I - Intro to Government Flashcards
Government
Institutions that make public policy decisions for a society
Different levels of government
Federal/National
State
Local
Questions about government
How should we govern?
What should government do?
The US has a
Democratic republic
Government should be able to
Collect taxes Provide for national defense Preserve order Provide public goods & services Socialize the young
What is the importance of politics?
Determines who we select as our government leaders
and policies the leaders pursue
Politics
struggle over who gets what, when, and how
What
Policies passed
Taxes, programs,etc.
Who
Citizens, political parties, candidates, etc.
How
Voting, lobbying, protesting, etc.
Political participation
Ways people get involved in politics
A problem in political participation is
Voter apathy among young people
Why does voter apathy exist in the younger population?
Older voters mobilized around issues such as Social Security (1935), New Deal, Medicare/ Great Society that directly impact them
Single-issue group
Individuals who support a candidate due to position on particular issue
Single-issue group example
Anti-abortion groups
Gun control groups
Policymaking system
Process by which policy comes into being & evolves over time
What makes up the policymaking system?
People Linkage institutions Policy agenda Policymaking institutions Policy
People
Interests,
Problems,
Concerns
Linkage institutions
Parties
Elections
Media
Interest groups
Policy agenda
Political issues
Policymaking institutions
Legislatures
executive
Courts
Bureaucracy
Policy
Expenditures Taxes Laws Regulations Nondisclosure
People
Impact of policies
People and policies are
two-way
Citizens interests can be expressed through
political parties
Elections
Interests groups
Media
Democracy in action
Voting
Political parties
Interest groups
Protest
Linkage institutions
Way people get concerns, problems, and interests transmitted to government policymakers
Examples of linkage institutions
Political parties
elections
Interest groups
Mass media
Linkage institutions shape the government’s
policy agenda
Policy agenda
Issues that attract the attention of public officials
Political issues
Result of disagreement about a problem or the public policy to fix it
Types of policymaking institution
Legislative
Executive
Judicial
What is the unofficial branch of the government?
Bureaucracy
Various federal agencies
Policies are made by
multiple policymaking institution due to checks & balances
Policies must have
a goal to be effective
Forms of public policy
Statues/ laws Presidential actions Court decisions Budgetary choices Regulations
Policy impacts
Effects that a policy has on people and problems in society
US is a
representative democracy
Representative democracy
Elect representatives to vote on policy issues
People select policymakers and organize a gov’t to
Reflect policy preferences of the citizenry
Key principles of democratic process
Effective participation Enlightened understanding Equality in voting Citizen control of agenda Inclusion
Effective participation
Everyone has equal chance to influence policy agenda
Enlightened understanding
Free speech & freedom of press
Equality in voting
One person, one vote
Citizen control of agenda
No one group should control the policy agenda
Inclusion
access to citizenship for all residents of democratic nation
Majority rule
Concept that greater number reflect greater power
Minority rights
Basic rights & liberties of minorities must also be protected
Founding fathers feared
giving people many of democratic rights we have today
Participatory democracy
Emphasizes broad participation in politics
Pluralist democracy
Various groups strive to impact political decision making
Characteristics in pluralist democracy
Interest groups shape & influence public policy
Competition among many organized groups
Hyper-pluralist theory
Excessive influence of many competing groups leads to muddled policy or/and inaction
What is the consequences of a hyper-pluralist gov’t?
Gov’t can’t function
Elite democracy
Decisions are made by elected representatives that acts as trustees of public good
Characteristics of elite democracy
Powerful few dominate politics Upper class elites control gov't
Elements of American democracy
LEILRP
Liberty Egalitarianism Individualism Laissez-faire Rule of law Populism
Liberty
freedom/ limited gov’t
Huge emphasis on American values
But how much freedom
Egalitarianism
Equality of opportunity
No nobility
But Americans have never been equal
Individualism
Everyone can get ahead on their own
Western expansion & immigration
Laissez-faire
free enterprise
Support for free markets & limited federal gov’t
Rule of law
All people & institutions are subject to laws that are fairly applied & equally enforced
Populism
Supporting the rights
of average citizens against privileged elites
Continued debate about —– & —- – —- in modern America
Scope
Role of gov’t
How does gov’t play a huge role in modern society?
Gov’t spends 1/3 GDP
Employed millions of people
Addressed many societal issues
Challenges to democracy
Lack of civic participation Complexity of issues Impact of money Diverse political interests Sharp polarization Mass media
Issues in America
terrorism immigration energy education environment
Citizens United v Federal Election Commission (2010)
Political spending by corporations, unions, and other associations is protected political speech
What leads to policy gridlock?
Diverse political interests
Sharp polarization of American politics
Liberal vs Conservatives
culture wars
Mass media
proliferation of ideologically oriented programming
fake news websites
