Third Edition
CQ PressInstructors' ResourcesChaptersCh. 1 Logic of American PoliticsCh. 2 The ConstitutionCh. 3 FederalismCh. 4 Civil RightsCh. 5 Civil LibertiesCh. 6 CongressCh. 7 The PresidencyCh. 8 The BureaucracyCh. 9 The JudiciaryCh. 10 Public OpinionCh. 11 Voting, Campaigns and ElectionsCh. 12 Political PartiesCh. 13 Interest GroupsCh. 14 The News MediaAbout the BookAbout the Authors The Logic of American Politics by Samuel Kernell and Gary C. Jacobson

Chapter One: Logic of American Politics

Study

Chapter Summary
Because resources are scarce and beliefs differ, disagreements are almost inevitable. Politics is the means through which disagreeing people can get good outcomes without having to beat each other over the head with sticks.

Most of the things we do or consume in our lives as individuals are private goods and thus have little to do with government. However, many vital goods in our political system are public goods, which everyone participates in providing and which anyone can freely consume. There are many obstacles to providing these public goods. Finding an agreeable political course of action can often be a complicated task, especially when the number of people involved is large. Further, most political solutions involve bargaining and compromises that depart substantially from each person's ideal solution. Even if people agree about what they want, problems of coordination or the incentive to free ride or renege can undermine their ability to act collectively. Delegating monitoring and enforcement power to agents in government is an effective method of ensuring collective action, but doing so runs the risk of these agents using this power to suit their own ends.

The rules and roles established in particular political systems affect the political outcomes that are produced. Every organization is governed by rules and procedures for making and enforcing decisions. Choosing rules involves trade-offs between different values. Compared with other political systems, the American system tends to impose lower conformity costs but to have higher transaction costs. This is no accident, however: the functioning of the American political system reflects the content of the rules and governing institutions established by the Framers and modified over two centuries of political experience.

Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should understand…

  • the meaning of "politics" and the ways in which people use politics to achieve their goals
  • how the setting or circumstances of politics can affect outcomes
  • why smart, rational people can combine to produce really bad outcomes
  • how smart, rational people can set things up to produce better outcomes
  • the risks and rewards of delegating power to agents
  • the trade-offs between different ways of reaching decisions (majority rule, consensus, dictatorship)
  • the difference between public and private goods, and how they are produced and consumed
  • why politicians don't have to be ideal, selfless goody-two-shoes to be good representatives

Review Questions

  • Why can't we solve our disputes through simple bargaining all the time? What factors serve to undermine bargaining in different settings? What can people or governments do to help solve disputes despite these factors?


  • What sorts of institutions are commonly used to manage conflicts in societies? What are some examples of where these institutions have failed?


  • According to Kernell and Jacobson, why are institutions difficult to change? Why and how did the Framers try to make the Constitution difficult to amend?


  • Compare and contrast problems of coordination, free riding, the prisoner's dilemma, and the tragedy of the commons. Give a real-world example of each.


  • What are the various costs associated with collective action?


  • Discuss how the coordination and transaction costs for states changed when the national government moved from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution.


  • Contrast the simple majority, plurality, and supermajority voting rules. For each rule, give an example of its use. Discuss the trade-off between transaction and conformity costs for each.


  • What are principals and agents? When in your life have you been one or the other?


  • Think of two examples of how you have delegated to a nongovernmental agent in your daily life. Have you ever had problems with one of your agents shirking or misusing your delegated authority? What precautions did you take?


  • How has fire protection evolved in the United States from a private good to a public good? How did smoking evolve from a private issue to a public issue?


  • What are some examples of public and private goods that you have consumed today? How did you acquire them?