Final Exam Format

1
Final Exam Format

• Three parts
• Identifications. Youll be given terms and asked
  to define them, give an example, and explain why
  theyre important or significant to American
  politics. You should be able to answer these in
  3-5 sentences. There will likely be more of
  these than were on the midterm.
• Short Answers. Specific questions (some with
  multiple parts) that you should be able to answer
  in 5-7 sentences. There may be more of these
  than were on the midterm.
• Long Essay. This part will ask you to explain
  material from the class, evaluate it, and give
  your own analysis in essay form (similar to the
  take-home midterm). Youll have a choice of two
  questions (with multiple parts)
• In all sections, you will have some degree of
  choice over what you answer.

2
Chapter One Key Concepts

• Logic of collective action
• Free rider problem
• Article 1-1 in Reader Olson from The Logic of
  Collective Action. Be prepared to talk about his
  arguments in relation to interest groups.
• The prisoners dilemma

3
Chapter One Key Concepts

• Delegation
• Principal-agent relationship
• Shirking
• Agency loss
• Be prepared to apply these, especially in the
  context of the relationships between the people
  and the government and each branch of government
  and the bureaucracy.

4
Chapter One Key Concepts

• Transaction costs
• Conformity costs

5
Chapter 6 Congress

• How electoral logic creates a prisoners dilemma
  when it comes to passing laws (review Logic pp.
  219-220). Responsiveness versus responsibility.

6
Chapter 7 The Presidency

• Why was the 19th century presidency referred to
  as that of chief clerk? How did the typical
  president of that era spend his day?
• Central clearance
• Executive orders
• The veto game.

7
Chapter 7 The President

• Why is bargaining important? (see article 7-1 by
  Neustadt)
• What is going public and why do presidents use
  it? (see also article 7-2 by Kernell)
• How does the news media complicate the ability to
  go public? (Ch 14 material may also be useful)
• How does whether the government is unified or
  divided affect the choice between bargaining and
  going public?

8
Chapter 8 The Bureaucracy

• Who controls the bureaucracy? (See pp. 297-317)
• Congress
• The president
• The courts
• The bureaucracy
• Interest groups
• What methods of control are available to each?
• How might bureaucrats have an advantage in the
  relationship?
• Apply principal-agent framework.

9
Chapter 8 The Bureaucracy

• Define iron triangle
• What is red tape and why does it exist? Why is
  it important?
• The spoils system and civil service reform (See
  Ch 7 as well) What were the advantages and
  disadvantages of the spoils system? What are the
  advantages and disadvantages of civil service
  reform?

10
11/14 Lecture

• Ex parte McCardle and appellate jurisdiction
• Roosevelts court packing plan. What was it?
  Why did he propose it? Did he get what he
  wanted?
• What happens if the Court rules a law of Congress
  unconstitutional and Congress doesnt like it?
• Immigration and Naturalization Service v. Chadha
  (1983)

11
Chapter 10 Public Opinion

• Scientific polling versus straw polls
• Framing
• Political socialization

12
Chapter 10 Public Opinion

• Is public opinion meaningful?
• Do citizens know what they need to know? (later
  chapters as well)
• Opinion leaders
• Cognitive shortcuts (Chapter 11 as well).

13
Chapter 11 Voting, Campaigns, and Elections

• Logic of elections (keeping agents in check)
• What needs to happen for this to be an effective
  check on power?

14
Chapter 11 Voting, Campaigns, and Elections

• Suffrage how and why did it expand over time?
• What makes people more or less likely to vote?
  What effect might this have on democracy?

15
Chapter 11 Voting, Campaigns, and Elections

• How do voters decide? What do they base their
  decision on? What kind of cognitive shortcuts do
  they employ? (See also 11-1 in Principles and
  Practice)
• message

16
Chapter 12 Political Parties

• Why do we have political parties? What functions
  do they perform? (covered in class 11/21)

17
Chapter 12 Political Parties

• What are party machines?
• What is the Australian ballot?
• How did it, along with other progressive reforms,
  undermine party machines?
• What were the unintended consequences of these
  progressive reforms?
• (see Logic pp. 478-483 )

18
Chapter 13 Interest Groups

• Pluralism/Trumans theory and its critics (Logic,
  lectures, Olson in 1-1 and Schattschneider in
  13-1). What evidence supports each
  theory/argument? What doesnt?

19
Chapter 13 Interest Groups

• How do interest groups try and overcome the free
  rider problem?

20
Chapter 13 Interest Groups

• Insider versus outsider tactics. What are they?
  Why use each?
• What are some of the limits on the power of PACs?
  What can they gain through their campaign
  contributions? (see also chapter 11)

21
Chapter 14 The News Media

• Why were newspapers linked to political parties
  early on and what enabled them to later establish
  independence?

22
Chapter 14 The News Media

• The relationship between reporters and
  politicians and their varying goals

23
Chapter 14 The News Media

• What is a trial balloon?
• What is a leak? What different kinds are there?
  Why do people use them?
• Beats

24

• Finals week office hours 1030-100 Monday and
  Wednesday at the Grove (in the unlikely event of
  rain, come to SSB 325 instead)
• E-mail llrice_at_ucsd.edu
• Final Exam Thursday, December 8 1130