Introducing Government in
America
Chapter 1
Introduction
Politics and government matter.
Americans are apathetic about politics and
government.
American youth are less likely to be
informed about government and politics and
participate less in politics.
Introduction
The Political Disengagement of College Students
Today (Figure 1.1)
Introduction
Introduction
Presidential Election Turnout Rates by Age (Figure 1.2)
Government
Definition:
– The institutions and processes through which
public policies are made for society.
This definition leads to two basic questions:
– How should we govern?
– What should government do?
Politics
Definition:
– The process by which we select our
governmental leaders and what policies these
leaders produce. Politics produces authoritative
decisions about public issues.
Also consider Lasswell’s definition:
– Who gets what, when and how.
The Policymaking System
The process by
which policy
comes into being
and evolves over
time.
Figure 1.3
People
Interests
Problems
Concerns
Linkage Institutions
Political Parties
Elections
News & Entertainment Media
Interest Groups
Policy Agenda
Political Issues
– These arise when people disagree about a
problem and how to fix it.
Items at the top of the policy agenda are
taken care of first.
It may take years to get an item on the
policy agenda, and then several more years
to get it acted on.
Policymaking Institutions
Legislature (Congress)
Executive (President)
Courts (Federal and State)
Bureaucracies (Federal and State)
Policy Impacts People
Policy Impacts People
Impacts of policies:
Does it solve the problem?
Does it create more problems?
Democracy
Definition:
– A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing
government so that policy represents and responds to
the public’s preferences.
Equality in voting
Effective participation
Enlightened understanding
Citizen control of the agenda
Inclusion
Theories of U.S. Democracy…
Pluralist Theory
– A theory of government and policies
emphasizing that politics is mainly a
competition among groups, each one pressing
for its own preferred policies.
Groups will work together
Public interest will prevail
Theories of U.S. Democracy…
Elite and Class Theory
– A theory of government and politics contending
that societies are divided along class lines and
that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of
the formal niceties of governmental
organization.
Not all groups are equal
Policies benefit those with money / power
Theories of U.S. Democracy…
Hyperpluralism
– A theory of government and politics contending
that groups are so strong that government is
weakened.
Exaggerated / perverted form of pluralism
Confusing / contradictory policies
Gridlock- inability to act at all
Challenges to Democracy
Increased Technical Expertise
Limited Participation in Government
Escalating Campaign Costs
Diverse Political Interests
Questions About Democracy
Are the people knowledgeable- and do they
apply what they know?
Do interest groups help the process, or do
they get in the way?
Do political parties offer clear consistent
choices for voters?
Does the President & Congress work in the
best interests of ALL the people?
American Individualism
Individualism is the belief that individuals
should be left on their own by the
government.
Individualism is highly valued in the United
States with a strong preference for free
markets and limited government.
Questions about the Scope of
Government
How big a role does the Constitution say
should be played by the federal
government?
Does a bigger, more involved (active)
government limit the people’s freedoms?
Do we need a bigger, more involved
government to protect our freedoms?
Questions about the Scope of
Government, continued…
Do competing political parties make for
better policies?
Do more interest groups create a bigger
government?
Does the media help control the size and
policies government?
Questions about the Scope of
Government, continued…
Can the president control the government,
or has it gotten too big?
Can Congress respond to the needs of the
people, or just to the interest groups?
Do members of Congress expand
government by seeking to be re-elected?
Questions about the Scope of
Government, continued…
Do the federal courts overstep their bounds
and intrude on the powers of other branches
of government?
Are the federal agencies too large and
unresponsive to the public they are
supposed to serve?
Framing the Constitution
Charles A. Beard, who published his famous An
Economic Interpretation of the Constitution in
1913, suggested that the Constitution was nothing
more than the work of an economic elite that was
seeking to preserve its property.
This elite, according to Beard, consisted of
landholders, creditors, merchants, public
bondholders, and wealthy lawyers. Beard
demonstrated that many of the delegates to the
convention fell into one of these categories.
Goal to Limit Popular Majorities
According to Beard�s thesis, as the delegates
met, the primary concern of most of them was to
limit the power of popular majorities and thus
protect their own property interests.
To Beard, the anti-majoritarian attributes that he
felt existed in the Constitution were a reflection of
the less numerous creditor class attempting to
protect itself against incursions by the majority.
Constitution Protects Property
Specific provisions as well were put into the
Constitution with a view toward protecting
property, such as the clause prohibiting states from
impairing contracts, coining money, or emitting
bills of credit.
Control over money was placed in the hands of the
national government, and in Article VI of the
Constitution it was provided that the new
government was to guarantee all debts that had
been incurred by the national government under
the Articles of Confederation.
Evidence Does Not Support
Beard
Beard�s thesis was startling at the time it was
published in 1913. As it came under close
examination, it was revealed that the evidence
simply did not support Beard's hypothesis.
Key leaders of the convention, including Madison,
were not substantial property owners. Several
important opponents to ratification of the
Constitution were the very members of the
economic elite that Beard said conspired to thrust
the Constitution upon an unknowing public.