Chapter 1

Power & Citizenship
in American Politics
Chapter 1

After you’ve read this chapter, you
will be able to:
• Describe the role politics plays in determining how
power and resources, including control of information,
are distributed in a society.
• Compare different economic and political systems in
terms of how power is distributed between citizens and
government.
• Describe the tension in the United States between self-
interested human nature and public spirited
government.
C, Barbour. G, Wright. Keeping the Republic: Power of Citizenship in American Politics 7e. SAGE Publishing, 2018. 2

After you’ve read this chapter, you
will be able to:
• Analyze the role of immigration in American politics and
what it takes to become a U.S. citizen.
• Describe values that most Americans share, and the
political debates that drive partisan divisions in American
politics.
• Apply the five steps of critical thinking to this book’s
themes of power and citizenship in American politics.
• Describe the role and responsibilities of citizens in
American politics.

What is Politics?
• Politics: who gets what, when, and how; a process of
determining how power and resources are distributed in
a society without recourse to violence
– Politics arranges our lives into some kind of social order
• Using the “who gets what, when, and how” definition
above, can you come up with examples of politics on
campus?
• Power: the ability to get others to do what you want.
– The way power is managed must be legitimate or there
will be violence

What is Politics?
• The tools of politics are:
– Compromise and cooperation
– Discussion and debate
– Deal making
– Horse trading
– Bargaining
– Story telling
– & even bribery and deceit
• What is key about the tools of politics?

Politics and Government
• Government: a system or organization for
exercising authority over a body of people
• Authority: the power that people
recognize as legitimate
• What could happen if a government ceases
to be regarded as legitimate?

Rules and Institutions
• Rules and Institutions have an effect on how power
is distributed…
• Rules: directives that specify how resources will be
distributed or what procedures govern collective activity
– The “how” of who gets what, and how
• Institutions: organizations in which government power
is exercised
– The “where” of the political struggle
• What are some examples of both rules and institutions
on campus?

Power and Information
• The Political Narrative: the story that people believe
about who has power, who wants power, who deserves
power, what someone has done to get and maintain
power
– It’s a crucial resource
• Information Bubble: where all the information we
receive reinforces what we already think and no new
ideas get in to challenge what we think we know
• What are some examples of citizens using communication
resources to change and/or create their own narratives?

Politics and Economics
• Economics: the production and distribution
of a society’s material resources and services
– Both politics and economics focus on the
distribution of society’s resources
– Economics was meant to be private, whereas
politics was meant to be public. Why do you think
this distinction was made?

Capitalism
• Capitalism: market determines production,
distribution, and price decisions
– Regulated capitalism has government procedural
guarantees, whereas laissez-faire capitalism
doesn’t
• Do you believe that Americans truly understand
capitalism? Do you? How would you explain it to
someone else?

Capitalism, Cont.
• Regulated capitalism: a market system in
which the government intervenes to
protect rights and make procedural
guarantees
– Government assurance that the rules will
work smoothly and treat everyone fairly,
with no promise of particular outcomes

Socialism
• Socialist economy: the state determines
production, distribution, and price decisions;
property is government owned
– Few nations still claim allegiance to socialism
• Substantive guarantees: government
assurance or particular outcomes or results

Social Democracy
• Social democracy: a hybrid system combining a capitalist
economy and a government that supports equality
– What are some examples of hybrid systems?
• American politicians have become increasingly likely to
accuse one another of being socialist. Can you think of
recent examples of this? How accurate is this portrayal?
• See NPR’s “Bernie Sanders Explains Democratic Socialism
In 6 Clips”
• “Eugene V. Debs Museum Explores History Of American
Socialism”

Political Systems and the Concept
of Citizenship
• Competing ideas about power and the
social order
• Political systems can be divided into two
types:
– Those where the government has the power
– Those where individuals exercise power

Authoritarian Systems
• In authoritarian systems, the state holds all power,
people cannot effectively claim rights again the state
• It can take many forms:
– Dictatorship or Monarchy: Sovereignty can be
vested in an individual
– Theocracy: Sovereignty can be vested in God
– Fascism: Sovereignty can be vested in the state itself
– Oligarchy: Sovereignty can be vested in a ruling class

Authoritarian Systems
• When a system combines an authoritarian
government with a socialist economy, the system is
referred to as: Totalitarian
– A totalitarian system exercises its power over
every part of society
– Example: Soviet Union
• Authoritarian states may also limit their own power
– its referred to as authoritarian capitalism
– Example: Singapore

Non-Authoritarian Systems
• Anarchy (the most extreme form): the
absence of government and laws
– Anarchy, apocalypse, and societal collapse
have become popular subjects in pop culture
in recent years. Can you think of examples, i.e.
TV shows and movies? Why do you think we
are fascinated by this topic?

Democracy
• Democracy: government that vests power
in the people; based on popular
sovereignty
– Popular sovereignty: the concept that the
citizens are the ultimate source of political
power

Democracy
• Elite democracy: limits the citizens’ role to
choosing among competing leaders
• Pluralist democracy: citizen membership in
groups is the key to political power
• Participatory democracy: citizens should
actively and directly control all aspects of their
lives and participate in all aspects of
lawmaking

The Role of the People
• In authoritarian systems, individuals are
subjects of their state government:
– They are obliged to submit to a government
authority against which they have no rights
• In democratic systems, individuals are
citizens:
– They are members of a political community
having both rights and responsibilities

The Role of the People, Cont.
• What are some examples of the rights that
come with citizenship? The responsibilities?
• Why do we differentiate between rights
and responsibilities? How important is it
that citizens both give and receive in a
democracy?

Democracy in America
•Republic (According to Madison)
–Differs from a democracy mainly in that it
employs representation and can work in a
large state

Competing Views of Citizenship
Individualistic
• Human nature is to be
self-interested,
individual participation
in government should
be limited, and “too
much” democracy is a
bad thing
Collectivistic
• Faith in the citizen’s
ability to act virtuously,
not just for his or her
own good but for the
common good as well

Who is a Citizen and Who is Not?
• Citizenship is not only a prescription for
how governments ought to treat residents
and how those residents ought to act; it is
also a very precise legal status
• Type types:
– Native born
– Naturalized citizens

Who Is a Citizen and Who is Not?
• Immigrants: citizens or subjects of other countries who
move to another country to live or work
• Naturalization: the legal process of acquiring
citizenship for someone who has not acquired it by birth
– See Pew Research’s report, “Who Naturalizes: Reasons for
Naturalizing”
• Refugee: individuals who flee an area or country
because of persecution on the basis of race, nationality,
religion, group membership, or political opinion

The Ideas that Unite Us
• Political culture: the broad patterns of ideas,
beliefs, and values about citizens and government
held by the citizens of a country
– Values: central ideas, principles, or standards that most
people agree are important
– We often take our political culture for granted or aren’t
aware of it
– Often, our values are shared and handed down
– Individualism: belief that what is good for society is
based on what is good for individuals

Democracy, Freedom, and Equality
• Democracy: representative democracy is
a fair way to make decisions
• Freedom: procedural view that no unfair
restrictions will be placed on you
• Equality: Americans believe in equality of
treatment, access, and opportunity but
not in guaranteeing equality of result

The Ideas that Divide Us
• Ideologies: sets of beliefs about politics and
society that help people make sense of their
world
• In our political culture, the range of ideological
debate is narrow compared to other democracies
• Additionally, we have fewer political parties than
in other post-industrial, democratic nations

The Ideas that Divide Us, Cont.
• Conservatives: people who generally favor
limited government and are cautious about
change
• Liberals: people who generally favor
government action and view change as progress
• See NPR’s story, “The Thinking Behind Red and
Blue States”
• How would you describe your political ideology?
Take Pew Research’s “Political Typology Quiz”

Ideological Dimensions
• The two dimensions do not dovetail
neatly, and instead create different
mixes of ideological groups:
– Economic liberals
– Economic conservatives
– Libertarians
– Social liberals
– Communitarians
– Social conservatives

Who Fits Where?
• Many people find it difficult to identify
themselves
• The Tea Party Movement
• Occupy Movement

Citizenship and Politics
• Today’s system resembles Madison’s
republic government
• Scholars argue that democracies can only
survive with the support and vigilance of
citizens and that Americans are disengaged

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Editor's Notes