Week 1

Question 1

the institutions and procedures through which a land and its people are rules

Answer 1

government

Question 2

a form of government in which a single individual rules

Answer 2

autocracy

Question 3

a form of government in which a small group of landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants controls most of the governing decisions

Answer 3

oligarchy

Question 4

a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the selection of key public officials

Answer 4

democracy

Question 5

a system of rule-a constitution- that specifies formal and effective limits on the powers of government government

Answer 5

constitutional government

Question 6

a system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits but nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions

Answer 6

authoritarian government

Question 7

a system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it

Answer 7

totalitarian government

Question 8

conflict, struggle, cooperation and collaboration over the leadership, structure, and policies of government- over who governs and who has power

Answer 8

politics

Question 9

done with a purpose sometimes with forethought, and even with calculation

Answer 9

instrumental

Question 10

rules and procedures that provide incentives for political behavior, thereby shaping politics

Answer 10

institutions

Question 11

the domain over which an institution or member of an institution has authority

Answer 11

jurisdiction

Question 12

the control over what a group will consider for discussion

Answer 12

agenda power

Question 13

the ability to defeat something even if it has made it onto the agenda of an institution

Answer 13

veto power

Question 14

a specification of when a vote may be taken, the sequence in which votes on amendments occur, and how many supporters determine whether a motion passes or fails

Answer 14

decisiveness rules

Question 15

the transmission of authority to some other official or body for the latters use

Answer 15

delegation

Question 16

the relationship between someone with authority and someone to whom he or she delegates the authority

Answer 16

principle-agent relationship

Question 17

the cost of clarifying each aspect of a principle-agent relationship and monitoring it to make sure arrangements are complied with

Answer 17

transaction costs

Question 18

the policy of resources and the coordination of effort and activity by a group of people to achieve common goals

Answer 18

collective action

Question 19

enjoying a benefit while letting others bear the costs of providing it

Answer 19

free riding

Question 20

a benefit that, first, may be enjoyed by anyone if it is provided and, second, may not be denied to anyone once it has been provided

Answer 20

public good

Question 21

the idea that a common access facility, owned by no one because it is available to everyone, will be overused

Answer 21

tragedy of commons

Question 22

the idea that certain possibilities are made more or less likely because of earlier decisions-because of the historical path taken

Answer 22

path dependency

Question 23

americas first written constitution, adopted by the continental congress in 1777, they were the formal basis for americas national government until 1789, when they were superseded by the constitution

Answer 23

articles of confederation and perpetual union

Question 24

an agreement reached at the constitutional convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of its population but linked representation in the house of representatives to population

Answer 24

great compromise

Question 25

an agreement reached at the constitutional convention of 1787 stipulating that for purposes of the appointment of congressional seats, only 3/5 of slaves would be counted

Answer 25

three fifths compromise

Question 26

the division of a legislative assembly into two chambers, or houses

Answer 26

bicameralism

Question 27

the powers that the constitution explicitly grants to a branch of the federal government

Answer 27

expressed powers

Question 28

article 1 and section 8 of the constitution which enumerates the powers of Congress and provides Congress with the authority to make all laws necessary and proper to carry them out; also referred to as the elastic clause

Answer 28

necessary and proper cause

Question 29

power of the courts to determine whether the actions of the president, Congress, and state legislature are not consistent with the constitution

Answer 29

judicial review

Question 30

a clause of article VI of the constitution that states that all laws passed by the national government and all treaties are the supreme laws of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision

Answer 30

supremacy clause

Question 31

the division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making

Answer 31

separation of powers

Question 32

the system of government in which a constitution divides power between a central government and regional governments

Answer 32

federalism

Question 33

the first 10 amendments to the US constitution adopted in 1791; it ensures certain rights and liberties to the people

Answer 33

bill of rights

Question 34

the mechanism through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches

Answer 34

checks and balances

Question 35

oppressive government that employs the cruel and unjust use of power and authroity

Answer 35

tyranny