Introducing Government in America

1
Introducing Government in America

• Chapter 1

2
Updated Statistics

• Voter Turnout
• http//www.eac.gov/clearinghouse/voter-turnout-and
  -statistics
• http//www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/turnout.php
• Political Knowledge
• http//people-press.org/report/319/public-knowledg
  e-of-current-affairs-little-changed-by-news-and-in
  formation-revolutions

3
Government vs. Politics

• Government
• The institutions and processes through which
  public policies are made for society.
• Politics
• The process by which we select our governmental
  leaders and what policies these leaders produce.
  Politics produces authoritative decisions about
  public issues.
• The who gets what, when, and how

4
The Policymaking System

• The process by which policy comes into being and
  evolves over time.

5
People

• Interests
• Problems
• Concerns

6
Linkage Institutions

• Political Parties
• Elections
• News Entertainment Media
• Interest Groups

7
Policy Agenda

• Political Issues
• These are the whats that the various people
  want taken care of.
• Items at the top of the policy agenda are taken
  care of first.
• Current events and economics driven

8
Policymaking Institutions

• Legislature (Congress)
• Executive (President)
• Courts (Federal and State)
• Bureaucracies (Federal and State)

• Policies
• Expenditures of money
• Raising or lowering taxes
• New laws or regulations
• Non-decisions (gridlock)

9
People

• Impacts of policies
• Does it solve the problem?
• Does it create more problems?

10
Democracy

• Definition
• A system of selecting policymakers and of
  organizing government so that policy represents
  and responds to the publics preferences.
• Direct Democracy
• Indirect Democracy Representative/Republic
• Traditionally
• Equality in voting
• Effective participation
• Enlightened understanding
• Citizen control of the agenda
• Inclusion

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Theories of U.S. Democracy

• Pluralist Theory
• A theory of government and politics emphasizing
  that politics is mainly a competition among
  groups, each one pressing for its own preferred
  policies.
• Groups will work together (Special Interest
  Groups)
• Public interest will prevail

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Theories of U.S. Democracy

• 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 are equal
• Policies benefit those with money / power

13
Theories of U.S. Democracy

• Hyperpluralism
• A theory of government and politics contending
  that groups are so strong that government is
  weakened.
• Confusing / contradictory policies
• Gridlock- inability to act at all

14
Challenges to Democracy

• Increased Technical Expertise
• Limited Participation in Government
• Escalating Campaign Costs
• Diverse Political Interests
• American Ideological Consensus?