Compromise
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Settlement in which each side concedes some of its preferences in order to secure others
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Conformity Costs
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The difference between what a person ideally would prefer and what the group with which that person makes collective decisions actually does.
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Constitution
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A document outlining the formal rules and institutions of government and the limits placed on its powers
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Coordination
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The act of organizing a group to achieve a common goal. It is a prerequisite for effective collective action even after the disincentives to individual participation have been solved
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Delegation
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The act of one person or body authorizing another person or body to perform an action on its behalf
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Direct Democracy
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A system of government in which citizens make policy decisions by voting on legislation themselves rather than by delegating that authority to their representatives
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Focal Point
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Focus identified by participants when coordinating their energies to achieve a common purpose
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Free-rider problem
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A situation in which individuals can receive the benefits from a collective activity whether or not they helped to pay for it, leaving them with no incentive to contribute
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Government
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The institutions and procedures through which people are ruled
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Initiative
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An approach to direct democracy in which a proposal is placed on an election ballot when the requisite number of registered voters have signed petitions
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Institutions
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In a democracy, an organization that manages potential conflicts between political rivals, helps them to find mutually acceptable solutions, and make and enforces the society's collective agreements
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Majority Rule
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The principle that decisions should reflect the preferences of more than half of those voting.
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Offices
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Subdivision of some government departments that confers on its occupants specific authority and respondisbilities
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Parliamentary Government
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A form of government in which the chief executive is chosen by the majority party or by a coalition of parties in the legislature
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Plurality
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A vote in which the winning candidate receives the greatest number of votes (but not necessarily a majority-- over 50 percent)
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Politicians
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Elected professional who specializes in providing compelling reasons for people with different values and interests to join in a common action
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Politics
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The process through which individuals and groups reach agreement on a course of common, or collective, action--- even as they disagree on the intended goals of that action
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Power
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An officeholder's actual influence with other office holders, and, ad a consequence, over the government's actions
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Preferences
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Individuals' choices reflecting economic situation, religious values, ethnic identity, or other valued interests
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Principals
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An individual with the authority to make some decision. This authority may be delegated to an agent who is supposed to act on the principal's behalf
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Prisoner's dilemma
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A situation in which two (or more) actors cannot agree to cooperate for fear that the other will find its interest best served by reneging on an agreement
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Private goods
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Benefits and services over which the owner has full control of their use
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Privatizing
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To prevent a common resource from being overexploited by tying the benefit of its consumption to its cost
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Public Goods
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Goods that are collectively produced and freely available for anyone's consumption
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Referendum
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An approach to direct democracy in which a state legislature proposes a change to the state's laws or constitution that all the voters subsequently vote on
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Regulation
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Setting up rules limiting access to a common resource and monitoring and penalizing those who violate them
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Representative Government
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A political system in which citizens select government officials who, acting as their agents, deliberate and commit the citizenry to a course of collective action
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Republic
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A form of democracy in which power is vested in elected representatives
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Separation of powers
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The distribution of government powers among several political institutions. In the United States, at the national level power is divided between the three branches: Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court
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Simple majority
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A majority of 50 percent plus one
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Supermajorities
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A majority larger than a simple 51 percent majority, which is required for extraordinary legislative actions such as amending the Constitution or certain congressional procedures. EX. In the Senate, 60 votes are required to stop a filibuster
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Tragedy of the commons
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A situation in which group members overexploit a common resource, causing its destruction
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Transaction Costs
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The costs of doing political business reflected int eh time and effort required to compare preferences and negotiate compromises in making collective decisions
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Tyranny
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A form of government in which the ruling power exploits its authority and permits little popular control
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Veto
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The formal power of the president to reject bills passed by both houses of Congress. This can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in each house
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POLS 1101: Exam 1