Pols 200 Exam #2 Review Questions with complete solution
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Course
POLS 2200
Institution
POLS 2200
Pols 200 Exam #2 Review Questions with complete solution
institution definitions - correct answer *1)* rules that govern social interactions, constraining the behavior of and the options open to actors
*2)* equilibrium behavior among participants in social interactions
- not necessarily a ...
Pols 200 Exam #2 Review Questions
with complete solution
institution definitions - correct answer ✔*1)* rules that govern social
interactions, constraining the behavior of and the options open to actors
*2)* equilibrium behavior among participants in social interactions
- not necessarily a political institution, just institutions in general
- open up options to actors
- can act strategically with another actor
- actors understand how other actors will behave
examples of institutions - correct answer ✔- professor Taylor-Robinson's
syllabus
- bureaucracies
- religion (self-enforced by believers)
- US Constitution
- Congress: how they make decisions
- an electoral institution: rules by which an election will be conducted
political institution definition - correct answer ✔*establish guidelines for
deliberation, the aggregation of preferences into collective decisions, and the
implementation of those decisions*
- agree on how to make a decision
- voting is a way we aggregate preferences
importance of self-enforcement (institutions) - correct answer ✔- can't have
the police follow us around all the time
,- have to have ways to self-enforce our interactions
parchment institution - correct answer ✔*formal, written down (e.g.,
constitution, treaties, laws)*
- writing down the rules allows actors to strategize to get where they want to
be
- ex: rules of elections let us know how the candidates will run their campaigns
- BUT, it is not required that an institution be formal or written down (ex:
societal norms are informal institutions that are not written down, yet they are
followed)
context matters for how institutions work - correct answer ✔- regimes around
the world may look very similar to ours on paper, but operate differently in
actuality
- ex: open list ballots in Finland and Honduras are very similar even though
Finland is much richer and is a much more well established democracy
why institutions matter - correct answer ✔- the form of institution adopted in
a country "has consequences for the distribution of power", and politics is
about who has power
- different methods of preference aggregation will produce different policy
results, even if actors have the same set of preferences
- ex: if you have a FPTP electoral system and receive 49% of the vote, you
either lose or must do a runoff
- BUT, while institutions are sticky, they can be changed (abolition of slavery,
women's vote, etc.)
constitution as an institution - correct answer ✔- can coordinate expectations
among actors about the limits on state authority (have mutual expectations
about behavior and this is what allows politicians to work efficiently)
,- can provide ideas about the likely actions actors will take when a new topic
of conflict comes up (we know what Congress can and cannot do in certain
situations)
- overall, it enables actors to anticipate the actions of other actors, and thus to
act strategically to pursue their policy interests
- comforting to us because we can strategize how we get what we want in
politics --> media distressed because Trump doesn't follow political norms
- BUT works differently in an authoritarian regime because they often ignore
the constitution (not an indicator of how actors will act as a result)
in the event of writing a new constitution for a new regime: - correct answer
✔*H1:* if forces are uneven and known --> institutions will be stable as long
as the balance of force continues
- have a weak actor and strong actor; if strong actor maintains its strength,
constitution will favor them
*H2:* if forces are balanced and known --> any outcomes is possible (e.g.,
civil war, a dysfunctional agreement, institutions that last)
- neither side has any incentive to give in
- not likely to last
*H3:* if balance of forces is unknown --> institutions will contain a lot of checks
to protect losers
- this is the US
- as the balance of power bounces back and forth, winners may become
losers and vice versa, but losers are okay with that because they know they're
protected
Aristotle's typology of regime types - correct answer ✔- based on: 1) number
of people who govern, 2) whether rulers govern in the common interest or
their own interest
- *Aristocracy* looked upon as governing in the interest of the country vs
*Oligarchy* which is ruled by the rich to benefit themselves
, - in *Democracy* the poor rule in their own self-interest vs *Polity* where
everyone gets the right to participate and looking out for the best interest of
the country
- *Kingship* if the one in charge rules in the best interest of the people vs
*Tyranny* if the one in charge rules in their own self-interest
consolidation of democracy - correct answer ✔- consolidation ≠ persistence
(does not equal number of years a particular regime has been governing the
country
- consolidation of a democratic regime involves:
1) removing perverse (undemocratic) elements
2) habituation to resolving conflicts that arise through democratic processes (if
people aren't willing to limit themselves to democratic processes to solve
inevitable conflict, there will be a problem)
- BUT, a democratic regime can backslide or regress away from consolidation
even if a country's government has reached the point where it is a
consolidated democracy (ex: Venezuela, Russia)
polyarchy (Dahl 1971) - correct answer ✔- Dahl argues that the world has
never seen a complete democracy
- freedom to form and join organizations
- freedom of expression
- right to vote by (nearly) everyone in regular elections
- eligibility for public office
- right of political leaders to compete for support and votes
- alternative sources of information
- free and fair elections
- institutions for making policies depend on voters and other expressions of
preferences
- a shield to protect individual rights against government excess
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