VB vocab Flashcards
(173 cards)
1
Q
Adam Smith
A
an english economist whose Wealth of Nations argued that individual rational choices in a free market are the ideal way to foster efficient economic activity
2
Q
agency theory
A
(principal-agent model) the basic premise is that bureaucracies are agents that act on behalf of the legislature–the principal or “client”–in a relationship similar to a business contract
3
Q
agents of political socialization
A
the sources from which a group learns the political culture, which can include schools, parents, the media, politicians, friends, and religious leaders
4
Q
agreement reality
A
things that we believe are real even though we have never directly experienced them through our five senses
5
Q
alliances
A
an agreement between groups or individuals to join resources and abilities for a purpose that individually benefits the members of the alliance
6
Q
anarchists
A
radical ideologues who long for a lack of authority or hierarchy because they believe that human beings are capable of peacefully intermingling and ordering society without broad, formalized governmental structures
7
Q
appellate jurisdiction
A
a higher court’s authority to review the record from a trial court
8
Q
aristocracy
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a wealthy landowning elite
9
Q
arrow’s theorem
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the idea that elections cannot be the perfect means of making decisions because the method by which the votes are tallied can significantly alter the outcome
10
Q
atomization
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the deliberate isolation of people from each other in society to keep them from forming a group that could threaten a leader’s hold on power
11
Q
authority
A
where knowledge, natural ability, or experience makes it rational for people to choose to place themselves in a subordinate position to another individual or group
12
Q
authority leakage
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when the distortions created by communication down a chain of command make it impossible to control those who act
13
Q
balance of power
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the way in which the distribution of power across the international system influences the pattern of alliances that tend to form in an anarchical environment
14
Q
bandwagoning
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opportunistic international alliances in which nations ally with the bully in order to carve out their own slices of the spoils
15
Q
bicameral legislature
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a legislature with two houses
16
Q
bureaucracy
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the position within the political-administrative structure–the desk, not the person–that defines the role or function to be performed
17
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capitalism
A
an economic system based on the free market and individual competition for profits
18
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central bank
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a kind of sort of government bank that loans imaginary money to real banks
19
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checks and balances
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a system whereby each branch of government can limit the powers of the other branches
20
Q
civil law
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the branch of law that typically deals with relations among private individuals and groups
21
Q
civil law system
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system of law based on the proposition that law is a codified, constructed entity that a legislature or some other lawmaking political body has constructed
22
Q
classic conservatism
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a political ideology that emphasizes the belief that people should be generally free from governmental constraints or interference
23
Q
cockroach theory of politics
A
the idea that politicians do not want to be spotted anywhere where they might be stomped on; thus, when they see others caught by the media in a scandal they try to avoid getting noticed for a similar indiscretion
24
Q
cognitive frameworks
A
the set of instinctual and learned filters the human mind uses for sorting the mass of incoming information and selecting which bits it will recognize and pass on to the thinking parts of the brain
25
cohabitation
under the French political system, when the president is from one political party while a different political party controls the legislature
26
collective action
coordinated group action that is designed to achieve a common goal that individuals acting on their own could not otherwise obtain
27
common-law system
law system characterized by the strong role of the judge in cases and the importance of precedent
28
communism
a political ideology that advocates, via revolution, a classless, socialist society in which justice and fairness for the whole previal over the interests of individuals
29
conceptual frameworks
the personal experiences, preferences, and expectations that we all use to make sense of the world
30
confederal system
a system where the local governmental units have all the real power
31
constructivism
a theoretical perspective in international relations that holds as its fundamental claim that human beings construct the reality around them--the reality upon which decisions and choices are made--through language and communication
32
criminal law
the branch of law that concerns relationships involving the government and its relationship with individuals and organizations
33
crosscutting cleavages
when a group contains many different points of conflict, thus allowing people to find many points of agreement and conflict within the group
34
cultural ownership
the idea that something that is part of a group's shared identity can also be owned
35
culture
the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic
36
currency
a universally accepted "placeholder" between trades of all the myriad different forms of real wealth, simplifying trade and enabling the fractionalization of whole goods
37
deflation
situation in which the number of currency units is falling relative to available wealth
38
delegate
representative who attempts to do exactly what his or her constituents want
39
democracy
rule by the people, usually through elected representatives, under a constitution that provides protection for basic rights and majority rule
40
democratic peace
the observation that liberal democratic political regimes do not fight one another
41
democratic socialism
a political ideology that advocates for a socialist state through democratic means
42
dictatorship
form of government in which power is centralized in a single person or possibly a small group of people
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direct democracy
a political system in which all citizens gather together to share perspectives, debate, and vote on policies
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dispute resolution
the role of courts to peacefully settle disputes and keep order in society
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divided government
when one political party controls the presidency and another party controls either all or part of the legislature
46
divine right of kings
the principle that earthly rulers receive their authority from God
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dramatic imperative
the need for commercial news outlets to focus on rare and unusual events that have a tremendous impact on people in order to draw an audience
48
electoral college
an election system in which electoral votes are divvied between the states according to population
49
enlightened self-interest
the idea that people will restrain their self-interest in recognition of the need to preserve a common resource
50
experiential reality
things that we directly experience through our five senses
51
fascism
a political ideology that argues for the supremacy and purity of one group of people or nationality in a society
52
federal law
the law of the national government
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federal reserve rate
the interest rate that federal reserve charges on loans to banks
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federal system
systems in which the final authority for at least some aspects of government are left to the local or subnational level
55
feudalism
an economic system under which peasants raise crops and livestock on small plots within the landlord's estate and are obligated to give a substantial percentage of their production to the landlord in exchange for protection
56
filibuster
a delaying tactic used by a senator or a group of senators in which they indefinitely talk about a bill in order to frustrate the proponents of the bill and ensure defeat of the measure
57
first-past-the-post system
an electoral system in which the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether that person has a majority of the votes cast; there is no runoff election
58
foreign policy analysis
a theoretical perspective in international relations that holds that understanding how decisions are made within the structure, process, and context of domestic politics is essential for understanding international politics
59
framing
the use of a speech to provide a cognitive framework for understanding an issue, policy, or candidate to predispose people to interpret a myriad of facts and snippets in one way rather than another
60
geographic representation
a legislature divided according to geography; people are represented by the area they live in
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gerrymandering
the process of intentionally drawing districts to gain a partisan advantage
62
going rate
when judges, through past sentencing, set the context for plea bargaining, which occurs when defense attorneys and prosecutors negotiate about what the appropriate penalty should be for an offense for which a plaintiff pleads guilty
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government
the creation of institutions or structures to provide the security that people continually need; the result of a group's need to institutionalize, or make permanent, its power
64
gridlock
when the checks and balances within the presidential system work too well so that they not only prevent one institution from overwhelming the others but also prevent anyone from doing much of anything
65
group identity
the degree to which members identify with a group and, conversely, identify who is not part of that group, a process that affects the group's strength, cohesiveness, and survival
66
head of government
the political role of a country's president or ruler as the leader of a political party or group and chief arbiter of who gets what resources
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head of state
the apolitical, unifying role of a country's president or ruler as symbolic representative of the whole country
68
hegemon
a dominant power--either an individual or, in the case of international politics, a country powerful enough to dominate all others
69
hereditary monarchies
the most common form of monarchy; used by almost all of the world's existing monarchies. under a hereditary monarchy, all rulers come from the same family and the crown is passed along from one family member to another
70
hierarchy
a societal structure that elevates someone or some group to a position of authority over others
71
humanist
an idealist who is interested in and motivated by concern fo the broader human condition and the quality of people's lives
72
idealism
a way of looking at the world in which the focus is on what we would like to do or what we would the world to be; also refers to a theoretical perspective in international relations that stresses the quest for peace
73
idealist period
the two decades between the world wars that were marked by the effort to envision and attain a perfectly peaceful world
74
ideological representation
representation in which people's belief is the main concern of leadership
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immobilism
when, because of the complexity and fragility of a ruling coalition, it becomes nearly impossible to enact any kind of coherent policies out of fear that a coalition party will break away and force the government to collapse
76
imperial presidency
the accumulation of tremendous power in the presidency at the expense of the other branches of government, especially the legislative branch
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imperialism
the extension of an empire's or nation's rule or authority over foreign countries or the acquisition and holding of colonies and dependencies for the purpose of economic gain
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individual security
focus on the continued safety of the individual
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inflation
situation in which the number of currency units in circulation is increased, measured relative to the real stuff of value out there, which reduces the value people place upon each unit of the currency
80
initiatives
questions that are put on the ballot by citizens, usually after some type of qualification process--for example, the collection of a significant number of signatures on a petition
81
injunctive power
the power of courts to stop governments, individuals, or groups from acting
82
inquisitorial system
in a civil law system, a prolonged pretrial investigative process
83
institutions
the organizational structures through which political power is exercised
84
iron triangle
the situation in which the bureaucracy is captured and redirected to focus on the needs of an interest group rather than on the public interest or even its original mandate
85
judicial review
the power to declare laws and government acts to be in violation of the nation's constitution or in some other way illegal under the structure of the country
86
jurisprudence
a philosophy of law
87
laissez-faire capitalism
an economic system allowing very little, if any, government involvement, interference, or regulation
88
law in action
how laws are applied and enforced in the real world
89
law in books
the laws as they are written
90
league of nations
an international institution created after World War I that attempted to bring nations together to peaceably resolve conflict in a form of collective security
91
legal system
a social construction built upon a basic conceptualization of how the law is created and how it functions
92
legitimacy
people's voluntary acceptance of their government and its exercise of authority
93
majoritarianism
rule by the majority
94
karl marx
a german economist, theorist, sociologist, and philosopher most notable for his works criticizing capitalism and advocating communism--a classless, collective socialist society
95
matriarchy
a form of social organization in which the mother is recognized as the head of the family or tribe and descent and kinship are traced through the mother's side
96
means of production
the mechanisms for transforming labor into wealth
97
median voter
the one voter in the center of the ideological spectrum
98
mediated reality
reality that comes to us through channels of information flow, primarily through the news media, and our understanding of how information is selected, sorted, and presented to us through the news media
99
minority government
when the majority party does not share power with any other party but relies on an agreement that states another party will provide support or will abstain from voting if there is ever a no-confidence vote
100
monarchy
an authoritarian government with power vested in a king or queen
101
monetary policy
the collection of the most commonly used mechanisms that governments use to manage the collective resource of currency
102
multiparty systems
systems composed of multiple, distinct, and officially recognized groups, otherwise known as political parties
103
mutual exploitation model
the idea that the news media exploits elites by using them for cheap sources of news that they know will interest the public while, at the same time, the elites exploit news media sources by using them to communicate with the public and present a public image that will help their political, economic, or social ambitions
104
national security
encompasses the requirement to maintain the survival of the nation-state through the use of economic, military, and political power and the exercise of diplomacy
105
natural law
a type of jurisprudence that presumes that there is some higher law, which originates with God or nature, and that this higher law is discoverable by the use of reason
106
oligarchy
government by the few, especially for corrupt and selfish purposes
107
original jurisdiction
a court's authority to be the first tribunal to hear a case
108
other
someone who is identified as an outsider and not part of the group, defined as a means of initiating conflict, and is therefore identified as the enemy
109
overhead democracy
system of government in which elected officials--who are periodically held accountable to the desires of the voting public--are put at the top of the bureaucratic hierarchy or are otherwise entrusted with mechanisms that allow them to effectively control the unelected portions of the government
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panopticon
a social mechanism of control in which people know that while they are not watched all the time, they may be watched at any time
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parliamentary system
a system in which there is a fusion of legislative and executive institutions
112
patriarchy
a form of social organization in which the father is recognized as the head of the family or tribe and descent and kinship are traced through the father's side
113
peer policing
a system in which people police each other
114
policy stability
when the social and economic environments within the country tend to be very consistent over time
115
political capital
an individual's or institution's reserve of power that can be called upon to achieve political goals
116
political culture
the shared social context from which people make political choices
117
political ideology
you know, that thing where you take an ideal and turn it into a bunch of cheesy slogans for action in pursuit of the utopia that supposedly results from the ideal
118
political science
field of study characterized by a search for critical understanding of the good political life, significant empirical understanding, and wise political and policy judgments
119
political socialization
the process by which the group teaches the shared context to members of society
120
political theory
a body of work aimed at developing knowledge about politics and political systems
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politicos
people who are active in party politics
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politics
individual or combined actions of individuals, governments, and/or groups aimed at getting what they want accomplished, when those actions have public consequences
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polity
constitutional government that is a mixture of democracy and oligarchy
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pork barrel politics
occur when representatives use their political office to bring federal money to their districts through projects and jobs
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positivist jurisprudence
a type of jurisprudence that views law as simply the command or will of the recognized sovereign authority of the state
126
power
the ability to get something done
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preference falsification
when people hide the way they truly feel while publicly expressing what those in power want them to communicate
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presidency
an executive institution that includes all formal and informal powers--the offices, the staffs, and the historical precedents that define it
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presidential system
a system in which there is a separation between legislative and executive institutions
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prime minister
a member of parliament, who, as the leader of the winning party in the parliament, exercises some of the functions of a chief executive
131
principal-agent model
also called agency theory, the basic premise that bureaucracies are agents that act on behalf of the legislature--the principal, or "client"--in a relationship similar to a business contract
132
private law
law that is concerned with the relations among private individuals and private organizations
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privileged group
a group that is given access to something created by a private entity although that group did not directly contribute to its creation
134
proportional representation
a system in which there is representation of all parties in a legislature in proportion to their popular vote
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public goods
resources shared by the community
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public law
law that concerns relationships involving the government and its relationship with individuals and organizations
137
realism
a way of looking at the world in which the focus is on what we are able to do, what is possible for the world to be; also refers to a theoretical perspective in international relations that views international politics as a strategy game
138
referenda
questions that legislatures put on the ballot for people to vote on
139
reform liberalism
a political ideology that argues that within a capitalist system, government should play a role in regulating the economy and removing major inequalities
140
regime security
the leaders' ability to protect their hold on power
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representative democracy
system of government in which people vote to select who will represent their interests rather than voting on the actual issues of the moment
142
republic
a government in which decisions are made by representatives of the citizens rather than by the citizens themselves; also refers to a country without a monarch or an authoritarian leader
143
revolution
mass uprisings focused on the goal of tearing down and replacing the current government
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safety valve
a mechanism that allows people to blow off steam in order to avoid larger conflict
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scientific method
a specific set of rules and processes for pursuing knowledge with observation, hypothesis, building, experimentation, and replication
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security
the ability to protect oneself and one's property
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self-policing
a social mechanism by which only a few enforcers are needed to maintain control of the population because the fear of being punished keeps people in line
148
separation of powers
a system designed so that no one branch of government can become too powerful over the others
149
shadow government
a type of oversight performed in a parliamentary system by those members of the minority party who would take the office if that party were to capture the majority
150
sharia
the system of islamic law
151
socialism
an economic system in which society controls the means of production
152
socially responsible investing (SRI)
the purchasing of stock in corporations or the acquiring of proxy votes from willing corporate stockholders by groups seeking to change or influence the direction of corporate policies
153
sophist
one who in ancient Greece taught promising young men practical skills, such as rhetoric, so that they could be successful in public life--they did not focus on metaphysics or ethics
154
spin
the use of a speech to provide a cognitive framework for understanding an issue, policy, or candidate to predispose people to interpret a myriad of facts and snippets in one way rather than another
155
stag hunt
a commonly used parable that demonstrates how the interdependence of actions and choices affects collective efforts to attain a goal
156
state law
the law of the states and their localities
157
state security
the ability at the governmental level to protect borders and governmental structures from outside threats
158
statutory interpretation
when courts must interpret what a law precisely means to maintain specificity
159
structures
basic elements that governments need in order to govern that determine, enable, and limit how the particulars of the government take shape
160
subcultures
smaller cultures within the main political culture
161
totalitarian
a form of government that tries to control every aspect of life, sometimes down to the level of thought
162
tragedy of the commons
a problem that demonstrates how the rational choices of individuals collide with the needs or interests of the larger community
163
trustee
a country or government charged with the oversight of a trust territory
164
two-party system
a system that favors moderate political parties that can create coalitions to gain sizable numbers of voters
165
tyranny of the majority
an unrestrained majority that bands together to rule a society with a ferocity and cruelty comparable to a dictator
166
unicameral legislature
a legislature with one house
167
unitary system
a system in which sovereignty and authority rest quite clearly with the national government
168
unity system
a system in which sovereignty and authority rest quite clearly with the national government
169
unity government
when the two major parties, though in opposition, work together to achieve a higher national purpose
170
utopia
an ideal world
171
vote of no confidence
a parliamentary device by which the government can be dissolved by a simple majority vote of the legislature
172
winner-take-all system
an electoral system in which there is no proportional representation
173
world systems theory
the idea that politics occur within an economic structure defined by exploitative trade relationships, with corporate, class, and multinational entities defining the units of action
