Introducing Government in America

1
Introducing Government in America

• With cartoons!

2
(No Transcript)
3
(No Transcript)
4
Government

• Institutions that make decisions for society
• American national government institutions
• Congress, president, courts, federal
  administrative agencies (bureaucracy)
• What kind of government is best?
• What should government do?
• Maintain national defense, provide public
  services, preserve order, socialize youth,
  collect taxes

5
(No Transcript)
6
Politics

• Who gets what, when, and how
• Harold D. Lasswell
• How society chooses governmental leaders and
  their policy agendas process
• Who?
• Voters, candidates, groups, parties
• What?
• Benefits and burdens / Rights and
  responsibilities
• How?
• Voting, supporting, compromising, lobbying

7
(No Transcript)
8
Public Policy

• Course of action that government makes regarding
  a political issue
• Political issue arises when people disagree
  about a problem and its solution
• e.g., health care
• Policy agenda the issues that people are
  focused on at a given time
• Public policy is shaped by people, linkage
  institutions, political issues, and political
  institutions
• Linkage institutions how peoples concerns
  become important political issues
• Elections, parties, interest groups, media

9
Values

• Community
• Cooperation
• Democracy
• Equality
• Freedom
• Justice
• Security
• Self-reliance
• Stability
• Tolerance

• How do values affect
• Government?
• Politics?
• Public Policy?
• Health care policy?

10
(No Transcript)
11
Democracy

• Government by the people
• How policymakers (politicians) are selected and
  how government is organized reflects what the
  people want
• Direct democracy
• Representative democracy

12
Traditional Democratic Theory

• 5 Cornerstones of an Ideal Democracy
• Equality in voting
• Effective participation
• Enlightened understanding
• Citizen control of the agenda
• Inclusion
• Majority rule
• Minority rights

13
In what ways is the U.S. NOT an ideal democracy?
14
Contemporary Theories of American Democracy

• Pluralist theory
• Politics is mainly a competition among groups
  that each have preferred policies
• Groups of minorities work together vs. majority
  rule
• Based on complex bargaining and compromise
• Elite and class theory
• Upper-class elite will rule no matter what

15
Contemporary Theories of American Democracy

• Hyperpluralism
• Groups are so strong that they make it impossible
  for government to govern
• Interest groups hold all the power

16
What aspects of American society make it more
difficult to be democratic?
17
Challenges to Democracy

• Increased technical (in)expertise
• Harder to be well-informed
• Limited participation in government
• Low voter turnout
• Especially for young voters
• 33 for people under 25 in 2000
• 49 in 2008 anomaly?
• Escalating campaign costs
• Dependent on PACs for funding
• Diverse political interests
• ? policy gridlock

18
Presidential Turnout Rates for Voting-Age
Population (VAP) and Eligible Population (VEP)
19
(No Transcript)
20
Group activity

• Devise three to five ways to make VHS student
  government more democratic
• Consider
• How government is organized
• How policymakers are selected
• How policy is made
• Utilize the criteria of traditional democratic
  theory