Download Ch 1 - Brookville Local Schools

Copyright 2009 Prentice Hall
Remy – Chapter 1
Features of a Gov’t
1.Population
2.Territory
3.Sovereignty
4.Government
Theories of the
Origin of the State
•Evolution
•Force
•Divine Right
•Social Contract
The Purpose of Gov’t
•Protect
•Provide
Government Systems
Unitary
Federal
Confederate
Major Types of Government
Autocracy
Totalitarism
Dictatorship
Monarchy
Oligarchy
Aristocracy
Democracy
Republic
Constitutions ...
• Organizes a government
• Limits the Government
–List rights of citizens
• Sets goals
• Supreme law for that country
Characteristics of Democracy
• Majority rule
Respecting the rights of minorities
• Equal opportunity
• Full participation (politics)
• Free elections
With multiple political parties
“Loyal opposition”
Question / Challenge / Mock
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
We the People of the United States,
1. in Order to form a more perfect Union,
2. establish Justice,
3. insure domestic Tranquility,
4. provide for the common defence,
5. promote the general Welfare,
6. and secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves
7. and our Posterity,
Economic Systems are ...
How goods and
services will be
produced &
distributed
Different Kinds of Economic Systems
1.Traditional
2.Capitalism
3.Socialism
4.Mixed Economy
5.Communism
Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry
Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy
Fourteenth Edition
Chapter 1
Introducing Government
in America
Introduction
• Politics and government matter.
• Americans are apathetic about
politics and government.
• American youth are not likely to
be informed about government
and politics and rarely
participate in politics.
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
• Definition: Government is the
institutions and processes
through which public policies
are made for society.
Government
• 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
Politics
• Also consider Lasswell’s definition:
–Who gets what, when and how.
Another thought on politics
“Politics is ‘the art’ of
getting things done”
(compromise)
“Linkage Institutions”
Definition: Linkage institutions
are the political channels
through which people’s
concerns become political
issues on the policy agenda.
Linkage Institutions
–Political Parties
–Elections
– 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.
Policymaking (Government)
Institutions
•
•
•
•
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.
Democracy
• Components of Traditional
Democratic Theory:
– Equality in voting
– Effective participation
– Enlightened understanding
– Citizen control of the agenda
– Inclusion
Theories of U.S. Democracy
• Pluralist Theory
• Competition among groups, each one
pressing for its own preferred policies
• Groups will work together
• Public interest will prevail through
bargaining and compromise
Theories of U.S. Democracy
• Elite and Class Theory
• Societies are divided along class lines
• Not all groups equal
• Policies benefit those with money and power
Theories of U.S. Democracy
• Hyperpluralism
• Gov’t is weak. Groups are strong.
• Groups control policy
• Groups can prevent government from acting
• Confusing and contradictory policies result from
politicians trying to placate every group
Challenges to Democracy
•
•
•
•
Increased Technical Expertise
Limited Participation in Government
Escalating Campaign Costs
Diverse Political Interests
– (policy gridlock)
Culture and Democracy
• Political Culture: An overall set
of values widely shared within a
society.
American Political Culture
–Liberty
–Egalitarianism
–Individualism
–Laissez-faire
–Populism
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.
Questions About Democracy
•
People
1. Are people knowledgeable about policy?
2. Do they apply what the know when they vote?
3. Do elections facilitate political participation?
•
Institutions
1. Is Congress a representative institution?
2. Does the president look after the general
welfare?
Questions About Democracy
• Linkage Institutions
– Do interest groups help the process, or do they
get in the way?
– Do political parties offer clear consistent
choices for voters or do they intentionally
obscure their positions?
– Do media help citizens understand choices?
How Active is American Government?
•
•
•
•
It spends about $3.1 trillion annually
It employs over 2.2 million people
It owns one-third of the land
It occupies 2.6 billion square feet of
office space
• It owns and operates 400,000
nonmilitary vehicles
Questions about the
Scope of Government
• Constitution and Federalism
– What role does the Constitution’s
authors foresee for the federal
government?
– Does the Constitution favor
government with a broad scope?
– Why did functions of federal
government increase?
– Has a more active government
constrained or protected civil rights
and liberties?
Questions about the
Scope of Government
• Public and Linkage Institutions
– Does the public favor a large, active
government?
– Do competing political parties force
government to provide more public
services?
– Do elections control the scope of
government?
– Does pressure from interest groups create
a bigger government?
– Has the media helped control the size of
government and its policies?
Questions about the
Scope of Government
• Elected Institutions
– Has the president been a driving
force behind increasing the scope
and power of government?
– Can the president control a large
government?
– Is Congress predisposed to support
big government?
– Is Congress too responsive to the
public and interest groups?
Questions about the
Scope of Government
• Nonelected Institutions
– Are the federal courts too active in policy
making, intruding on the authority of other
branches of government?
– Is the bureaucracy constantly try to expand
its budget or is it simply reflecting the
desires of elected officials?
– Is the federal bureaucracy too large and
thus wasteful and inefficient in the
implementation of policy?
AP CHAPTER 1 - QUESTION
1. THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IS LESS INVOLVED
IN ELECTIONS THAN ARE VOTERS IN
EUROPEAN NATIONS. ONLY 59% OF
AMERICANS ON AVERAGE VOTE IN
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. PARTICIPATION
IS FAR HIGHER IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES:
HOLLAND (95%), GERMANY (87%), NORWAY
(81%), FRANCE (79%), & BRITAIN (77%). THE
TEXT CONCLUDES THAT REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY REQUIRES COMPETITIVE
ELECTIONS. IS AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
THEN SOMEHOW LESS LEGITIMATE?
AP CHAPTER 1 - QUESTIONS
2. THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HAS POOR
KNOWLEDGE OF ITS GOVERNMENT. FOR
EXAMPLE 81% CANNOT INDICATE HOW THEIR
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS VOTED ON ANY
BILL IN THE LAST 2 YEARS; 46% CANNOT NAME
THEIR DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE IN THE
HOUSE. 21% CANNOT EVEN NAME THE VICE
PRESIDENT CORRECTLY. DOES THIS LEVEL OF
IGNORANCE SUGGEST THAT THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE
GOVERNMENT’S POLICIES OR THAT THE
GOVERNMENT’S “AUTHORITY” IS
MEANINGLESS?
AP CHAPTER 1 - QUESTIONS
3-SHOULD DEMOCRATIC
DECISION MAKING BE
EXTENDED TO ALL SPHERES
OF LIFE?
(eg: THE WORKPLACE,
SCHOOLS, TEAMS, STORES)
AP CHAPTER 1 – QUESTION 4
4-HOW SHOULD
MINORITY RIGHTS BE
PROTECTED AGAINST
MAJORITY RULE?