Political Science UNT PSCI 1040 CHAPTER 1 THINKING ABOUT AMERICAN POLITICS Government the institutions that have the authority and capacity to create and enforce public policies rules for a specific territory and people Harold Laswell defines politics as who gets what when they get it and how they get it Empirical Analysis Policy problems How it is Measure problems Quantitative What scientists study Example of an empirical question How many abortions were there in 2015 Normative Analysis Ideological problems How we want the world to be About values and beliefs Theoretical Qualitative Example of a normative question Should abortions be legal Efficacy the public s belief that they can influence government Types of Government Anarchy there is no ruler absence of government lawlessness or disorder Tyranny single ruler with absolute power The purpose of government is to prevent anarchy and tyranny Autocracy no formal limits on power limited by another institution Totalitarian no formal limits on power absorbs and eliminates challenges Aristocracy leaders chosen by birth actions made on behalf of public good Oligarchy small groups of landowners military officers control government decisions for common good Polity actions are made on behalf of all for common good Democracy rule by the many people vote on decisions Direct democracy people vote directly on the laws Representative democracy people elect officials to make laws on their behalf Constitutional democracy form of democracy in which there is a foundational document that describes the structure power and limits of government Republic rule of law paramount even over majority rule Republic vs Democracy Democracy people rule Republican form representative Classical Liberalism age of reason and enlightenment reason common sense and virtue replace divine rule individual liberty individual has worth and dignity Plurality rule and minority rights whoever or whatever gets the most votes wins but the rights of the minority cannot be trampled Equality before the law every American has the same legal rights and obligations Presidential system political system where the head of the executive branch is selected by some form of popular vote and serves a fixed term of office the United States has a presidential system Political Culture the values and beliefs of citizens toward the political system and toward themselves as actors in it Casual question concern what causes what regards the factors responsible for particular outcomes Correlation a relationship between factors such that change in one is accompanied by change in the other Causation a relationship between variables such that a change in the value of one variable is directly responsible for the change in the value of the other Spurious relationship a relationship between variables that reflects correlation but not causation Ideas of John Locke Locke s ideas prevail in America individuals have an inalienable right to life liberty and estate the government receives its authority from the people the people and the government are engaged in a social contract an agreement among members of a society to form an recognize the authority of a centralized government that is empowered to make and enforce laws governing the members of that society Ideas of Thomas Hobbes Somewhat the opposite of Locke Concerned with having a strong leader Everyone is equal in the state of nature Because we are all equal we are rivals in obtaining the necessities Individuals will sign away liberty to one sovereign Leviathan to ensure peace if power is not absolute society will collapse Human beings are assumed to be rational actors who make decisions Utility Maximization is getting the greatest good for the greatest amount of people at the lowest cost Public goods goods and services that are enjoyed by all citizens and unlikely to be provided by any organization other than the government Examples of public goods the mail service national defense public parks Political equality equal right to participate in politics
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