GVPT 170 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Dual Federalism, Wilmot Proviso, Modern Problems
14 Oct 2016
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Document Summary
Politics is where we reconcile preferences and reach agreements (even if disagree on intended goal of action) Reconciling preferences represents the fundamental problem of governance. What can we do: unstructured negotiations rarely lead to acceptable results for all parties. Fear of reneging may foster suspicion and lead even so far as civil war. Complicated by more people and divisiveness: create structured negotiations through institutions. Creation of institutions is fundamentally a product of politics. Simple, self-enforcing rules focal point to target energies toward a common purpose. Create institutions that guarantee agreements are honored. But most still free ride: ex: collective study guides no one adds to, solutions: Collective action offers participants benefits they can"t achieve on their own. The key: system must achieve benefits of collective action while minimizing its costs. Difference between what party prefers and what collective requires. Losers- parties whose preferences receive little accommodation. These costs tend to be inversely related.
