Exam I Test ReviewJanuary 20, 2011Introduction- Politics and government matter- American are apathetic about politics and government - American youth are not likely to be informed about government and politics and rarely participateGovernment- Definition: government is the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for societyo This definition leads to two basic questions: How should we govern? What should government do?*Governments typically maintain a national defense, provide services (free), collect taxes, and preserve order- Similar qualities that all governments share- Governments “socialize” through schools (K-12) o Pledge of the Allegiance, Honor the Texas FlagPolitics- Definition: politics is the process by which we select our government leaders and what policies they produce – politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues- Also consider Lasswell’s definitiono Who gets what, when and how Who: you, etc. What: substance of policies How: deals with political participation When: i.e. when do certain bills go into effectThe Policymaking System (never ending cycle)The process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time- People: interests, problems, concerns- Linkage institution: parties, election, media and interest groupso Want to influence policy agenda (political issues)- Policymaking institution: legislature, executive, courts and bureaucracy- Policy: expenditures, taxes, laws, regulations and non-decisions- People: impacts of policyLinkage Institutions: political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the policy agenda- Political parties- Elections- News and entertainment media- InterestPolicy AgendaDefinition: 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- Some issues will be considered and others will not- A government’s policy agenda changes regularly- *Doesn’t involve you (the people)Policymaking InstitutionsDefinition: policymaking institutions are the branches of government charged with takingaction on political issues- Legislative (Congress)- Executive (President)- Courts (Federal and State)- Bureaucracies (Federal and State)Policies impact peoplePublic policy: a choice that government makes in response to a political issue(Table 1.1 in book – gives examples)- Impacts of policies:o Does it solve the problem?o Does it create more problems?- Depending on answer, policy impacts carry the political system backs to its point of origin: the concerns of peopleJanuary 25, 2011Democracy (does not work without the people)- Definition: Democracy is a system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences.- Components of Traditional Democratic Theory: by Robert Dahlo Equality in voting – one person, one vote (if eligible)o Effective participation – participation should be representative of the larger population More educated are more likely to vote = not representative of population because there are more poor in the countryo Enlightened understanding – refers to freedom and speech and freedom of press; both are essential to democracy Internet – not always usedo Citizen control of the agenda – want citizens to have some input but not always the case; politicians have to listen to more people than the constituents; not complete control over the debate eithero Inclusion – saying citizenship should be open to everyone in the nation- Based upon majority rule while preserving and protecting minority (#’s) rights- (Founding Fathers were not fond of democracy, didn’t like the people)- Lincoln defined it “by the people, of the people, for the people”Theories of U.S. Democracy (know all three for Exam I)Pluralist Theory: a theory of government and policies emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies- Groups will work together- Public interest will prevail through bargaining and compromiseElite 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 equal- Policies benefit those with money and powerHyperpluralism: (*pluralism gone sour) a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that the government is weakened(Ends up in policy gridlock; too many dominant groups nothing gets done)- Group control policy and prevent government from actingo Do not win elections by displeasing groups- Difficulty in coordinating policy implementation- Confusing and contradictory policies result from politicians trying to placate every group**Know distinction between pluralism and hyperpluralism for Exam IChallenges to Democracy (we expect too much from Congress)- Increased Technical Expertise- Limited participation in government – goes along with voting; we have a low turnout rate- Escalating campaign costs – too dependent on money, money does not win elections- Diverse political interests (policy gridlock) – are we too diverse and does it hurt the democratic process? Yes, that’s why we end up in policy gridlockAmerican Political Culture and Democracy- *Political culture: an overall set of values widely shared within a society- *American culture is diverse and comprised of: (know all five for test, below)o Liberty - right that cannot be taken away from you at all, basis of our Bill of Rights; Jeffersono Egalitarianism – social equality; equality of opportunityo Individualism – developed in part of the Western Frontier, we do not rely on government, its what we earn on our own; self-reliant, developing throughout U.S., not just Texas (south)o Laissez-faire – government keeps its hand off the economy, government cannot interrupt economy in American cultureo Populism – the common man is idealized in American politicsHow active is the American Government?- It spends about $3.1 trillion annually- It employs over 2.2 million people (largest employer in the world)- It owns one-third of the land (national parks, etc.)- It occupies 2.6 billion square feet of office space- It owns and operates 400,000 nonmilitary vehiclesSummary- Young people are apathetic about government and
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