SI MEETING: Sunday-Thursday from 6-7 in HECC 200*LECTURE 1:-What Is Politics?Who gets what, when, and howHow people try to manage conflicts that arise in society whether they be conflicting interests, conflicting values or how to best allocate limited resources.-Examples of questions Political Scientists seek to answer:Why do members of Congress support certain laws but not others?Why are people Republicans? Democrats? Independents?Who votes & Why?Why is the Supreme Court the weakest branch of GOVTIs the Media Biased?How do personality traits & genetics affect political participation?How does the economy affect public desire for conservative or liberal government?What makes a winning political campaignHow much do Americans lie on surveys?-Questions outside of American Politics:When and why does war occur?When and why do governments collapse?When and why do revolutions occur, and succeed?What causes Terrorism?Why are some countries prosperous, peaceful, and happy, and why others aren’t.-WHY POLITICAL SCIENCE MATTERSIt is important because it tells us:Who will win electionsWhat kinds of laws will be passed or repealedWhether Americans are aware of whats going on in their countryWhen should we expect political violenceGovernment certainly doesn’t determine everything, but whether positively or negatively, GOVT policies often affect you:The drinking ageWhether you can get an abortionExistence of job openings in your fieldHow much is taken out of your paycheck in taxesThe cost of gasThe availability of healthcareHow easily can guns be purchased- WHO ARE POLITICAL ACTORS?Who determines what occurs in Gov’tWho are Political Actors?EX) RADIO VOICE, TV PERSONALITIES, LOBBYING GROUPS, CELEBRITIES, COLLEGE PROFESSORS, ETC.2 HISTORICAL BROAD THEORIES ABOUT HOW GOV’T WORKSELITE THEORY (C WRIGHT MILLS, SOCIOLOGIST)A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE MAKES MOST IMPORTANT DECISIONSPLURALIST THEORY (ROBERT DAHL)GOVERNMENT IS OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE-RATIONALITYWHEN INDIVIDUALS (RATIONAL ACTORS) HAVE PREFERENCES AND ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEMGIVEN THE INFORMATIONAL CONSTRAINTS AND LIMITATIONS THEY FACEHOW DOES RATIONALITY RELATE TO HOW THE INSTITUTIONS (CONGRESS, THE PRESIDENT, SUPREME COURT) IN THE US GOVT ARE DESIGNED?& RULES (LIKE THOSE IN THE CONSTITUTION, SUCH AS HAVING TO BE 18 TO VOTE) AFFECT:THE NUMBER AND KINDS OF CHOICES AVAILABLETHE CONSEQUENCES OF ONE OR MORE CHOICES-IRRATIONAL BEHAVIORONLY OCCURS WHEN YOU MAKE A CHOICE COUNTER TO YOUR PREFERENCESAS WE DISCUSS POLITICS & DIFFERENT POLITICAL ACTORS THIS SEMESTER THINK ABOUT RATIONALITY:WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM PARTICULAR OUTCOMES?& WHAT CAN THEY DO TO ACHIEVE THOSE OUTCOMES?-INSTITUTIONSUSUALLY CHANGE SLOWLY BUT CAN CHANGE OVER TIMEARE NOT INHERENTLY FAIR, BUT REFLECT PREFERENCES OF DECISION MAKERSINSTITUTIONAL CHANGES CREATE NEW CHOICES AND NEW OUTCOMESTHE USE OF INSTITIONS HELP TO RESOLVE COMPETING PREFERENCESHOWEVER, INSTITUTIONS ARE DESIGNED TO FAVOR SOME GROUPS, INTERESTS, AND VALUES OVER OTHERS.TO BE EFFECTIVE, INSTITUTIONS NEED TO BE DURABLEINSTITUTIONS MUST PERSIST BEYOND THE TENURE OF ANY ONE INDIVIDUAL HOLDING OFFICEAUTHORITY MUST BE ASSIGNED TO THE POLITICAL OFFICE (LIKE THE PRESIDENCY)NOT THE INDIVIDUAL HOLDING OFFICEINSTITUTIONS AND RULES CAN HELP INDIVIDUALS COOPERATE IN GROUP ACTIONSTHE CONSTITUTIONAL RULES FOR HOW A BILL BECOMES LAW MAKES THE PROCESS CLEAR FOR BOTH CONGREE AND THE PRESIDENT SO THEY ARE ABLE TO ACT IN A MUTUALLY ACCEPTED FRAMEWORKTHOUGH THEY CAN ALSO MAKE COOPERATION MORE DIFFICULTWHY IS IT SO DIFFICULT TO COOPERATE AND COORDINATE? [2 PRIMARY REASONS BELOW]*COORDINATION ISSUES: A GROUP OF PEOPLE ALL HAVE SIMILAR PREFERENCES, BUT A MUTUALLY PREFERRED OUTCOME WILL NOT BE REACHED UNLESS THEY ARE ABLE TO SHARE INFORMATION AND BEAR THE COSTS OF ORGANIZINGExample -> MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS ON TAX POLICY LAWS, BUT ARE UNAWARE WHO DOES AND HOW TO GET TOGETHER TO WRITE LEGISLATION SUPPORTING THEIR PREFERENCES*COLLECTIVE ACTION PROBLEMS: MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL OUTCOME EXISTS FOR A GROUP OF PEOPLE, BUT IT WILL NOT BE ACHIEVED BECAUSE PEOPLE IN THE GROUP HAVE CONFLICTING PREFERENCESEXAMPLE -> THE PRISIONERS DILEMMA : (WHICH IS ->) INDIVIDUALS WILL PURSUE INDIVIDUAL BENEFIT EVEN THOUGH THE OUTCOME WOULD BE BETTER IF THEY COOPERATEDTHE PRISONERS DILEMMA -> WANTING SOMETHING DONE FOR A SENSE OF ENJOYMENT, BUT NOT WANTING TO PUT IN THE WORK NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THIS GOALA PRISONERS DILEMMA EXAMPLE FROM POLITICS:2 SLEAZY POLITICIANS IN A CAMPAIGN CONSIDERING USING DIRTY CHARACTER ASSASSAINTION TACTICS; BOTH WOULD PREFER TO LOOK LIKE GOOD, MORAL PEOPLE;RELATED COLLECTIVE ACTION PROBLEMS CAN OCCUR WHEN:INDIVIDUALS CAN BENEFIT FROM COLLECTIVE ACTION WITHOUT INCURRING COSTSA PUBLIC GOOD IS:NON-EXCLUDABLE, IF PROVIDED TO ONE PERSON IN A GROUP MUST BE PROVIDED TO ALL REGARDLESS OF WHO PAID FOR ITNON RIVALROUS, THE ADDITIONAL COST OF 1 MORE PERSON USING IT IS VIRTUALLY ZEROEXAMPLES OF PUBLIC GOOD -> (NATIONAL DEFENSE, CLEAN ROADS, A NICE LAKE OR BAY FOR FISHING, ETC)PUBLIC GOODS ARE OFTEN HURT BY THE FREE RIDER PROBLEMFREE RIDER PROBLEM -> OCCURS WHEN GOODS CANNOT BE taken away FROM THOSE WHO HAVE NOT CONTRIBUTED TO THE PRODUCTION OF THE PUBLIC GOODRESULT -> EVERYONE HAS AN INCENTIVE TO NOT PARTICIPATE.POLS 206: American National GovernmentInstructor: Grant FergusonSI MEETING: Sunday-Thursday from 6-7 in HECC 200*LECTURE 1:-What Is Politics?-Who gets what, when, and how-How people try to manage conflicts that arise in society whether they be conflicting interests, conflicting values or how to best allocate limited resources.-Examples of questions Political Scientists seek to answer:-Why do members of Congress support certain laws but not others?-Why are people Republicans? Democrats? Independents?-Who votes & Why?-Why is the Supreme Court the weakest branch of GOVT-Is the Media Biased?-How do personality traits & genetics affect political participation?-How does the economy affect public desire for conservative or liberal government?-What makes a winning political campaign-How much do Americans lie on surveys?-Questions outside of American Politics:-When and why does war occur?-When and why do governments collapse?-When and why do revolutions occur, and succeed?-What causes Terrorism?-Why are some countries prosperous, peaceful, and happy, and why others aren’t. -WHY POLITICAL SCIENCE MATTERS-It is important because it tells us:oWho will win electionsoWhat kinds of laws will be passed or