POLITICAL SCIENCE 101 WSU QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
politics - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the process through which individuals and groups reach agreement on
a course of collective action- even as they disagree on the intended goals of that action.
bargaining - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the exchange of proposals and counterproposals between two
groups.
compromise - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅a settlement in which each side concedes some preferences to
secure others
preferences - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅"givens" individuals and groups know what they want.
constitution - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅establishes it governing institutions and the set of rules and
procedures these institutions must (and must not) follow to reach and enforce collective agreements.
government - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅consists of institutions and the legally prescribed process for
making and enforcing collective agreements.
offices - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Government institutions consist of _______ that confer on their
occupants' specific authority and responsibilities. Rules and procedures prescribe how an institution
transacts business and what authority relations link ______ together.
Authority - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the acknowledged right to make a particular decision.
Power - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅refers to an officeholder's actual influence with other officeholders and,
as a consequence, over the government's actions.
authority vs. power - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅an office's authority will be an important ingredient in its
occupant's power, but an officeholder's power includes the skill to deploy that authority when dealing
with other officeholders and politicians.
, President Obama has the authority only to nominate a judge, but whether the Senate confirms his
appointment may rest on Obama's persuasiveness with members of the Senate, his mobilization of key
support groups to lobby undecided senators, and his ability to generate favorable publicity for his
candidate and perhaps even unfavorable publicity for opponents.
collective action - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the efforts of a group to reach an agreement and implement
that agreement.
figuring out what to do and how to do it
coordination problems and prisoner's dilemmas - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅two fundamental barriers to
effective collective action
coordination - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅members of the group must decided what they want, what they
are prepared to contribute to the collective enterprise
prisoner's dilemma - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅arises whenever individuals, who ultimately would benefit
from cooperating with each other, also have a powerful and irresistible incentive to break the
agreement and exploit the other side. Only when each party is confident that the other will live up to an
agreement can they successfully break out the dilemma and work to their mutual advantage.
free-rider problem - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅arises whenever citizens recognize that their small
contribution to the collective enterprise will not affect its success or failure. And because contributing is
somewhat costly, they decide not to make the effort. If many people react this way and suspect their
neighbors of doing so as well, too few people will contribute to the collective endeavors and some may
fail.
transaction costs - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the time, effort, and resources required to make collective
decisions. These costs rise sharply as the number of participants whose preferences must be taken into
account increases.
conformity costs - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅collective decisions obligate participants to do something they
prefer not to. example: paying property taxes or serving in Iraq away from home & family
politics - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the process through which individuals and groups reach agreement on
a course of collective action- even as they disagree on the intended goals of that action.
bargaining - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the exchange of proposals and counterproposals between two
groups.
compromise - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅a settlement in which each side concedes some preferences to
secure others
preferences - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅"givens" individuals and groups know what they want.
constitution - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅establishes it governing institutions and the set of rules and
procedures these institutions must (and must not) follow to reach and enforce collective agreements.
government - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅consists of institutions and the legally prescribed process for
making and enforcing collective agreements.
offices - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Government institutions consist of _______ that confer on their
occupants' specific authority and responsibilities. Rules and procedures prescribe how an institution
transacts business and what authority relations link ______ together.
Authority - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the acknowledged right to make a particular decision.
Power - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅refers to an officeholder's actual influence with other officeholders and,
as a consequence, over the government's actions.
authority vs. power - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅an office's authority will be an important ingredient in its
occupant's power, but an officeholder's power includes the skill to deploy that authority when dealing
with other officeholders and politicians.
, President Obama has the authority only to nominate a judge, but whether the Senate confirms his
appointment may rest on Obama's persuasiveness with members of the Senate, his mobilization of key
support groups to lobby undecided senators, and his ability to generate favorable publicity for his
candidate and perhaps even unfavorable publicity for opponents.
collective action - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the efforts of a group to reach an agreement and implement
that agreement.
figuring out what to do and how to do it
coordination problems and prisoner's dilemmas - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅two fundamental barriers to
effective collective action
coordination - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅members of the group must decided what they want, what they
are prepared to contribute to the collective enterprise
prisoner's dilemma - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅arises whenever individuals, who ultimately would benefit
from cooperating with each other, also have a powerful and irresistible incentive to break the
agreement and exploit the other side. Only when each party is confident that the other will live up to an
agreement can they successfully break out the dilemma and work to their mutual advantage.
free-rider problem - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅arises whenever citizens recognize that their small
contribution to the collective enterprise will not affect its success or failure. And because contributing is
somewhat costly, they decide not to make the effort. If many people react this way and suspect their
neighbors of doing so as well, too few people will contribute to the collective endeavors and some may
fail.
transaction costs - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅the time, effort, and resources required to make collective
decisions. These costs rise sharply as the number of participants whose preferences must be taken into
account increases.
conformity costs - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅collective decisions obligate participants to do something they
prefer not to. example: paying property taxes or serving in Iraq away from home & family
