PSC 121 Midterm: PSC121, Term Test 1 Part 1

• School: Syracuse University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: PSC 121
• Professor: All

Document Summary

Topics included: chapter 1: the logic of american politics, chapter 2: the constitution, chapter 3: federalism, chapter 6: congress, chapter 7: the presidency, chapter 9: the federal judiciary. Chapter 1: the logic of american politics: politics is the process through which individuals and groups reach agreement on a course of common, or collective, action even as they disagree on the intended goals of that action. Preferences must be reconciled in order to agree to some common course of action. Political institutions consist of offices that confer on their occupants" specific authority and responsibilities: authority is the acknowledged right to make a particular decision. A form of the prisoner"s dilemma that afflicts large groups is the free- rider problem. The veto embodies the right of an official or institution to say no to a proposal from another official or institution. Agenda control is the right of an actor to set choices for others.