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POLS 102 MERCURIO KEY TERMS
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"The Triangle Trade - CORRECT ANSWER=> Slaves were brought to America from Africa; sugar, cotton, and tobacco were exported to England; and manufactured goods, textiles, and rum were sent to Africa to pay for slaves." "appropriations - CORRECT ANSWER=> The power of appropriation, also known as the "power of the purse", is control of the budget. In the U.S. system, this power belongs to the House of Representatives." "conference committee - CORRECT ANSWER=> Committes created to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill, made up of members from both the House and the Senate who work to reach compromises." "constituency service - CORRECT ANSWER=> Helping constituents solve problems that they may have with the government." "Delegate Model of Representation - CORRECT ANSWER=> According to this theory, members of Congress should act as instructed by their constituents. Public opinion is the principal source of government legitimacy and so government power is only properly exercised when it is based on public opinion." "delegates - CORRECT ANSWER=> Elected representatives acting out of a political obligation to do what their constituents want." "enumerated powers - CORRECT ANSWER=> Powers that are specifically mentioned. Also known as delegated powers."
"impeachment - CORRECT ANSWER=> The formal charging of a government official with treason, bribery, other high crimes and misdemeanors. In the U.S. this power belongs to the Senate."" "implied powers - CORRECT ANSWER=> Powers not specifically mentioned but which can be logically implied." "joint committees - CORRECT ANSWER=> Committees concerning specific policy areas, made up of members from both the House and the Senate. They are set up as a way to expedite business between the houses, particularly when pressing issues require quick action by Congress." "legislative oversight - CORRECT ANSWER=> Congress's investigative role. Usually accomplished through conducting hearings to determine how public policy is being implemented, to determine whether the law needs to be changed based on information about how it is working; or to investigate when there is suspicion of wrongdoing on the part of public officials acting in their official capacity, or suspicion of private citizens whose activities or behavior may warrant a legislative remedy." "majority party - CORRECT ANSWER=> The party with the most seats in that house of Congress." "minority party - CORRECT ANSWER=> The party with second most number of seats." "necessary and proper clause - CORRECT ANSWER=> Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, states that Congress has the power ""to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper..." It has been interpreted to mean that Congress can make laws to achieve its numerated powers, giving Congress power to choose the means it considers necessary to achieve its legislative ends." "Politico Model of Representation - CORRECT ANSWER=> According to this model representatives are rational actors whose voting behavior reflect their best judgment or according to constituent desires depending on the situation." "president pro tempore - CORRECT ANSWER=> The chair of the Senate, a largely honorary position awarded to the most senior senator of the majority party. He stands in for the Vice President, who only votes in the case of a tie."
arbitrary governance by requiring that those who make and enforce the law are also bound by it." "dispute resolution - CORRECT ANSWER=> The role of the court to settle conflicts according to law. This is a universal function associated with courts." "judicial activism - CORRECT ANSWER=> Courts playing a broad role in the government— associated with the belief that judges should be willing to enforce their view of what the law means regardless of political opposition in the legislative or executive branches." "judicial legitimacy - CORRECT ANSWER=> The question of the validiting of judicial power because they are not elected representatives." "judicial restraint - CORRECT ANSWER=> Deference to the other branches of government, upholding precedent, and deciding only legal (not economic, social, or political) issues." "judicial review - CORRECT ANSWER=> "The power to declare unconstitutional laws passed by Congress, executive orders or other actions of the President, administrative regulations enacted by bureaucracies, lower court judges, laws passed by state legislatures, or the actions of state governors, county commissioners, city officials, and school board policies."" "law interpretation - CORRECT ANSWER=> The role of the court to decide what the law means when there is a disagreement about meaning, conflicting provisions, or even conflicts between two laws." "precedent - CORRECT ANSWER=> A judge is expected to decide a current issue the way a previous issue was decided. While it may seem like a legalistic way to decide cases, it is actually based on a common sense expectation of justice: an expectation that an individual will be treated the way other similarly situated individuals were treated. Also known as "stare decisis", which is Latin for "let the previous decision stand."" "confederation - CORRECT ANSWER=> A political system where the constituent units (the states, provinces, or regional governments) are more powerful than the central (or national) government. Power is decentralized. The central government is comparatively weak, with fewer powers and governing responsibilities than the units." "Cooley Doctrine - CORRECT ANSWER=> Based on the court case Cooley v. Board of Port Wardens, the court developed this doctrine to serve as a guide to decide whether a matter is for
local or national regulation. Subjects that are not national and require local diversity of regulation are left to the states, but it does not provide specific answers to questions about whether something requires a single, uniform system of regulation." "cooperative federalism - CORRECT ANSWER=> National and state governments sharing power over areas of public policy." "delegated powers - CORRECT ANSWER=> Powers that are specifically mentioned." "dual federalism - CORRECT ANSWER=> A theory of federalism that describes both the federal government and the state governments as coequal sovereigns. Each is sovereign in its respective areas of policymaking." "federalism - CORRECT ANSWER=> A two-tiered system of government in which power is divided geographically between a national (or central) government and subnational units (states, provinces, or regional governments)." "interposition - CORRECT ANSWER=> A political doctrine that a state can intervene between the people of the state and the federal government when the federal government exceeds its authority." "power problem - CORRECT ANSWER=> The dilemma of how much power to centralize in the national government and how much power to leave decentralized with the states." "reserved powers - CORRECT ANSWER=> Powers that are not specifically mentioned. In the U.S. Constitution, 10th amendment, powers not granted to the national government or prohibited to the states belong to the states." "states' rights - CORRECT ANSWER=> A belief that a policy is the responsibility of a state government not the national or federal government." "unitary system - CORRECT ANSWER=> A political system with one level of government. The central government has sovereignty or the highest governing authority and may create local or regional units to help govern but these units are "creatures" of the national or unitary government." "commercial media - CORRECT ANSWER=> "Profit driven media, especially sensationalism. Rather than a paper being identified with a particular point of view or party or fair and providing
"communism - CORRECT ANSWER=> An extreme version of socialism. It takes the socialist ideal of equality, and the assigns government's responsibility to achieve it in the economic, political, and social sectors to the point where there is no distinction between a private sector and the public sector." "environmentalism - CORRECT ANSWER=> A movement whose members advocate protecting the natural environment." "feminism - CORRECT ANSWER=> A social or political movement that strives for equal rights for women." "fundamentalism - CORRECT ANSWER=> An idea rather than an ideology that reacts against modernity by advocating a return to the basics or the fundamentals. From a social science perspective, secular fundamentalism is a reaction against modernity, particularly science, secularism, and value relativism." "ideology - CORRECT ANSWER=> A belief system that consists of a relatively coherent set of ideas, attitudes, or values about government and politics, AND the public policies that are designed to implement the values or achieve the goals." "liberal - CORRECT ANSWER=> In modern US politics, liberals believe in big government to regulate business and to expand social and economic equality." "libertarianism - CORRECT ANSWER=> A belief system that values freedom and believes that individuals and groups can organize life with only minimal government." "modern conservatism - CORRECT ANSWER=> A belief system doesn't advocate antigovernmental or small government as much as being opposed to what government has been doing. Much more ideological than traditional. Much more ideological than traditional. Not antigovernment" "socialism - CORRECT ANSWER=> The belief systems that economic power is the basis of political power and that economic equality is essential for political equality." "terrorism - CORRECT ANSWER=> The use of violence or the threat of violence to intimidate or coerce a people, principally for political purposes."
"traditional conservatism - CORRECT ANSWER=> Preserving, keeping, or protecting traditional beliefs, values, customs, or ways of doing things. Traditional conservatives defend the status quo against radical or revolutionary change or the assumption that all change is reform (good change)." "air campaigns or air wars - CORRECT ANSWER=> Refers to campaigns that rely heavily on the mass media rather than candidates and their campaign workers meeting voters and distributing campaign literature in person." "caucus - CORRECT ANSWER=> "A meeting of party leaders to select candidates, elect convention delegates; Or a meeting of party members within a legislative body to select leaders and determine strategy. (Dictionary.com)"" "civic duty model - CORRECT ANSWER=> "An individual explanation for voting behavior that focuses on non-material, non-rational incentives for voting:a sense of responsibility to the political unit, or a commitment to democratic government and the obligations and duties as well as the rights of citizens to maintain self-government."" "closed primaries - CORRECT ANSWER=> Primary elections where voters are required to register with a specific party before the election and are only able to vote in the party's election for which they are registered." "Individual explanations - CORRECT ANSWER=> "Explanations for behavior that focus on motivations rather than systems, rules, and structures."" "open primaries - CORRECT ANSWER=> Open primary elections allow anyone who is eligible to vote in the primary election to vote for a party's selection." "political efficacy - CORRECT ANSWER=> "The belief that one's participation matters, that one's decision to vote really makes a difference."" "presidential primary - CORRECT ANSWER=> The process by which the presidential candidate for each party is selected." "rational choice model - CORRECT ANSWER=> "An individual explanation for voting behavior that assumes that individuals are self-interested actors who use a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether it is in their self-interest to vote: whether the vote will affect the outcome of the election, the expected benefit of voting and not voting, and also a sense of civic duty.""
"domestic policies - CORRECT ANSWER=> Government programs that affect individuals and organizations within a country." "foreign policy - CORRECT ANSWER=> Government programs that concern a country's relations with other countries." "policy - CORRECT ANSWER=> An official position on an issue or a plan of action that is intended to achieve certain results." "policy adoption - CORRECT ANSWER=> The making of a law or laws that give the policy legal force." "Duverger's Law - CORRECT ANSWER=> "A proposition that in a system where voters can vote for only one candidate (plurality rule), and only one candidate is elected for the district (single- member district), there will generally be only two parties."" "multi-party systems - CORRECT ANSWER=> A system where more than two parties run for national election." "one-party systems - CORRECT ANSWER=> A system where only one political party is legally allowed to hold power." "political party - CORRECT ANSWER=> A organization of people with shared ideas about government and politics who try to gain control of government in order to implement their ideas." "two-party system - CORRECT ANSWER=> "A system where two major political parties dominate national elections, and it is extremely difficult for a candidate from any party other than the two major parties to have a real chance to win elections."" “Civil Liberties - CORRECT ANSWER=> Constitutional guarantees that protect individual freedom from government power" "Statutory Law - CORRECT ANSWER=> Legislation, not the Constitution, that provides legal claims for civil rights" "Establishment Clause - CORRECT ANSWER=> Wall of Separation and Accommodation"
"Wall of Separation - CORRECT ANSWER=> Government cannot establish a religion" "Accommodation - CORRECT ANSWER=> Government can accommodate or support religious beliefs as long as an official religion is not declared" "Lemon Test - CORRECT ANSWER=> Used by Supreme Court to guide decisions about when government support for religion violates the Establishment Clause" "Content Neutrality - CORRECT ANSWER=> Principle that the gov't is supposed to be neutral toward political and religious beliefs" "Reasonableness Test - CORRECT ANSWER=> Determine whether a generally applicable law that is substantially burdened freedom of religion was constitutional" "Strict Scrutiny Test - CORRECT ANSWER=> Gov't must have compelling reason for burdening freedom of religion" "Suspect Classification - CORRECT ANSWER=> Class of individuals that have been historically subject to discrimination. Any statute that makes a distinction between individuals based on any of the suspect classifications (ie. alienage, race) will be subject to a strict scrutiny standard of review before the Supreme Court." "aristocracy - CORRECT ANSWER=> A positive form of government of rule by the few." "authority - CORRECT ANSWER=> The right to make other people do what you want. A person is authorized to make another comply with their demands." "citizen - CORRECT ANSWER=> A member of the political community." "direct democracy - CORRECT ANSWER=> A form of government where voters choose public policies themselves." "government - CORRECT ANSWER=> The institutions and processes that make and implement authoritative decisions for a society." "justice - CORRECT ANSWER=> A principle that an individual is treated fairly. Includes the belief that individuals should get what they deserve: good or appropriate behavior is rewarded; bad or
"checks and balances - CORRECT ANSWER=> The distribution of power among three separate but interdependent branches to prevent any one individual or institution from getting too much power." "confederation - CORRECT ANSWER=> A loose association of sovereign states that agree to cooperate in a kind of voluntary "league of friendship."" "constitution - CORRECT ANSWER=> A social contract as a written document, closely associated with government legitimacy because constitutions are considered one of the best ways to achieve the rule of law." "federalism - CORRECT ANSWER=> A system of government characterized by a geographic division of power between the national government and the state governments. The actual division of powers is specific in some areas of public policy but general in others." "mercantilism - CORRECT ANSWER=> A theory that the government controls and directs economic activity, particularly foreign trade, in order to maximize the state's wealth." "Mutiny Act - CORRECT ANSWER=> Passed by the British Parliament in 1765, also known as the "Quartering" Act, it forced colonists to either provide barracks for British soldiers or house them in their homes." "republic - CORRECT ANSWER=> A systems of government also known as indirect democracy or representative democracy" "rule of law - CORRECT ANSWER=> A legal principle requiring that government action be authorized by law, thereby making it possible to hold government officials legally accountable for their actions." "separation of powers - CORRECT ANSWER=> The functional division of power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government." "Seven Years War - CORRECT ANSWER=> From 1756—1763, the long and expensive war with the French and Indians ended with the British in control of most of North America." "Shays' Rebellion - CORRECT ANSWER=> From the fall of 1786 and winter of 1787, a Revolutionary War veteran, lead approximately 1500 supporters on an armed march to stop mortgage foreclosures and demand relief from bad economic conditions. The State of
Massachusetts appealed to the national government for help, but the national government could not act without the consent of the other states, who rejected the request for money to establish a national army. The incident alarmed government officials and political leaders who believed the national government needed to be given more power to respond to such threats. A constitutional convention was held in the summer of 1787 to "revise" the Articles of Confederation to correct its defects." "The Bill of Rights - CORRECT ANSWER=> The first ten amendments to the U.S. constitution; they provide for individual rights and set important limits on the power of the national government." "The Coercive Acts - CORRECT ANSWER=> Also known as the the Intolerable Acts, passed by the British Parliament in 1774 at the urging of King George III, they allowed Britain to blockade Boston harbor and placed 4,000 more soldiers in Boston." "The Stamp Act - CORRECT ANSWER=> Passed by the British Parliament in 1765, the act required all printed documents to bear a stamp." "The Sugar Act - CORRECT ANSWER=> Passed by the British Parliament in 1764, it taxed sugar, wine, coffee, and other products commonly exported to the colonies. The colonists resented these taxes and began to cry "no taxation without representation!"" "The Townshend Acts - CORRECT ANSWER=> Passed by the British Parliament in 1765, it imposed duties on many products including tea." “what are the differences between comparative politics and international relations? - CORRECT ANSWER=> comparative politics: takes place in a settled order International relations: has much less order and more fluidity (the actions of some states are very unpredictable)" "what are the key subfields of international relations? - CORRECT ANSWER=> international political economy (globalization); foreign policy/diplomacy and social studies (war and peace); international relations theory" "what event led to the creation of international relations as a study? - CORRECT ANSWER=> WWI because it affected four continents, acted as a catalyst for the formation of IR as a new field" "what do idealist assume will lead to the prevention of war? - CORRECT ANSWER=> argues was can be prevented if states follow international law and back International Organization"
"how does public opinion shape the decisions that world leaders make? - CORRECT ANSWER=> leaders must take the media and citizen's reactions into account when making decisions; leaders frequently prepare the public for costly decisions over time" "what are the causes of war according to the textbook? - CORRECT ANSWER=> " "why is anarchy, a key theme of the textbook, often assumed to be the underlying dynamics of international politics? - CORRECT ANSWER=> Absence of government scares people; where you get into crime and conflict—this causes a need and want for stability; realism=spend money on defense and policy; idealism=international organization, don't use weapons" "how does MAD serve to keep the peace between major nuclear powers? - CORRECT ANSWER=> Doctrine of military strategy and national security policy in which a full-scale use of nuclear weapons by two or more opposing sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender; based on the theory of deterrence which holds that the threat of using strong weapons against the enemy prevents the enemy's use of those same weapons" "why is Pakistan and India's development of nuclear weapons more worrying than the cold war rivalry between the USSR and USA? - CORRECT ANSWER=> problem of nuclear proliferation (what happens when rogue states master nuclear technology); conflict between India and Pakistan causes problems because they both have nuclear weapons, they are geographically close, and they have a history of conflict" "what was the strategic purpose of the non-proliferation treaty and comprehensive test ban treaty? - CORRECT ANSWER=> NPT was designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons while allowing for peaceful use of nuclear technology; CTBT was designed to prevent nuclear test (theory is that without testing, nuclear weapons will not become more powerful)" "what are some of the main types of information warfare used by the major powers? - CORRECT ANSWER=> intellectual property theft; electromagnetic surges to take out power plants or fry hard drives; bombs made of concrete; Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit" "explain how domino theory, the truman doctrine, and containment are related - CORRECT ANSWER=> Truman doctrine: cold war; provide political, military, and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces Domino theory: once communists get into any country, their neighbors will become communist too Containment: wanted to contain the soviets so communism wouldn't spread"
"what is the difference between SALT and START? - CORRECT ANSWER=> SALT: limited both sides to 2 anti-ballistic missile launching sites; began the process of limiting the weapons system that both sides could use START: lowered the totaly number of missiles for each country to around 3,000" "what is the different between bilateral and multilateral treaties? - CORRECT ANSWER=> Multilateral: treaties between 3 or more countries Bilateral: treaties between 2 countries" "why is the WTO so powerful? - CORRECT ANSWER=> they have the power to tell the POTUS what to do, and they have to follow it; more powerful than the UN; heavily affects the economy" "how does the international court of justice work? - CORRECT ANSWER=> principal judicial organ to the UN 2 main functions: To settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted by States; to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized UN organs and specialized agencies" "how does the connally amendment govern US actions towards the ICJ? - CORRECT ANSWER=> US is free to sue other people (connally law) but we have to be agreed to be sued" "how does the un serve as important avenue for diplomacy and publicity for smaller/less populous countries? - CORRECT ANSWER=> Try to get other larger countries to help out smaller countries Help them collaborate with neighbors "Classroom in a box" to provide education for US we have embassies in 160-190 countries (poorer countries cant afford to have many embassies)" "which us presidents have gotten legitimacy for their actions by appealing to the un security council? - CORRECT ANSWER=> Both Bush presidents; used security council to pressure congress or vice-versa" "what is the difference between peacekeeping and peace enforcement? - CORRECT ANSWER=> Peace enforcement: the use of military force to compel peace in a conflict, generally against the will of those combatants Peacekeeping: involves monitoring and enforcing a cease-fire agreed to by two or more former combatants"
"how does nz evaluate potential immigrants? - CORRECT ANSWER=> test them based in their physical health as well as their aptitude for employment" "explain the importance of mexico to the us - CORRECT ANSWER=> #3 US trading partner; we export twice as much to them as we do to #2 partner china" "who is carlos slim? - CORRECT ANSWER=> world's 6th richest man (verizon, outback, office max, etc.)" "describe what happened to mexico after its independence - CORRECT ANSWER=> it developed into caudillo/warlord rule" "who was porfirio diaz and why is he important to mexican history? - CORRECT ANSWER=> mexican leader until 1910 revolution; he allowed a lot of US investments in railroads, telegraphs, and agriculture" "explain post-mexican revolutionary order (include the ideas of political consolidation social and economic reform) - CORRECT ANSWER=> radical wings of the revolution exhausted themselves; winners are urban middle-class moderates--they form the Party of Industrial Revolution (PRI) in 1920--the party branches out and forms constituent groups for women, peasants, professionals, etc." "what is state capitalism? - CORRECT ANSWER=> the government took over "jewels" of the economy (industries like telephone companies, Aero Mexico, and PEMEX Oil Company--these industries were supported with government subsidies, tax credits, and limits on imports of consumer goods" "what factors contributed to mexicos economy growing faster than the us's from 1950-80? - CORRECT ANSWER=> economy moved from agricultural to industrial; high level of inequality (top 20% own 2/3 of wealth)" "how has geography played a role in the pollution problems in mexico city? - CORRECT ANSWER=> mexico city has 21+ million people which is a huge challenge to outdoor air quality (7700 ft.); there are 500,000 new arrivals every year" "explain the mexican economic crisis of the 1980s - CORRECT ANSWER=> mexico was knocked down after they borrowed too much money during the oil boom at high interest and then oil prices sank by 85% in 1982"
"describe the 3 branches in the mexican government structure, their limitations, and roles - CORRECT ANSWER=> presidency: power is concentrated in the executive branch; limited to a single 6-year term (sexenio) congress: 128 senators with 93 elected in single member districts and 32 by proportional; 500 seats in the chamber of deputies--300 from single member and 200 proportional; high levels of partisanship; many bills are blocked to prevent president from passing an effective agenda judiciary: federal, state, and local components; has power of judicial review but avoids political cases" "what are the political philosophies and priorities of the PRI, PAN, and MORENA? where is the geographic base of each of these parties? where has each achieved some political success? - CORRECT ANSWER=> PRI: 16% of vote; middle class groups, some labour unions, peasant organizations and professional groups PAN: 18% of vote; formed to express catholic social values; developed as an alliance between middle class conservatives and small business owners; support from northern mexico MORENA: 252 chamber of deputies and 55 in senate; loose alliance of leftist and reform parties; based in mexico city and wins votes from poorer mexicans; wants to break up media monopolies, prevent the privatization of PeMex, support from environmental reforms, protect the rights of indigenous peoples in Mexico" "explain how the PRI functioned as a one-party state in mexican politics and how presidential elections have changed over the last 20 years - CORRECT ANSWER=> they allowed elections and other parties to exist so they weren't completed authoritarian; sanctioned interest group into supporting the PRI; they didn't have individual memberships; started to face real competition in 2000; had people who were concerned about different issues; based along the area around the boarder which was growing rapidly; PAN had success during this time" "what is corporatism? - CORRECT ANSWER=> interest group activity is officially sanctioned by the government" "who are vicente fox and andrew manuel lopez obrador (amlo)? how has each shaped mexico? - CORRECT ANSWER=> AMLO: won in jULY ELECTIONS WITH 53% OF THE VOTE; runner-up in the 2012 elections; was opposed to renegotiations of NAFTA but it was pushed through before he came into office; pushed for amnesty for drug crimes, universal college access, and decentralization of cabinet agencies to the states
