POLS 1101 - Final Exam- 143 Questions and Answers
Government - -A set of institutions that endures over time and that, in relation to the
people of particular territory, authoritatively makes and enforces laws.
-Separation of Powers - -Principle of government that means legislative, executive, and
judicial powers are exercised by three separate branches of government consisting of
distinct institutions that are staffed by officials who serve in only one institution at a time.
-What are the branches of government and what general functions do they perform? - --
Legislative - Making laws
- Executive (carry out) and Judicial (evaluate) - implementation or enforcement of laws
-Make sure to know and understand the various ways governments exercise power over
people. Be aware of these concepts: affecting hearts and minds (and how this is not unique
to the government), power of the purse (and how this also not unique to the government),
power of the sword, positive incentives or "carrots", and negative incentives or "sticks". - --
Affecting Hearts and Minds: Persuades people or causes them to feel a desire or duty to
what they would otherwise not do (not unique to government because people and
organizations also attempt this method to exercise power over people)
- Power of the Purse: The government's ability to influence behavior by using money—
through taxing and/or spending—as a Positive Incentive and/or Negative Incentive. (not
unique to government because people and organizations also attempt this method to
exercise power over people)
- Power of the Sword: The government's ability to influence behavior by using, or
threatening to use, physical force through the police or military.
- Positive incentives or "carrots" : Something that motivates behavior by instilling the hope
of enjoying a benefit if a particular action is taken (or not taken)
- Negative incentives or "sticks": Something that motivates behavior by instilling fear of
suffering a burden if a particular action is taken (or not taken)
-What does "the power of the sword" and "the power of the purse" have to do with the
"separation of powers" in American government? - -- Power of the Sword: Executive
Branch
- Power of the Purse: Legislative Branch
-According to the textbook, one reason governments exercise power is to provide "public
goods". What are public goods? How do they differ for so-called "private goods"? - -- Public
goods: Non-excludable
- Private goods: Excludable
-What does the provision of public goods have to do with collective action problems and
free riding? - -- Collective action problems: 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 of
providing it.
-Why is peace and order considered a public good rather than a private good? - -No one
can be excluded from the benefit once it is provided
-What is the difference between natural rights and legal rights? And what is their
relationship—do governments recognize all natural rights? - -- Natural Rights: moral
rights that all human beings are "endowed" by God and government doesn't recognize or
secure them.
- Legal Rights: rights written in ordinary or constitutional law. ("written human-made
laws")
-Make sure to know and understand why governments are necessary in terms of securing
rights. - -If government is necessary to secure these rights, then the flip-side of this basic
American idea is that WITHOUT government (AKA- "state of nature" or "anarchy"), these
rights would be INSECURE. Without government, at least some human beings with be likely
to violate others' rights to life, liberty, property, etc. Governments are necessary, so that
those who violate rights are justly punished and, thereby, rights are made more secure in
the future.
-What is "limited government"? What does it have to do with "securing rights"? - --
Limited Government: government must be empowered to serve its legitimate purposes,
including the protection of rights, but it must also be limited and controlled in its powers so
that it does not pose an unacceptable risk to rights
- The idea of government "securing rights" means that it both protects rights and respects
them.
-Be able to define and give characteristics of "state socialism" and how it differs from
"democratic socialism" - -- State Socialism (communism or Marxist Socialism): Seeks to
overthrow of market capitalism and replace it with an equal society free of all class
oppression. To achieve this revolution, it calls for government command and control of
economic activity, including, most importantly, government ownership and control of the
means of production.
- Democratic Socialism: the population is in control of the means of production.
-Make sure to know and understand what we mean by "market" and why there is
mainstream support in America for a market-based economy. - --market: a system in
which voluntary exchanges between private buyers and sellers affect the price of goods
and services sold and these prices, in turn, affect how many goods and services are
produced and consumed.
- Everyone in the mainstream of American government today supports reliance on markets
for most economic activities because markets are thought to be a relatively efficient way to
produce and distribute goods and services.
, -What are the two hallmarks of capitalism? - -- means of production in the economy is
privately owned
- owners of the means of production purchase labor hours from workers in exchange for
wages
-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 government, and in the next place oblige it to control
itself (achieve limited government)
-What, according to the textbook, did Madison mean by saying "a dependence on the
people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government." - -Madison means that people
exert power over the government to keep it under control (government democracy)
-What, according to the textbook, did Madison mean by saying "auxiliary precautions" are
also needed for controlling government? - -Madison is referring to checks and balances
(different branches of government exert power over one another to be limited)
-There are many ways Americans can engage in activities outside the normal democratic
process to try to influence it and improve it. Be sure to know what those activities are and
why they are generally called acts of civil disobedience. - -Activities include protesting,
demonstrating, producing political art and music, boycotting, writing books, producing
documentaries, and engaging sit-ins
- These are acts of civil disobedience because they are open acts of lawbreaking intended to
create awareness of unjust laws/ government practices and thereby catalyze reform of
those laws/ practices.
-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? - -- Politics: set of nonviolent, open, and free activities through which people-
who are bound by the same stable democratic government and who often have different
opinions, interests, and identities- struggle to exert power over what government does
-According to the textbook, what are "three (sometimes overlapping) sources of conflict ....
[that] are ubiquitous sources of conflict in American democracy." - -- ideology
- interests
- identity
-The textbook claims that both liberals and conservatives favor a limited role of
government. Each group favors a limited role only in certain public policy areas though. Be
sure to know and understand which group favors a limited government role in the
following areas: : (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 - Liberals
Government - -A set of institutions that endures over time and that, in relation to the
people of particular territory, authoritatively makes and enforces laws.
-Separation of Powers - -Principle of government that means legislative, executive, and
judicial powers are exercised by three separate branches of government consisting of
distinct institutions that are staffed by officials who serve in only one institution at a time.
-What are the branches of government and what general functions do they perform? - --
Legislative - Making laws
- Executive (carry out) and Judicial (evaluate) - implementation or enforcement of laws
-Make sure to know and understand the various ways governments exercise power over
people. Be aware of these concepts: affecting hearts and minds (and how this is not unique
to the government), power of the purse (and how this also not unique to the government),
power of the sword, positive incentives or "carrots", and negative incentives or "sticks". - --
Affecting Hearts and Minds: Persuades people or causes them to feel a desire or duty to
what they would otherwise not do (not unique to government because people and
organizations also attempt this method to exercise power over people)
- Power of the Purse: The government's ability to influence behavior by using money—
through taxing and/or spending—as a Positive Incentive and/or Negative Incentive. (not
unique to government because people and organizations also attempt this method to
exercise power over people)
- Power of the Sword: The government's ability to influence behavior by using, or
threatening to use, physical force through the police or military.
- Positive incentives or "carrots" : Something that motivates behavior by instilling the hope
of enjoying a benefit if a particular action is taken (or not taken)
- Negative incentives or "sticks": Something that motivates behavior by instilling fear of
suffering a burden if a particular action is taken (or not taken)
-What does "the power of the sword" and "the power of the purse" have to do with the
"separation of powers" in American government? - -- Power of the Sword: Executive
Branch
- Power of the Purse: Legislative Branch
-According to the textbook, one reason governments exercise power is to provide "public
goods". What are public goods? How do they differ for so-called "private goods"? - -- Public
goods: Non-excludable
- Private goods: Excludable
-What does the provision of public goods have to do with collective action problems and
free riding? - -- Collective action problems: 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 of
providing it.
-Why is peace and order considered a public good rather than a private good? - -No one
can be excluded from the benefit once it is provided
-What is the difference between natural rights and legal rights? And what is their
relationship—do governments recognize all natural rights? - -- Natural Rights: moral
rights that all human beings are "endowed" by God and government doesn't recognize or
secure them.
- Legal Rights: rights written in ordinary or constitutional law. ("written human-made
laws")
-Make sure to know and understand why governments are necessary in terms of securing
rights. - -If government is necessary to secure these rights, then the flip-side of this basic
American idea is that WITHOUT government (AKA- "state of nature" or "anarchy"), these
rights would be INSECURE. Without government, at least some human beings with be likely
to violate others' rights to life, liberty, property, etc. Governments are necessary, so that
those who violate rights are justly punished and, thereby, rights are made more secure in
the future.
-What is "limited government"? What does it have to do with "securing rights"? - --
Limited Government: government must be empowered to serve its legitimate purposes,
including the protection of rights, but it must also be limited and controlled in its powers so
that it does not pose an unacceptable risk to rights
- The idea of government "securing rights" means that it both protects rights and respects
them.
-Be able to define and give characteristics of "state socialism" and how it differs from
"democratic socialism" - -- State Socialism (communism or Marxist Socialism): Seeks to
overthrow of market capitalism and replace it with an equal society free of all class
oppression. To achieve this revolution, it calls for government command and control of
economic activity, including, most importantly, government ownership and control of the
means of production.
- Democratic Socialism: the population is in control of the means of production.
-Make sure to know and understand what we mean by "market" and why there is
mainstream support in America for a market-based economy. - --market: a system in
which voluntary exchanges between private buyers and sellers affect the price of goods
and services sold and these prices, in turn, affect how many goods and services are
produced and consumed.
- Everyone in the mainstream of American government today supports reliance on markets
for most economic activities because markets are thought to be a relatively efficient way to
produce and distribute goods and services.
, -What are the two hallmarks of capitalism? - -- means of production in the economy is
privately owned
- owners of the means of production purchase labor hours from workers in exchange for
wages
-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 government, and in the next place oblige it to control
itself (achieve limited government)
-What, according to the textbook, did Madison mean by saying "a dependence on the
people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government." - -Madison means that people
exert power over the government to keep it under control (government democracy)
-What, according to the textbook, did Madison mean by saying "auxiliary precautions" are
also needed for controlling government? - -Madison is referring to checks and balances
(different branches of government exert power over one another to be limited)
-There are many ways Americans can engage in activities outside the normal democratic
process to try to influence it and improve it. Be sure to know what those activities are and
why they are generally called acts of civil disobedience. - -Activities include protesting,
demonstrating, producing political art and music, boycotting, writing books, producing
documentaries, and engaging sit-ins
- These are acts of civil disobedience because they are open acts of lawbreaking intended to
create awareness of unjust laws/ government practices and thereby catalyze reform of
those laws/ practices.
-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? - -- Politics: set of nonviolent, open, and free activities through which people-
who are bound by the same stable democratic government and who often have different
opinions, interests, and identities- struggle to exert power over what government does
-According to the textbook, what are "three (sometimes overlapping) sources of conflict ....
[that] are ubiquitous sources of conflict in American democracy." - -- ideology
- interests
- identity
-The textbook claims that both liberals and conservatives favor a limited role of
government. Each group favors a limited role only in certain public policy areas though. Be
sure to know and understand which group favors a limited government role in the
following areas: : (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 - Liberals
