Exam 1 Study Guide - POLS 1101 - F19 Evans PDF

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POLS 1101: American Government (Fall 2019) Professor: Dr. Michael Evans Study Guide for Exam 1 Module 1: What are Governments and What do They Do? 

According to the textbook, what are the defining features of “government”?

Set of institutions that endures over time, has authority over the people of a specific territory,

authoritatively makes and enforces laws.

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Make sure to know the basic definitions of these types of governing institutions: legislature, executive branch, bureaucratic agencies, judicial branch, and courts. Legislature: Makes laws

Executive: Puts laws into effect and enforces laws. Can use physical force by police and/or military.

Judicial: An institution of government that makes authoritative judgements. Consists of courts of law. Courts: (Courts of Law) Tribunals with authority to resolve legal disputes between parties

and that make authoritative judgements that guide and limit executive branch enforcement and implementation of laws.

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What is the name of the legislature of the government of the State of Georgia? Georgia General Assembly

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What is the name of the legislature of the federal government of the United States?

Congress

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What are the names of the two chambers of the legislature of the government of the State

of Georgia? House of representatives and Senate

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What are the names of the two chambers of the legislature of the federal government of

the United States? House of representatives and Senate

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Make sure to know the definitions for these two distinctive features of the American form of government: federalism and separation of powers. Federalism: Authority is partly divided and partly shared between the federal

(central/national) government and state governments.

Separation of Powers: Legislative, executive, and judicial powers are exercised by three separate branches of government.

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Make sure to know and understand the definition of these concepts provided by the textbook: o Authority (as in A having authority over B)

A has an authority over B to the extent that A has a right to issue commands to B and to expect B to obey those commands. A has the right to punish B for failing to

obey those demands. o Legitimate claim to authority

Rightful or justified claim to have authority over another.

o Power (as in A having power over B)

A has power over B to the extent that A can get B to do what B would not

otherwise do.

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How are the following three kinds of laws different from one another: ordinances, statutes, regulations?

Ordinances: Laws made byb city (municipal) legislature (such as the Atlanta City Council).

Statutes (State or Congress): Laws made by Congress or a state legislature (such as the Georgia General Assembly). Regulations: Rules made by bureaucratic agencies that have the force of a law. Along

with statutes and ordinances, regulations are examples or ordinary laws.

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Why, according to the textbook, is Max Weber’s definition of government (as that which

has “a monopoly over the legitimate use of force over a territory”) misleading for understanding the nature of American government? - It doesn’t include the legislative and judicial functions performed by government.

- “Monopoly” doesn’t line up with federalism. The idea of a monopoly of legitimate use of physical force conflicts with the idea of federalism. In the US there is no government

with a monopoly of legitimate use of physical force.

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What does it mean to be “sovereign”? Whom (or what) is considered to be sovereign in the United States?

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Sovereignty: Highest authority to rule over a territory. A sovereign government claims that no person, group, or organization either within its territory or outside its territory has authority over it.

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In the US, the people are considered the highest authority to rule, therefore government authority is legitamte only is it derives from the consent of the people.

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Make sure to know and understand the various ways governments exercise power over people. And make sure to understand how the following concepts relate to the government’s use of power over people: positive incentives, negative incentives, carrots,

sticks, power of the sword, and the power of the purse. Positive Incentive: Something that motivates behavior by instilling the hope of enjoying a

benefit if a particular action is taken. Negative Incentives: Something that motivates behavior by instilling the fear of suffering a burden if a particular action is taken.

Carrots: Positive incentive.

Government exercises power over the people by affecting their hearts and minds so that they are persuaded or genuinely feel a desire or duty to do what they would otherwise not

do. Sticks: Negative incentive. Power of the Sword: Ability to influence behavior by using physical firce through the

police or military. Executive branch controls power of the sword. Power of the Purse: Influence behavior through taxing and/or spending as a positive or

negative incentive. Legislative branch controls power of the purse.

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What do “the power of the sword” and “the power of the purse” have to do with the “separation of powers” in American government?

In the US, legislatures are said to control the power of the purse since they can only pass laws that impore taxes or authorize spending whereas the executive branch controls the

power of the sword because they control the military. Power of the sword is associated with the executive branch. Power of the purse is associated with the legislative branch.

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According to the textbook, one reason governments exercise power is in order to provide “public goods.” What are public goods? How do they differ from so-called “private

goods”? What does the provision of public goods have to do with collective action problems and free riding? Public goods: Goods that no one in a group can be excluded from enjoying. Example: 4th

of July State Park fireworks.

Private goods: Goods that individuals within a group can be excluded from enjoying.

Example: A business selling perfume can refuse to give perfume to people who don’t pay.

The problem with public goods is that not only that no one can demand payment in exchange for their enjoyment, but also individuals within a group can easily lack

motivation to voluntarily contribute to providing them. Individuals with have strong temptation to “free ride”, but when most people try to free ride, the public good does not

get provided.

Collective Action Problem: A situation where free-riding threatens to prevent a group from providing a public good.

Free-Riding: Enjoying the benefits of a public good without bearing part of the burden or providing it.

Module 2: Overview of the American Way of Government 

What is meant by the word “ideology”?

Used to refer to beliefs about the proper role of the government. Legitimate purposes of the government. 

According to the textbook, what are two government purposes that most Americans consider to be legitimate? Securing Rights: There include natural nights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, and other moral rights) and legal rights. Promoting the happiness and welfare of the people. o What is “limited government”? What does it have to do with “securing rights”? Limited government: Serves its legitimate purpose of protection of rights, but it is also limited and controlled in its powers so that it does not pose an unacceptable risk to rights. Securing rights in a limited government means that the government must be able to protect and respect the rights of its people. o What is the difference between a legal right and a natural right? Which natural rights are listed in the Declaration of Independence? Do Americans tend to agree or disagree that those rights listed in the Declaration are actual moral rights that government has a responsibility to secure? Natural rights: These include the rights to life (to not be killed), to liberty (the right to not be enslaved or restrained) and to pursue happiness without unjust interference. Locke also mentioned the right to property (to not have possessions stolen) as a part of natural rights. Legal Rights: Written in ordinary or constitutional law. They are different from natural rights because they are not moral rights that one would have even without the government. Americans have agreed that the rights listed in the Declaration of Independence (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) are moral rights that one would withhold even without the presence of the government. o What are socioeconomic rights? In which document are they listed: The Declaration of Independence or the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? Do Americans agree or disagree over whether socioeconomic rights are actual moral rights that government has a responsibility to secure?

Socioeconomic rights: Services that include housing, healthcare, safe working conditions, and paid vacation time that the government have a duty to guarantee. Socioeconomic rights are listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (document that began asserting the existence of “equal and inalienable” rights of all people.)

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Many Americans believe that socioeconomic rights should not be secured by the government. According to the textbook, three government purposes the mainstream of American politics considers to be illegitimate are theocracy, racial supremacy, and state socialism (also known as communism or Marxist-Leninist socialism). o Make sure to know and understand the definitions of those three terms. Theocracy: A government where the primary purpose is to enforce a doctrine of a particular religion (Saudi Arabian Constitution). Racial Supremacy: Where the government promotes the supremacy of one racial group over another (Hitler’s regime). State Socialism: Seeks to overthrow marker capitalism and replace it with equal society free of class oppression. Government has full authority over all production and economic activity (Communism or Marxist-Leninist Socialism). o Which of those three purposes was accepted as legitimate by parts of the mainstream of American politics in the past? State socialism was widely accepted for a period of time and many people were comfortable describing themselves as “socialists”. o According to the textbook, what is market capitalism and how does it differ from state socialism? Market capitalism: An economic system based on market exchanges and the private ownership of the means of production.

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It differs from state socialism because in a market capitalist system, the individuals have the right to their own means of production and business. The government seeks to control all of that in a state socialist system. In addition to federalism and the separation of powers, two distinctive features of the American form of government are constitutional government and democratic government. Make sure to know and understand how each of those concepts are defined by the textbook. Constitutional Government: A government that is effectively bound by fundamental law (laws that are supreme in this case, the American constitution). Democratic Government: A form of government that is by the people. All adult citizens are able to exercise control over the government through their legal rights and freedoms. o What does it mean to say that in a constitutional government “ordinary laws can be unlawful”?

If a law passed by Congress violates the Constitution, that law can be considered illegal or illegitimate. o According to the textbook, a government can be a “constitutional government” even if it doesn’t have a single written constitutional document like the U.S. Constitution. Furthermore, due to the existence of “sham constitutions,” a government can have a single written constitutional document and still not be a true constitutional government (as defined by the textbook). Make sure to understand this discussion. A government is only a true Constitutional government when they fully abide by the fundamental law written and agreed on by that country.

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Sham constitutions: Exist but are a façade that governments withhold but still violate their fundamental laws. Based on that they are not a true constitutional government. o According to the textbook, what is the most basic aspiration Americans strive for by binding their government to fundamental laws? They hope that the government will routinely follow the laws written in their constitution. To achieve limited government. o What, according to James Madison, is the “great difficulty” one must confront when “framing a government which is to be administered by men over men”? “You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.” To ensure that all three branches of the government remain in balance, each branch has powers that can be checked by the other two branches.  What, according to the textbook, did Madison mean by saying “a dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government.” By “dependence on the people” he was referring to democracy.  What, according to the textbook, did Madison mean by saying “auxiliary precautions” are also needed for controlling government? By auxiliary precautions, he referred to checks and balances. Make sure to know and understand the three general ways and ten specific ways (discussed in the textbook) that American citizens are legally and institutionally enabled to exert control over government. o Make sure to know and understand the following terms introduced in that section of the textbook: free elections, political parties, constituents, petition, interest groups, lobbying, jury, civil disobedience. One general way you are able to execise control over government is by engaging in activities that influence who is elected to serve in the government. 1.) You can run for elected office. 2.) You can vote in free elections. 3.) You can openly advocate for a candidate running for elected office (and perhaps thereby persuade others to vote for that candidate.) 4.) You can work for and/or donate money to a candidate’s campaign. 5.) You can work for and/or donate money to a political party.

A second general way you are able to exercise control over the government is by seeking to influence the behavior of those who are currently serving in the government. 6.) You can directly voice your views and needs to government officials. 7.) You can start, work for, and/or donate money to an interest group that in turn seeks to influence government officials. 8.) You can serve on a jury. 9.) You can sue the government in court if you believe it has violated one of your legal rights or denied you a benefit to which you are legally entitled. The last general way you can exercise control over the government is by working outside the normal democratic process in order to improve it. 10.) You can engage in many activities outside the normal democratic process in order to create changes to the normal democratic process itself. -You can start a movement that seeks to change the rules so that more groups can be represented: protesting, demonstrating, producing political art and music, boycotting, writing books, producing documentaries, and engaging in sit-ins or other acts of civil disobedience.

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Free elections: Elections in which: - More than one candidate runs for office. - The candidates present real alternatives by promising to promote different public policies (or stand for different values or principles) if elected. - No adult citizen is unjustly denied the right to vote. - All who have the right to vote have reasonable opportunity to execise that right. - Everyone’s vote is counted. Make sure to understand the four freedoms necessary for democracy discussed in the textbook. 1.) Adults are free to seek election to government office. 2.) Elections are “free elections” as defined above. 3.) People are free to think, believe, speak, debate, petition, contact government officials, join or form organized interest groups, join or form political parties, assemble, pursue the truth, and publish ideas and factual claims (without censorship or intimidation). 4.) Procedural protections are in place to prevent government from falsely accusing and/or punishing individuals for “crimes” when in fact the government’s real motive is to intimidate, detain, torture and/or kill those who attempt to exercise one of the above freedoms. Make sure to know and understand the advantages democratic governments have over non-democratic (“authoritarian”) governments (as discussed in the textbook). When the people exert control over the government, the government is less likely to do bad things to the people. Democracies are more likely to do good things for the people. People who live in democracies report significantly higher levels of happiness than those who live under authoritarian governments.

Module 3: Overview of the American Way of Politics

How does the textbook define “politics”? According to this account, is politics more or less likely to be found in a stable democratic government or in an unstable and/or authoritarian government? -A set of non-violent, open, and free activities through which people, bound by the same stable democratic government and who often have different opinions and interests, struggle to exert power over what the government does. -Stable democratic government.  According to the textbook, what are “two (sometimes overlapping) sources of disagreement …. [that] are constant objects of political contention in the United States.” Ideology and interests  Be able to identify someone as “liberal” (i.e., “to the left”) or “conservative” (i.e., “to the right”) based on how they stand on the following five dimensions of policy discussed in Section 2.1.1. of the textbook: (1) Regulating the Market Capitalist Economy; (2) Programs Promoting Economic Security, Welfare and Equality; (3) Promoting Social Equality of Historically Oppressed or Underprivileged Groups; (4) Upholding and Promoting Traditional Moral Values; (5) Law Enforcement and the Criminal Justice System. -(1) Regulating the Market Capitalist Economy: a. liberals are more likely than conservatives to support government regulation of the market capitalist economy. b. Liberals, in turn, are less optimistic than conservatives about the productivity, stability, fairness, and safety of the economy if it is unregulated by government. 

-(2) Programs Promoting Economic Security, Welfare and Equality a. Liberals are more likely than conservatives to support government programs intended to reduce economic inequality or that provide low-income Americans, children and/or the elderly with income support and access to affordable food, housing, education, and healthcare. -(3) Promoting Social Equality of Historically Oppressed or Underprivileged Groups a. liberals support government laws and policies intended to bring historically oppressed or underprivileged groups to a condition of social equality with historically privileged groups. b. conservatives tend to be more concerned with maintaining the traditional statuses and roles of those—e.g., men, whites, and heterosexuals—who have historically been most privileged in American society -(4) Upholding and Promoting Traditional Moral Values a. Conservatives are more likely than liberals to su...