Please respond to each of the four short response questions posted below. Your answers should be short, focused, and complete, ranging from one to three paragraphs. Please make sure to answer each specific part of every question. Successful answers will provide details and context that support your arguments and explain your position to the readers. You may also want to provide real world examples taken from the readings, lectures, group discussions, or your own independent thinking. These illustrations can be from the course materials or your own ideas. Providing this context and being able to apply the material to YOUR OWN understanding of politics really shows us that you have mastered the material.
Each answer will be worth 25 points, for 100 points total.
A) What do principal agent dilemmas teach us about government behavior and the relationship of executive agencies to government? B) Provide an example of a principal agent dilemma in government. C) Explain how government solves (or mitigates) this principal agent dilemmas?
A) Why is the Judicial Branch considered the weakest branch in government? B) How did the authority of the judicial branch evolve over time? C) Why are modern day judicial nominations so critical for the parties and so contentious for Senate politics? [Please feel free to use examples from the recent nomination and appointment battles].
Drawing from lectures and the readings, identify the important benefits and drawbacks of interest group participation in American politics. A) why do some argue that interest groups are beneficial to American lawmaking? B) What are the key concerns about interest group influence in elections and lawmaking. C) In your view, is such interest group influence a problem for American democracy? Why?
A) Describe the difference between insider and outsider lobbying tactics. B) Why do some interest groups favor insider tactics, while others favor outsider lobbying? C) Under what circumstances will one be more impactful than the other? D) What does this tell us about pluralism and power in American politics?
