POLS 207 Lecture 4

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A & B occur together, but are they related?... watch out for spurious association

Correlation does not imply causation


Storks and babies: in industrialized England, more storks were correllated with high birth rates. The industrialization caused both populations to increase.

Policy that acts on spurious association (targeting a correlated effect rather than the cause)


Know these three political cultures:

  • Traditionalistic: Wealthy/elite make decisions
  • Moralistic: Morally just; greatest good for greatest number of people
  • Individualistic: maximize liberty for each individual


Voting blocks (young, middle-age, old, etc.)

State constitution length and year of adoption