PSCI CareyTable of Contents1. Purpose of Government2. Forms of Government3. Direct vs. Representative Democracy4. Constitutional vs. Non-Constitutional Democracy 5. Presidential vs. Parliamentary Democracy6. Principles of American Democracy7. Immigration has a debated impact on American values8. Common beliefs in American political culture9. Classical Liberalism: 10.Reynolds vs. US (1878) 11.Islamic Center in Manhattan (2010)12.Political Culture of US13.Public opinion14.Political Socialization15.Measuring Public Opinion16.Opinion leaders17.Public opinion is relatively stable18.Evolution of free press19.Media market20.Interest Groups21.Free Rider Problem22.Direct Lobbying23.Grassroots Lobbying24.Electoral funding25.Persuading the public26.Protests27.Direct mail28.Lobbying litigaion29.Pluralism1PSCI Carey30.Media forms31.Media Bias32.Media effects on public opinion33.Jon Stewart Segment34.Factors that affect the influence of the media35.Political parties36.Function of political partiesLecture Notes1. Purpose of Government A.Government prevents chaos for citizens on federal, state, and local levels i. Legitimacy: acceptance of authority B.Public goods: non-exclusive good usually provided by government i. The private sector has no incentive to provide public goods C.Government protects from foreign aggression, provides services, regulates the economy, protects from illegal activity i. Libertarianism: belief that government should have a more limited role, often coincides with belief in capitalism and free markets2. Forms of Government A.Monarchy: birthright gives power to a single ruler B.Autocracy: one ruler with power due to party, education, etc. not birthright i. Examples: dictatorship, authoritarian regimes C.Aristocracy: power to a few based on birthright D.Oligarchy: power to a few due to to education, etc. not birthright i. Example: power held by whites in South Africa during Apartheid E.Democracy: power shared amongst citizens through free/open elections i. US is a constitutional republic based on democratic values3. Direct vs. Representative Democracy A.Direct: citizens themselves vote on policies i. Pros: representative of public opinion, increases citizen awareness2PSCI Carey ii. Cons: not everybody shows up, people don’t have time to constantly vote, impractical to require citizen awareness of policies B.Representative:citizens elect politicians to vote on policies i. Pros: practical ii. Cons: potential for corruption, less representative of public C.Larger scale favors representative democracy; smaller favors direct democracy4. Constitutional vs. Non-Constitutional Democracy A.Constitutional democracy: defines government with one formal document B.Non-Constitutional democracy: does not define government with one formal document 5. Presidential vs. Parliamentary Democracy A.Presidential system: head of government elected on a fixed term B.Parliamentary system: head of government selected by majority party in legislature i. When a majority party lacks in parliament, different groups join to make a majority6. Principles of American Democracy A.Political Equality: one person one vote B.Plurality rule: rule by largest group, not necessarily an overall majority C.Minority RIghts: minority not trampled by majority D.Equality before the law7. Immigration has a debated impact on American values A.Evidence suggests that impact is small: new immigrants have similar beliefs8. Common beliefs in American political culture A.Individualism: belief that anybody should achieve as much as possible B.Democracy: will of the people, consent by the governed, equal opportunity to influence government, equal treatment by the law C.Liberty:belief that government restraint should be minimal i. Liberty includes freedoms from violations of rights, etc. D.Property: belief that individuals should be free to use and obtain goods E.Religion: belief in religious freedom, lack of a state religion i. There’s a negative correlation between value placed on religion and income 3PSCI Careyexcept the US (respect for religion despite high GDP/capita) ii. Reynolds vs. US (1878): Mormon tried for trying to marry twice; Bigamy prohibited under Morrill-Bigamy Act; Reynolds argued that the Morrill-Bigamy Act violated 1st amendment9. Classical Liberalism: philosophy of individualism, empowers an individual above religious, governmental, or other forms of authority A.Americans usually value equal opportunity over equal outcomes i. Inequalities are not viewed as justifications for government action10.Reynolds vs. US (1878): Mormon tried for trying to marry twice A.Bigamy prohibited under Morrill-Bigamy Act; Reynolds argued that the Morrill-Bigamy Act violated 1st amendment11.Islamic Center in Manhattan (2010) A.Protests sparked due to construction of Islamic Center near Ground Zero i. Opponent logic: poor taste of location ii. Proponent logic: 1st amendment rights12.Political Culture of US: distrust in government, belief in limited government A.Conflict emerges that tension among beliefs and debate over meaning of the beliefs13.Public opinion: collective views that are central to democracy and have four elements A.Salience: importance of an issue B.Stability: the likeliness of opinion to stagnate C.Direction: against, for, etc. in regards to an opinion D.Intensity: how strongly the direction occurs14.Political Socialization: concept by which social situations affect political views A.Group attachments: your culture affects your views whether it be urban, etc. B.Peer relationships: family and friends affect views C.Personal experiences: upbringing affects views D.Education: schooling affects political views15.Measuring Public Opinion A.Surveys ask questions i. Open ended surveys allow elaboration but are less precise4PSCI Carey B.Tracking poll: conducted periodically over time C.Exit poll: personal interviews during election days to determine winner D.Push poll: spreads negative information about an opposing candidate E.Measurement error: dishonesty causes errors, question wording causes errors i. Ex: 22% believed that the Holocaust never occurred, but the wording was responsible. ii. Limited response options (yes or no to abortion), lack of information (asking about an obscure topic), and lack of intensity(indifference) all lead to error as well F. Sample: group chosen to represent population G.Population: group of interest H.Random sampling: sample in which every member has equal chance of selection