Politics - Answers conflict over which policies are promulgated and who has the power to do it
Why is politics necessary? - Answers because we live in a world of scarce resources and divergent
preferences
government - Answers the institution or set of institutions that make official decisions about a nation's
affairs and have the authority to put them in effect
representation - Answers an arrangement in which citizens select individuals to express their views
when decisions are made
Why did Thomas Hobbes believe government to be necessary? - Answers "anarchy was worse than
potential tyranny"
Why did John Locke believe government to be necessary? - Answers to promote "life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness"
autocracy - Answers a single individual rules
Oligarchy - Answers rule by a few
Democracy - Answers permits citizens to play significant role in government through selection of key
public officials
constitutional government - Answers establishes specific limits on the power of gov
Authoritarian Government - Answers government power is not limited by law, may be restricted by
other social institutions
totalitarian government - Answers government power is not limited by law and in which gov seeks to
eliminate other social institutions that might change it
public good - Answers a benefit that no member of a group can be prevented from enjoying once it has
been provided
name an example of a public good - Answers the national defense
coordination problem - Answers a situation in which two or more people are all better off if they
coordinate on a common course of action, but there is more than one possible course of action to take
principal-agent problem - Answers a problem caused by an agent pursuing his own interests rather than
the interests of the principal who hired him
condorcet's paradox - Answers cycling, no winner
preference were such that there is no clear majority
, Prisoner's Dilemma - Answers a game in which pursuing dominant strategies results in noncooperation
that leaves everyone worse off
free rider problem - Answers The problem faced by unions and other groups when people do not join
because they can benefit from the group's activities without officially joining. The bigger the group, the
more serious the problem.
tradgedy of the commons - Answers the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted
because people act from self-interest for short-term gain
how do we solve collective agreement problems? - Answers 1.change people's incentives
2.create institutions that guarantee agreements are honored
3.delegate to a leader/small group
coordination problems - Answers people want same thing but communication is laking
how is the government organized to facilitate collective action problems? - Answers checks and
balances?
what are the different types of collective agreement problems? - Answers coordination, principal agent,
Condorcet's paradox, prisoner's dilemma, free rider, tragedy of the commons
home rule - Answers power delegated by the state to a local unit of government to manage its own
affairs
Articles of Confederation - Answers the first written constitution of the United States
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? - Answers too weak, central gov didn't have enough power to
levy taxes, execution and interpretation up to the states
Virginia Plan - Answers drafted by James Madison,
system of rep based on population of each state
New Jersey Plan - Answers drafted by William Patterson,
states equally represented
the Great Compromise - Answers agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation.
House of representatives = state represented in proportion to population. Senate = equal representation
for all states
what were colonial constitutions like? - Answers written, representation based on consent, bicameral
legislatures, must own property to vote, weak executives
Effects of Shay's Rebellion - Answers -leaders called for a meeting in order to revise the AOC