POLS 1101 Exam #1 (UGA-Dr.Glas) -140
Questions and Answers
Authority - -the acknowledged right to make a particular decision
-Bargaining - -a form of negotiation in which two or more parties who disagree propose
exchanges and concessions to find a course of acceptable collective action
-Cabinet - -the formal group of presidential advisors who head major departments and
agencies of the federal government. They are chosen by the president and approved by the
Senate.
-Coalition - -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.
-Collective Action - -an action taken by a group of like-minded individuals to achieve a
common goal
-Collective Goods - -Goods that are collectively produced and freely available for anyone's
consumption.
-Compromise - -A settlement in which each side gives up some of its demands in order to
reach an agreement.
-conformity costs - -The difference between what a person ideally would prefer and what
the group with which that person makes collective decisions actually does. Individuals pay
conformity costs whenever collective decisions produce policy outcomes that do not best
serve their interests.
-constitution - -A document outlining the formal rules and institutions of government and
the limits placed on its powers.
-coordination - -the act of organizing a group to achieve a common goal
-Direct Democracy - -A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through
representatives
-free-rider problem - -The situation in which people benefit from the activities of an
organization (such as an interest group) but do not contribute to those activities.
-government - -the institutions and procedures through which people are ruled
-initiative - -an approach to a direct democracy in which a proposal is placed on an
election ballot when the requisite number of registered voters have signed petitions
, -parliamentary government - -a form of government in which the chief executive is the
leader of the majority party in the legislature
-politics - -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
-power - -an officeholder's actual influence with other officeholders, and as a
consequence, over the government's actions
-preferences - -Individuals' choices, reflecting economic situation, religious values, ethnic
identity, or other valued interests.
-prisoner's dilemma - -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.
-private goods - -benefits and services over which the owner has full control over their use
-privatize - -to prevent a common resource from being overexploited by tying the benefit
of its consumption to its cost
-public goods - -Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share.
-Referendum - -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.
-regulation - -setting up rules limiting access to a common resource and monitoring and
penalizing those who violate them
-representative government - -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.
-republic - -a form of democracy in which power is vested in representatives
-separation of powers - -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.
-Tragedy of the commons - -a situation in which group members overexploit a common
resource, causing its destruction
-tyranny - -a form of government in which the ruling power exploits its authority and
permits little popular control
Questions and Answers
Authority - -the acknowledged right to make a particular decision
-Bargaining - -a form of negotiation in which two or more parties who disagree propose
exchanges and concessions to find a course of acceptable collective action
-Cabinet - -the formal group of presidential advisors who head major departments and
agencies of the federal government. They are chosen by the president and approved by the
Senate.
-Coalition - -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.
-Collective Action - -an action taken by a group of like-minded individuals to achieve a
common goal
-Collective Goods - -Goods that are collectively produced and freely available for anyone's
consumption.
-Compromise - -A settlement in which each side gives up some of its demands in order to
reach an agreement.
-conformity costs - -The difference between what a person ideally would prefer and what
the group with which that person makes collective decisions actually does. Individuals pay
conformity costs whenever collective decisions produce policy outcomes that do not best
serve their interests.
-constitution - -A document outlining the formal rules and institutions of government and
the limits placed on its powers.
-coordination - -the act of organizing a group to achieve a common goal
-Direct Democracy - -A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through
representatives
-free-rider problem - -The situation in which people benefit from the activities of an
organization (such as an interest group) but do not contribute to those activities.
-government - -the institutions and procedures through which people are ruled
-initiative - -an approach to a direct democracy in which a proposal is placed on an
election ballot when the requisite number of registered voters have signed petitions
, -parliamentary government - -a form of government in which the chief executive is the
leader of the majority party in the legislature
-politics - -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
-power - -an officeholder's actual influence with other officeholders, and as a
consequence, over the government's actions
-preferences - -Individuals' choices, reflecting economic situation, religious values, ethnic
identity, or other valued interests.
-prisoner's dilemma - -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.
-private goods - -benefits and services over which the owner has full control over their use
-privatize - -to prevent a common resource from being overexploited by tying the benefit
of its consumption to its cost
-public goods - -Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share.
-Referendum - -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.
-regulation - -setting up rules limiting access to a common resource and monitoring and
penalizing those who violate them
-representative government - -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.
-republic - -a form of democracy in which power is vested in representatives
-separation of powers - -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.
-Tragedy of the commons - -a situation in which group members overexploit a common
resource, causing its destruction
-tyranny - -a form of government in which the ruling power exploits its authority and
permits little popular control
