Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
Jim Bisbee
NYU
September 8, 2015
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
1 / 11
Me
My education
Trinity College BA
Johns Hopkins MA
NYU PhD
My life
Architecture consultant
North Korean HR analyst
Lived in the US (Boston, Vermont, Hartford, New York, DC, San
Francisco), China (Hong Kong), ROK (Seoul)
Hobbies
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
2 / 11
Recitations
Schedule
Focus
Participation grade
Opinions, knowledge, and respect
Group work
Attendance grade
Office hours
Communication
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
3 / 11
The American Anomaly: Ch. 1-4
Definitions from a book you haven’t been able to purchase
Effective way to benchmark knowledge
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
4 / 11
The American Anomaly: Ch. 1-4
Definitions from a book you haven’t been able to purchase
Effective way to benchmark knowledge
What is a nation? What is a state?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
4 / 11
The American Anomaly: Ch. 1-4
Definitions from a book you haven’t been able to purchase
Effective way to benchmark knowledge
What is a nation? What is a state?
What is a regime? What is a government?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
4 / 11
The American Anomaly: Ch. 1-4
Definitions from a book you haven’t been able to purchase
Effective way to benchmark knowledge
What is a nation? What is a state?
What is a regime? What is a government?
What is the difference between hard and soft power?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
4 / 11
Democracy
What is Democracy?
:
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
:
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
5 / 11
Democracy
What is Democracy?
How can we measure it?
:
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
:
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
5 / 11
Democracy
What is Democracy?
How can we measure it?
Book’s definition:
Sovereign, independent, and a UN member
Scored as “free” by the Freedom House
Populations ≥ 1 million
:
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
:
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
5 / 11
Democracy
What is Democracy?
How can we measure it?
Book’s definition:
Sovereign, independent, and a UN member
Scored as “free” by the Freedom House
Populations ≥ 1 million
Activity: Is this a good measure?
Do you know of any other measures?
What are the weaknesses of this measure?
What are the strengths?
Try to come up with another measure
Discuss in groups for 7 minutes
Timer:
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
toggle
:
:
reset
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
5 / 11
Constitution
What is an institution?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
6 / 11
Constitution
What is an institution?
What is the US constitution? Is it related at all to the definitions of
an institution we’ve heard?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
6 / 11
Constitution
What is an institution?
What is the US constitution? Is it related at all to the definitions of
an institution we’ve heard?
An institution is “the rules of the game: the humanly devised
constraints that structure human interaction. They are made up of
formal constraints (such as rules, laws, constitutions), informal
constraints (such as norms of behavior, conventions, self-imposed
codes of conduct), and their enforcement characteristics.” - Douglass
North
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
6 / 11
Constitution
What is an institution?
What is the US constitution? Is it related at all to the definitions of
an institution we’ve heard?
An institution is “the rules of the game: the humanly devised
constraints that structure human interaction. They are made up of
formal constraints (such as rules, laws, constitutions), informal
constraints (such as norms of behavior, conventions, self-imposed
codes of conduct), and their enforcement characteristics.” - Douglass
North
Basic facts about the Constitution (benchmarking knowledge again)
Can it be amended?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
6 / 11
Constitution
What is an institution?
What is the US constitution? Is it related at all to the definitions of
an institution we’ve heard?
An institution is “the rules of the game: the humanly devised
constraints that structure human interaction. They are made up of
formal constraints (such as rules, laws, constitutions), informal
constraints (such as norms of behavior, conventions, self-imposed
codes of conduct), and their enforcement characteristics.” - Douglass
North
Basic facts about the Constitution (benchmarking knowledge again)
Can it be amended? Yes
Some famous Amendments?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
6 / 11
Constitution
What is an institution?
What is the US constitution? Is it related at all to the definitions of
an institution we’ve heard?
An institution is “the rules of the game: the humanly devised
constraints that structure human interaction. They are made up of
formal constraints (such as rules, laws, constitutions), informal
constraints (such as norms of behavior, conventions, self-imposed
codes of conduct), and their enforcement characteristics.” - Douglass
North
Basic facts about the Constitution (benchmarking knowledge again)
Can it be amended? Yes
Some famous Amendments?
14th, 19th, 21st?
What is required to amend the Constitution?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
6 / 11
Constitution
What is an institution?
What is the US constitution? Is it related at all to the definitions of
an institution we’ve heard?
An institution is “the rules of the game: the humanly devised
constraints that structure human interaction. They are made up of
formal constraints (such as rules, laws, constitutions), informal
constraints (such as norms of behavior, conventions, self-imposed
codes of conduct), and their enforcement characteristics.” - Douglass
North
Basic facts about the Constitution (benchmarking knowledge again)
Can it be amended? Yes
Some famous Amendments?
14th, 19th, 21st?
What is required to amend the Constitution?
2/3s of each house and...
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
6 / 11
Constitution
What is an institution?
What is the US constitution? Is it related at all to the definitions of
an institution we’ve heard?
An institution is “the rules of the game: the humanly devised
constraints that structure human interaction. They are made up of
formal constraints (such as rules, laws, constitutions), informal
constraints (such as norms of behavior, conventions, self-imposed
codes of conduct), and their enforcement characteristics.” - Douglass
North
Basic facts about the Constitution (benchmarking knowledge again)
Can it be amended? Yes
Some famous Amendments?
14th, 19th, 21st?
What is required to amend the Constitution?
2/3s of each house and... 3/4 of all states
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
6 / 11
Federalism
Return to the definition of a US State
What is a US state?
How is it different from the formal definition of state that we talked
about earlier?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
7 / 11
Federalism
Return to the definition of a US State
What is a US state?
How is it different from the formal definition of state that we talked
about earlier?
A US state is not sovereign
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
7 / 11
Federalism
Return to the definition of a US State
What is a US state?
How is it different from the formal definition of state that we talked
about earlier?
A US state is not sovereign
But a US state can pass it’s own laws and collect its own taxes (some
amazing state laws)
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
7 / 11
Federalism
Return to the definition of a US State
What is a US state?
How is it different from the formal definition of state that we talked
about earlier?
A US state is not sovereign
But a US state can pass it’s own laws and collect its own taxes (some
amazing state laws)
The balance is Federalism – it exists on a spectrum between
CONFEDERATION and UNIFIED STATE
Confederation: there is a nat’l gov’t but most decisions made at state
level
Unified: Nat’l gov’t all powerful
Federal: ‘Robust’ balance between the two
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
7 / 11
Comparisons
Choose two countries, one of which is very similar to the United
States (along whatever dimension you want), and the other which is
very different
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
8 / 11
Comparisons
Choose two countries, one of which is very similar to the United
States (along whatever dimension you want), and the other which is
very different
Scientific Tangent: Dimensions of similarity and difference
Do we want to be comparing countries that are very similar or very
different?
Remember we want to be using How Things Are (HTA) instead of
How Things Should Be (HTSB)
Example: Wages as an outcome of interest (dependent variable)
1) How do wages differ between democracies (independent variable)?
2) How do wages differ by education (independent variable)?
Empirical analysis is fundamentally the act of shaking the independent
variable as hard as you can and see if / how the dependent variable
reacts.
Also want to keep all other possible independent variables still
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
8 / 11
Separation of Powers
Two most commonly compared democracies: “separation of powers”
vs. “parliamentary”
Separation of Powers
“Ambition must be made to counteract ambition”
In the US, who limits presidential power?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
9 / 11
Separation of Powers
Two most commonly compared democracies: “separation of powers”
vs. “parliamentary”
Separation of Powers
“Ambition must be made to counteract ambition”
In the US, who limits presidential power? Congress and the Courts
In a parliamentary system, who limits Prime Minister’s Power?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
9 / 11
Separation of Powers
Two most commonly compared democracies: “separation of powers”
vs. “parliamentary”
Separation of Powers
“Ambition must be made to counteract ambition”
In the US, who limits presidential power? Congress and the Courts
In a parliamentary system, who limits Prime Minister’s Power? Nothing
formal
PM needs support of back-benchers (mostly) and electorate (in
elections)
Which leader is institutionally checked?
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
9 / 11
Parliamentary Systems
Elections called by party in power - no fixed election date
Would economic voting law appear in a parliamentary system?
Multiple parties (Duverger’s law)
Party (or coalition of parties) > 50% of the vote governs
PM is almost always chosen from largest party in coalition
PM’s power depends on relationship with party
Cabinet seats usually allocated based on share within coalition
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
10 / 11
Constitution: Activity
You are part of a supreme junta of a small nation and have the
authority to design a constitution
Half of the groups will be given a diverse nation, the other half, a
homogenous one
Minority rights important issue in both, difference is in homogenous
nation, majority can outvote minorities
First, what system do you want: unitary, federal, theocracy,
unyielding obedience to robot overlords?
Do you make it extremely specific or vague? Will it try to cover all
contingencies, or just be a framework?
How easy will it be to amend?
Do you guarantee basic rights? Social/economic rights?
For all these questions provide a brief reason why
Jim Bisbee (NYU)
Recitation 1: TAA 1-4
September 8, 2015
11 / 11