POLSCI 111 Chapter Notes - Chapter part 2 midterm: 111Th United States Congress, Bowling Alone, Collective Behavior
12 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Participation:
Wong, "Asian American Political Participation"
● Those who identify as Asian American and not Filipino or Korean (specificity) have higher chance
of voting and political activity
● 1/2 in study identified as Ethnic American
● 40% said their ethnic group
● Asian American may be assimilating with norms more
○ Sense of linked fate
● Ethnic group would more likely vote for a co-ethnic candidate
● Asian American and Ethnic American: vote , contribute and contact government officials at
higher rate than Asian or just group (Filipino) identification
● Protest and identification show a minimal relationship
Putnam, "Bowling Alone"
● Decrease in volunteerism since the 1960s
● Social capital-connections among individuals
○ Trustworthiness
○ Reciprocity
○ Social networks
● Allows to resolve collective problems easily
○ Best solved with compliance to a collective behavior
● Allows trustworthiness
● Widening awareness as to how we are linked
○ Tolerance and empathy
● Cope with trauma and illness more effectively
Elections:
Koza et al., "Every Vote Equal"
● Get popular vote winner in office with pledge of 270 e-votes
● Presidents focus on battleground states
● Voters are disenfranchised in 4/5 states
● Current system doesn't reflect national popular vote
● Not every vote is equal
● National Popular Vote Compact
○ Represent nation and not state by state
Fox & Lawless, "Gendered Perceptions and Political Candidates"
● Men and women largely agree on traits required to be successful in politics
● But women believe they have fewer of those traits than men believe they have
○ Explains gender disparity among elected politicians in the US
● 83% of members were men in 2009 in 111th Congress
● Since 2000, number of women elected to state legislatures has plateaued
● The explanation of overt discrimination has been largely discarded
● Incumbency poses an obstacle on the federal level for women
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
○ But when placing term limits, no evidence that it improved female representation
● Men taught to be confident, assertive and self-promoting while women are subtle suggested
that it is inappropriate to deem these qualities
● Women have lower levels of confidence about becoming candidates
○ Lower self evaluations are large reaching
○ Express doubts about their ability
● Despite comparable credentials, backgrounds and experiences, women are less likely than
similar men to perceive themselves as qualified to seek elective office
● Men and women rely on the same factors but women find their skills and traits less likely to
succeed in election
● Results:
○ Me ae 50% oe likel tha oe to oside theseles e ualified
○ Woe ae 2 as likel as e to asset the ae ot at all ualified
○ Gender gap in self efficacy is equal for both Democrats and Republicans
○ Do not derive in differences in their actual credentials
○ Women lower self-assessments of skills are consistent with a political culture that has
not embraced women
Achen & Bartels, "Democracy for Realists"
● Voters misunderstand the basic elements of democracy, are swayed at election time by
irrelevant information and vote against their own interests
● Elections do not produce effective and responsive government
● Populist ideal of democracy: emphasizes the role of ordinary citizens in determining the policies
○ How it works
■ 1. The public decides issues through the election of individuals who are to
assemble and carry out its will.
■ 2. The people ule though diet deoa ad hoose poliies theseles
via initiative and referendums.
● Leadership selection: less popular model of democracy, more persuasive to political scientists,
elections as mechanisms. People have the opportunity of accepting or refusing the men who are
to rule them.
● Retrospective theory of voting: most influential model of democratic selection, election
outcomes hinge not on ideas but on public approval/disapproval of actual performance by
incumbent political leaders
○ Appeals to skeptical scholars because it puts less pressure on voters
● The history of democratic thought is addiction to romantic theories. First step toward recovery
is to admit we have a problem
Public Opinion:
Kinder & Kam, "Us Against Them"
● Many Americans hold deep-seated prejudices against people who are of a different race
● Prejudices are manifestations of ethnocentrism- seeig the old as us s the
○ Meaningful political consequences
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
