Key Terms
Political socialization
The gradual process by which a person develops their political personality from youth through adulthood. Includes values
Socialization (broader)
How a person develops any values and beliefs over time.
Culture
Shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices common to members of a group.
Political culture
The subset of those shared elements specific to political life; how a group understands citizenship, government, and pol
Collective dilemma
Any situation in which two or more people must make a shared decision but do not fully agree on the solution.
Status quo
Whenever no rule-required threshold is met, the current situation stands unchanged.
Quorum
The minimum number of members who must be present for a vote to occur. Minority groups can raise transaction costs by de
Two broad solutions
1. Delegate to one person or small group.
Transaction costs
The time, money, and effort required to make a group decision. Conformity costs: the gap between what an individual want
Collective action problems
Situations where individuals, acting rationally in self-interest, have incentives to take actions that harm the group an
Commons
Any resource that anyone in a group can access and use.
Classic examples
Overfishing, freshwater depletion, greenhouse gas emissions, traffic congestion.
Free riding
Accepting the benefit of a group effort without contributing to it.
Political example
Countries that verbally support climate agreements but do not take the actions necessary to meet their commitments are f
Real-world examples
Negative political campaigning, arms races, countries failing to reduce emissions while hoping others will.