Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Quiz
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Introducing Government in America Chapter 1

What is Government?
One of the defining features of a civilization is that it has a government.
What is government and what does it do?
Define government :

Government
Definition: Government is the institutions and processes through which public policies (rules) are made for society.
This definition leads to two basic questions:
How should we govern?
What should government do?
Governments typically maintain a national defense, provide services, collect taxes, and preserve order.

Politics
Definition:
Politics is the process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies they produce —p olitics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.
Harold Lasswell’s definition:
Who gets what, when and how.
Politics refers to Conflict

Politics refers to Conflict
Conflict is always present because:
there are differences in beliefs or ideology
there are differences in the perceived goals of society
scarce resources exist and not every want can be satisfied by society.

What is Government?
The institutions that resolve conflicts and allocate values, and possess power to enforce those rules
Requires:
authority, legitimacy, and power to accomplish the resolution of conflict

The Need for Government and Power
Authority
feature of a leader or institution that compels obedience; derives from legitimacy
Legitimacy
status conferred by the people on the officials, acts and institutions of the government if the people believe that the actions taken are legal
Power
the ability to cause others to modify their behavior and conform to what the power holder wants
Authority is the Legitimate use of Power

What is Government?
A permanent structure of decision makers who:
Make society’s rules about conflict resolution
Make rules about the allocation of resources
Possess the power to enforce those rules
These ‘rules’ are known as public policy

The Policymaking System
The process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time

Linkage Institutions
Definition: Linkage institutions are the political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda.
Political Parties
Elections
News & Entertainment Media
Interest Groups

Policy Agenda
Definition: The policy agenda are issues that attract the serious attention of public officials.
Political issues arise when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it.
Some issues will be considered, and others will not.
A government’s policy agenda changes regularly.

Policymaking Institutions
Definition: Policymaking institutions are the branches of government charged with taking action on political issues.
Legislature (Congress)
Executive (President)
Courts (Federal and State)
Bureaucracies (Federal and State)

Policies Impact People
Public Policy: a choice that government makes in response to a political issue.

Policies Impact People
Impacts of Policies:
Does it solve the problem?
Does it create more problems?
Depending on the answer, policy impacts carry the political system back to its point of origin: the concerns of people.

Democracy
Definition: Democracy is a system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences.
Components of Traditional Democratic Theory (Dahl):
Effective participation
Equality in voting
Enlightened understanding
Citizen control of the agenda
Inclusion of adults

Theories of U.S. Democracy
Pluralist Theory
A theory of government and policies emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies
Groups will work together
Public interest will prevail through bargaining and compromise

Elite and Class Theory
A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization
Not all groups equal
Policies benefit those with money and power

Hyperpluralism
A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened.
Groups control policy and prevent government from acting
Difficulty in coordinating policy implementation
Confusing and contradictory policies result from politicians trying to placate every group

Elite Theory
society is ruled by a small group who exercise power in their self-interest
Pluralism
views politics as conflict among interest groups, where decisions are made through bargaining and compromise
Hyperpluralism
when interest groups are so powerful that they dominate decision-making, making individual input impossible

Ideas & Politics: Political Culture
collection of beliefs and attitudes toward government and the political process held by a community or nation
individuals learn political culture through political socialization
political socialization occurs in many settings, including the family and schools
important in holding society together by persuading people to support the existing political process

American Political Culture and Democracy
Political Culture: An overall set of values widely shared within a society.
American culture is diverse and comprised of:
Liberty
Egalitarianism
Individualism
Laissez-faire
Populism

Ideas & Politics: Ideology
What is ideology?
a comprehensive and logical set of beliefs about the nature of people, and about the institutions and role of government

Ideas & Politics: Ideology
American ideology is dominated by two moderate ideologies
conservatism
supports a limited role for government in helping individuals (individuals are better able to help themselves), supports traditional values, and expresses a cautious response to change
liberalism
supports government action to improve welfare of individuals, supports civil rights, and accepts political and social change
Trust in Government vs. Scope of Government

Summary
Young people are apathetic about government and politics, even though they affect everyone.
Democratic government, which is how the United States is governed, consists of those institutions that make policy for the benefit of the people.
What government should do to benefit the people is a topic central to questions of American government.

Chapter 1

by David Osman on Sep 03, 2009

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