Logic and Form of Government

1
Logic and Form of Government
2
Administrative Matters

• Seating Chart
• Turn in Statement of Student Responsibility
• Meet Your Neighbors!

3
Overview

• What is government and why does it exist?
• How can we characterize or describe different
  types of governments?
• What is the role of the individual in U.S.
  government?

4
What Is Government?

• People form communities
• Government institutions, rules, and procedures
  that regulate communities
• Governments make choices and develop norms, then
  impose those choices and norms on all members of
  the community

5
Why Do Governments Exist?

• Keep us from killing each other
• Maintain order and security
• Define and enforce property rights
• Redistribute wealth
• Provide public goods
• Makes government palatable
• Increases productivity which provides payoff to
  government

6
Forms of Government

• Can characterize government on two dimensions
• Who makes the choices?
• How much control is permitted? (i.e., what is
  the universe of options from which the choice is
  made)

7
Who Makes the Choices?

• Autocracy
• Oligarchy
• Democracy
• Representative v. Direct Democracy
• Representative Democracy
• Popular v. Responsible
• Who are the people? Suffrage

8
Continuum of Who Makes Choices
Representative
Autocracy
Direct
Responsible
Popular
Oligarchy
Democracy
9
Pros and Cons of Democracy

• Cons
• Inefficient
• Cannot respond to immediate crises
• Pros
• More stable
• Normatively easier to defend

10
How Large Is the Universe of Options?

• Totalitarian (no limits)
• Authoritarian (informal limits)
• Constitutional Government (formal limits)

11
Pros and Cons of a Constitutional Government

• Cons
• Some problems more difficult to address (crime,
  security, etc.)
• Pros
• More stable

12
What Do We Have in the U.S.?

• Representative Democracy
• Between Responsible and Popular
• Relatively Broad Suffrage
• Constitutional Government

13
What Do We Need to Make That Work?

• Because individuals are ultimately responsible
  for the choices government makes, we need
• Trust in government
• Sense of political efficacy
• Knowledge of government

14
In Sum

• Many different types of governments can achieve
  the goals of having a government (creating order)
• Constitutional democracies may be slower and less
  efficient, but they are ultimately more stable
  because people are happier, less apt to revolt
• But in a constitutional democracy, it is the
  responsibility of every individual to understand
  how government works and to participate