POLI 11 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Minority Government, Authoritarianism, Divided Government
Document Summary
Policymaking: a pivotal stage in the political process; the point at which bills become laws or edicts are issued by rulers. Before understanding public policy, we must know how decisions are made. Constitution and decision rules: a constitution establishes the basic rules of decision-making, rights and the distribution of authority in a political system. Sometimes it"s a specific document, sometimes not: rule of law: people can only get punished for violating the laws and the government can"t take actions that aren"t authorized by the law. The constitution is the supreme body of laws in this type of political system: decision rules: the basic rules governing how decisions are made. They affect political activity because they determine what political resources are valuable in influencing decisions and how to acquire and use these resources. Inclusive rules can protect against hasty decisions and decisions against minorities.
