GVPT 170 Study Guide - Spring 2018, Comprehensive Midterm Notes - United States Congress, United States Constitution, Supreme Court Of The United States
12 Oct 2018
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Department
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GVPT 170
MIDTERM EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
Fall 2018
Lecture 1 : The Purposes of Government
1. Maintain Order
● “Law and order”
● Hobbes and the anarchy of the “state of nature”
● “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” (James Madison)
● Importance of checks and balances
● Tendency to form factions with like-minded people
● Avoid the tyranny of the majority
2. Provide for the General Welfare
● Public goods are benefits and services available to everyone
● Necessary role of government in providing these things because of the free rider
problem
● What is Politics?
● “The process that determines what government does”
● “Who gets what, when, and how” (Lasswell, 1936)
● Key: politics involves conflict over resources and also values
● Three features of politics
● 1) Conflict
● 2) Process
● 3) Prevalent (i.e., “politics is everywhere”)
● Sources of conflict in U.S. politics
● 1. Economic interests
● Role of government vs. individual
● Redistribution & equality
● 2. Culture
● 3. Identity
● Race. ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation
● Notion of a “melting pot” or “salad bowl”
● 4. Ideology
● 5. Partisanship (teams)
● Importance of Rules in Resolving Political Conflicts
● The U.S. political system is based on rules
● Rules are not impartial
● Rules affect the outcomes
● Establishing the rules often involves conflict
● Characteristics of American Democracy
● America is a Representative Democracy
● People vote for leaders through elections, and these elected leaders make the laws
● America is a Constitutional Democracy
● Key is a foundational document describing the structure of government, its powers, & its
limits
● American Political Culture
● Central Principles
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
● 1. Political equality
● 2. Plurality rule and minority rights
● 3. Equality before the law
● A Global Perspective
● How do the choices the U.S. has made about the structure of the government (and its
policies) compare to choices made by other countries?
● How is globalization and increasing contact with other countries affecting how Americans
view their political system?
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Lecture 1 : the purposes of government: maintain order. Hobbes and the anarchy of the state of nature . Tendency to form factions with like-minded people. If men were angels, no government would be necessary. (james madison) Importance of checks and balances: provide for the general welfare. Public goods are benefits and services available to everyone. Necessary role of government in providing these things because of the free rider problem. Who gets what, when, and how (lasswell, 1936) Key: politics involves conflict over resources and also values. Notion of a melting pot or salad bowl . The u. s. political system is based on rules. People vote for leaders through elections, and these elected leaders make the laws. Key is a foundational document describing the structure of government, its powers, & its. Importance of rules in resolving political conflicts limits. Answers to questions of government and politics are often complex and conditional. Dislike of taxation without representation (stamp act of 1765)
