Exam 1 Study Guide F23 - Answers

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Georgia State University *

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Political Science

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Dec 6, 2023

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Ch. 1: An Introduction to American Government Section 2: What is Government? Set of institutions that claim legitimate authority to use force and make laws binding upon the people of a particular territory.  Legitimate authority – one has the right to issue commands and to punish those who do not comply with the commands.  Know the names of the following institutions: o The legislatures of the federal government and Georgia – makes laws.  GA: GA General Assembly – Senate (upper) and House of Representatives (lower).  USA: Congress – Senate (upper) and House of Representatives. o The heads of the executive branches of the federal government and Georgia government – puts laws into effect (can use physical force by police/military).  GA: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, bureaucratic agencies.  USA: President, Vice President, bureaucratic agencies. o The highest courts in the judicial branches of the federal government and Georgia government – consists of court laws.  GA: Supreme Court of GA and lower courts.  USA: Supreme Court of US.  Which branch of government are bureaucratic agencies a part of: legislative, executive, or judicial? Executive.  What does the “power of the sword” mean? According to the textbook, do all governments claim to have legitimate authority to wield this power, or is it only certain kinds of government that claim that power? o Power of the sword – use of physical force through police/military.  Executive branch.  All governments claim sovereignty over a particular territory. What does “sovereignty” mean in this context? Sovereignty - the right of a government to govern its territory without interference from other governments and to use military force to defend itself and its territory from foreign aggression. Section 3: Two More Ways Governments Exercise Power over the People  What does “relational power” mean (as in “A has power over B”)? The ability to get a person/group to do what they otherwise would not do.  What does “power of the purse” mean? Influence behavior by using money as positive/negative incentives. o Be able to recognize the difference between government using the power of the purse as “positive incentives” versus as “negative incentives.”  Positive incentive – provide a benefit in exchange for behaving in a desired way.  Negative incentive – a threat to impose a burden if one does not behave in a desired way.  Power of the sword and power of the purse. o Why is using the power of the purse not a part of the definition of government? Governments aren’t the only ones who use it. Business owners, managers, etc.

2  What does it mean for government to seek to exercise power by “affecting hearts and minds”? So that people are persuaded or feel a desire/duty to do what they would otherwise not do. o Why is affecting hearts and minds not a part of the definition of government? Governments aren’t the only ones that affect the heart and mind on a daily basis. Family, friends, teachers, political leaders, etc. o What does “propaganda” mean? According to political philosopher Jason Stanley, is it necessarily a bad thing? Propaganda – form of persuasive communication that urges people to support/act a political goal by manipulating their irrational biases and concealing from them things they reasonably should consider. Can be used for positive/negative purposes. Section 4: A Universal Purpose of Government: Providing Public Goods  Make sure to understand the definition of these concepts and how they relate to each other: “private goods,” “public goods,” “free riding,” and “collective action problems.” o Public goods – goods that, once provided, no one in a group can be excluded from enjoying (non-excludable). o Private goods – goods that are excludable. o Free riding – enjoying the benefits of a public good without bearing part of the burden of providing it. o Collective action problems – when attempts at free riding threaten to prevent a group from providing a public good.  Thus, governments seek to lead individuals to contribute by imposing taxes.  The textbook asserts there are certain public goods that all governments provide. What are these public goods? Security from foreign threats, domestic peace, order, and stability. Section 5: American Government: A Liberal Democracy  The textbook says American government is a “liberal democracy,” defined as “A system of government that combines democracy with the rule of law , constitutional protections for human rights , the separation of powers , checks and balances , and other institutional devices aimed at promoting limited government .” Make sure you know and understand the definitions of the underlined terms and the definition of liberal democracy. o Democracy – rule by the people. o Rule of law – the idea that all citizens should be equally bound by laws. All government actions must be authorized by pre-existing laws and lawmakers may not exempt themselves from the laws they make. o Human rights – moral rights regardless of race, sex, etc. Essential for human freedom and dignity. o Separation of powers – Divided into three separate branches of government. o Checks and balances – different branches of government are given enough power over one another to keep each within their power constitutional limits. o Limited government – a government should be empowered to serve its legitimate purposes, but it should also be limited and controlled in its powers so that it protects and respects the fundamental rights and interests of the governed.

3  What’s the difference between a “representative democracy” and a “direct democracy”? What kind of democracy is American government? o Direct democracy – all citizens participate in making/enforcing laws. o Representative democracy – those with primary responsibility for making and enforcing laws do so on behalf of the majority of citizens who do not make/enforce laws directly.  US  What does it mean to say a government is “authoritarian” (or “autocratic”)? Authoritarian/autocratic government is not controlled by the people (“nondemocratic”).  Make sure to know the definitions of the following terms and what they have to do with the democratic components of American democracy: “interest group” “political party”. o Interest group – association that seeks to influence government to benefit members of the association or advance a cause they share a belief in.  Protected by freedom of association. o Political party – organization that seeks to influence government by getting members elected to office and by coordinating the actions of elected officials in government.  Democratic and Republican Parties.  What is a “constitutional government”? Is a country with a “sham constitution” a constitutional government? Why or why not? o Constitutional government – the government is bound by fundamental laws (highest law/supreme laws/ Constitution). o Sham constitution – documents listing fundamental “laws” that the governments routinely violate.  Is not a constitutional government.  Ex. Russia.  In the American system of separation of powers, which branch of government wields the power of the sword and which branch has the power of the purse? Execute – power of the sword; Legislative – power of the purse.  What is “federalism”? Principle of government hat means authority is partly divided/shared between the federal (central/national) and state governments. Ch. 2: America’s Polarized Politics Section 1: Introduction  How does the textbook define “politics”? Politics – activities democratic citizens engage in as they struggle to exercise power over government.  In the introduction (and again, later, in Section 4), the textbook distinguishes between two modes of political conflict: one that is “a sign of healthy democratic politics” and one that puts “democracy at risk of dying.” What is the difference between the two modes? “Healthy” – After one wins/loses, widespread trust in the process, a willingness to abide by the rule of the game and acceptance of legitimacy of one’s opponents. “Risk of dying” – when there is mutual distrust and view the enemy as threatening and must be defeated to save the country (pernicious polarization). Section 2: Lefts versus Right: Ideological Conflict in American Politics

4  Know and understand the definitions of these terms: ideology, ideological spectrum, Left side of ideological spectrum, and Right side. o Ideology – set of ideas about the proper role of government that emanate from core values and beliefs about human nature and society. o Ideological spectrum – political ideologies ranging on a continuum from the extreme left to the extreme right. o Left – advocate changes in the direction of greater social, political, and/or economic equality. Resist traditional hierarchies and the systems that are thought to reinforce them. Favor laws and policies aimed at protecting and advancing those who have historically been oppressed by traditional hierarchies.  Liberals/progressives/on the Left/blue/Democrats. o Right – resists efforts at change toward greater equality and accepts traditional social, political, and/or economic hierarchies. Accepts social change in the direction of greater inequality. Places special value on tradition, order, group loyalty, and authority, all of which are essential for a good/stable society.  Conservatives/on the Right/red/Republicans.  Make sure to understand how, in general, the Left and Right differ in their perspectives on social issues. Left Religion:  Support strict separation of church and state. Respecting the equal rights of parents – children should be raised according to their own religious beliefs.  Religion should not be allowed in schools (Extreme). Race:  Anti-racism lens; affirmative action – adequate representation of underrepresented groups in admissions. Transgender rights:  Sees it as part of a broader cause of advancing the equality of women and sexual minorities. Right Religion:  Public funds can be used to support private Christina schools or that public school employees should be allowed to lead voluntary Christian prayers after extracurricular events.  Christianity as the sole source of the country’s moral vision (Extreme). Race:  Values should take precedence over the goal of achieving racial equality. Traditional standards should be adhered regardless of racial equality.  Differences in qualifications are due to natural differences inability so racial inequalities are justified and are not due to systemic factors (Extreme). Transgender rights:  Resisted legal recognition of same-sex marriage and transgender people to attain the right to act in accord with

5 their gender identities.  More likely to defend than to resist a privileged position for cisgender men in society. Their opposition is rooted to maintain a traditional distinction between men and women.  Know and understand the definitions of these economic concepts as discussed in the textbook: market capitalism, communism, social democracy, welfare state, libertarianism. o Market capitalism – voluntary exchanges between private buyer and sellers affect the price of goods/services sold, and prices affect how many goods/services are produced and consumed. o Communism – extreme left; the state owns the means of production and centrally commands the economy to assure an equal distribution of resources. o Social democracy – mixed economic system favored by left; governments play a significant role in their economies in an effort to retain the advantages of capitalism while achieving the left’s aspirations for less economic inequality and non-oppressive relations. o Welfare state – the use of government spending to promote the economic security, health, and well-being of it citizens, especially those in financial need. o Libertarianism – government should play a minimal role in the economy/society. o In general, do Republicans and Democrats agree with critiques of communism and accept some form of market capitalism? Or does one party, or both parties, embrace communism? Both accepted some form of communism and market capitalism. o Which ideological label (liberal or conservative) describes the Democratic Party’s approach to economic issues? Which of those two labels describes the Republican party’s approach? Democratic – liberal; Republican – conservative. o Which party (Democrats or Republicans) is most in line with a social democratic form of capitalism and acceptance of the welfare state? Democrats. o Which party (Democrats or Republicans) is most in line with economic libertarianism and a rejection of the welfare state? Republican. Section 3: Ideological Differences within Parties  Make sure to know and understand the definitions of these concepts: globalization, populism, right-wing populism, left-wing populism, economic nationalism, tariffs, democratic socialism. o Globalization – increasing interdependence of countries’ economies and cultures due to international trade in goods and services and the free flow across borders of investments, people, and information. o Populism – anti-elite ideology that views ordinary people as virtuous and the economically and politically powerful as irredeemably evil and corrupt. o Right-wing populism – hostility toward immigration and racially and culturally exclusive understanding of who counts as “the people”. o Left-wing populism – limits its hostility toward the economic elite and those in the political establishment who are viewed as corruptly tied to the economic elite. No resentment toward immigrants or religious/racial minorities.

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