8 29 13 Ch 1 Making Sense of Government and Politics Immigration Law in Arizona 2010 was struck down by judge The law called for all people to prove their citizenship when asked or be arrested Framers of the Constitution purposefully made it difficult for new ideas to become policy quickly They believed that ideas needed to mature before becoming law Forms of Government Government Formal political arrangements by which a land and its people are ruled Autocracy Form of government in which a single individual rules Oligarchy Form of government in which a small group of landowners military officers or wealthy merchants controls most of the governing decisions Democracy System of rule that permits citizens to play a part in governmental processes through selection of officials Constitutional System of rule in which formal and effective limits are placed on powers of government o United States Authoritarian System of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits but may nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions o Unable to control institutions such as organized church or organized labor unions o Europe South America Asia Africa Totalitarian System of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it Coercion Forcing a person to do something by means of threats or pressure Income taxes are the highest of taxes for government revenue o Soviet Union o Germany Hitler Conscription o Involuntary draft o Jury duty Government is necessary Keep order o Hobbes Protect property o Locke Provide public goods o Hume o National defense Politics Conflicts and struggles over the leadership structure and policies of government Institutions Rules and procedures that provide incentives for political behavior thereby shaping politics Coercion to Consent Limiting government Expansion of democratic politics o Internal conflict o External threat o Promotion of national unity and development Consequences Citizens may use government for their own benefit Citizens perceived that government could operate in response to their demands Does democracy work Principal agent relationship Relationship between a principal and his or her agent This relationship may be affected by the fact that each is motivated by self interest yet their interests may not be well aligned Tradeoff between freedom and order Instability of majority rule o Vulnerable to agenda setters and financial fat cats
View Full Document
Unlocking...