Unit 7 American Political Culture and Beliefs Flashcards
How do Americans differ from each other in their view of the role of government?
American divided generally into Liberals and Conservatives.
Liberals
Value equality above all else. Government is a useful tool to bring about social and economic change
Conservative
Value individual liberty above all else. See government as a threat and want limited government
Far Left Ideologies
Communism, Socialism, Liberalism
Far Right Ideologies
Conservatism, Libertarianism, Anarchism
What are the primary factors that shape political attitudes, beliefs, and values?
Family Influences
School, Media, & Peers
Historical Events & Personal Experience
Globalization & Political Culture
Explain how U.S. political culture (values, attitudes, and beliefs) influences the formation, goals, and implementation of public policy over time.
Public policy reflects current public opinion. -Jim Crow Laws
-internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.
Civil rights movement
-government enacted reform
-state and local governements resisted. ——-federal govenment overrided public opinion to protect the rights of minorities.
Policy debates arise when there is divided public opinion or no clear consensus
Compare how political ideologies view the role of government in regulating the marketplace.
Liberal
-Keynesian economics
-Economic planning
Conservative
-Monetarism
-Supply-side economics
Compare how political ideologies vary with regard to the government’s role in addressing social issues.
Liberal
-favor legalization of abortion, government recognition of same-sex marriages, and social welfare programs
-oppose harsh punishments for drug offenders
Conservative
-favor harsh punishments for drug offenders
-Oppose welfare programs Medicare, Medicaid, and social security
Libertarian
-no government interference in any aspect of personal lives
Public Policy
public policy is generally most influenced by those who choose to actively participate in the process. This also means that public opinion is most likely to shape public policy on issues that are especially important to the public
Which of the following scenarios represents a shift in American public opinion?
America did not join the League of Nations, but did join the United Nations.
Keynesian Economics by John Maynard Keynes (More liberal)
Main idea- the economy is stronger when people are willing and able to spend more money
-government’s role to increase aggregate demand to just the right level through fiscal policy (taxing and spending)
- government going into debt if it was necessary
Economic Planning by John Kenneth Galbraith (More liberal)
-government planning through price and wage controls
-inflation begins to get out of control, the government could regulate the maximum prices that can be charged for products in major industries
-Minimum wages
Monetarism by Milton Friedman (More conservative)
-monetary policy (supply of money that the government actually produces and releases into the economy through the Federal Reserve System)
-economy goes into a recession, monetarists believe that the Federal Reserve Bank should lower interest rates
Supply-Side Economics by Arthur Laffer (More conservative and libertarians)
-reject any government involvement in the economy
-lowering taxes and minimizing regulations
With which of the following statements would a liberal economist most likely agree?
We can increase aggregate demand if we are willing to spend more money than we take in.
economic conservatism
reject an expansive role of government
social conservatism
-open to government intervention
-moral standard for society
-high value on self-reliance and personal responsibility
Social liberals
-morality as something that is private
-hostile towards any attempt to “legislate morality.”
Libertarian ideology
-align with conservatives on economic issues
-align more closely with liberals on social issues.
communitarianism by Amitai Etzioni
-critical of what they see as hyperindividualism in modern society
-we are not free from moral claims that others have on us
