AP Government
Introducing Government in
America
What it is, how it works and why
it matters.
Introduction Questions: Copy
and answer these questions:

Why are young people apathetic towards
their government and politics?

Why is it important for young people to
participate in government and politics?

What is government?

How does it operate?

How much control should government
have over our lives?

What are the most basic functions of
government?
Introduction
• The Political Disengagement of College Students
Today (Figure 1.1)
• What is causing the minor fluctuations and what is
causing the overall decline?
Introduction
Introduction
• Presidential Election Turnout Rates by Age (Figure 1.3)
Government
• Definition: Government is the institutions and
processes through which public policies are made
for society.
• This definition leads to two basic questions:
– How should we govern? Is our government the best or
most ideal? What is wrong with it & can it be fixed?
– What should government do? Should the government
help its citizens or should citizens be responsible
enough to help themselves?
Typical functions of a national
Government:
• maintain a national defense; it must protect our
and your sovereignty.
• provide services; services which are shared by
everyone are called public goods (highways,
parks, schools, libraries, etc . . .)
• collect taxes; it must pay for the services it
provide.
• preserve order; national guard, CIA, FBI, ATF
etc . . . Again to safeguard our liberties.
• Socialize the young . . . Why and how? What
interest does the government have in providing
schooling for its future citizens?
Politics
• Definition:
– Politics is the process by which we select our
governmental leaders and what policies they
produce—politics produces authoritative decisions
about public issues.
• Also consider Lasswell’s definition:
– Who gets what, when and how.
– The who would be voters, candidates, groups, and
parties
– The what are the are the substance of policy
– The how would refer to voting, lobbying,
compromising, etc . . .
Political Participation
There are many more ways to be
heard than by voting. Can you name
some ways to get your
representative’s attention? What is a
single-interest group?
The Policymaking System
• The
process
by which
policy
comes
into
being
and
evolves
over
time.
Figure 1.3
Linkage Institutions
• Definition: Linkage institutions are the
political channels through which people’s
concerns become political issues on the
policy agenda.
–
–
–
–
Political Parties
Elections
News & Entertainment Media
Interest Groups
Policy Agenda
• Definition: The policy agenda are issues that
attract the serious attention of public officials.
• Political issues arise when people disagree about
a problem and how to fix it.
• Some issues will be considered, and others will
not. Why are some issues not considered by
policymaking institutions?
• A government’s policy agenda changes regularly.
Policymaking Institutions
• Definition: Policymaking institutions are
the branches of government charged with
taking action on political issues.
–
–
–
–
Legislature (Congress)
Executive (President)
Courts (Federal and State)
Bureaucracies (Federal and State)
Policies Impact People
Public
Policy: a choice (any law, any budget or
ruling) that government makes in response to a
political issue.
Policies Impact People
• Impacts of Policies:
– Does it achieve its goal and or solve the
problem?
– Does it create more problems?
• Depending on the answer, policy impacts
carry the political system back to its point
of origin: the concerns of people.
Democracy
• Definition: Democracy is a system of selecting
policymakers and of organizing government so
that policy represents and responds to the
public’s preferences.
• Components of Traditional Democratic Theory:
–
–
–
–
–
Equality in voting (one person, one vote)
Effective participation (fair & equal opportunities)
Enlightened understanding (you need a free press)
Citizen control of the agenda (not just the wealthy)
Inclusion, but the majority will rule. However, in a
democracy, the rights of the minority cannot be
infringed upon.
• In a largely populated state, an indirect democracy
(republic) is more preferable to a direct democracy.
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 through
bargaining and compromise
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 equal
• Policies benefit those with money and
power
Theories of U.S. Democracy
• Hyperpluralism
– A theory of government and politics contending that
groups are so strong that government is weakened.
• Groups control policy and prevent government
from acting
• Difficulty in coordinating policy implementation
• Confusing and contradictory policies result from
politicians trying to placate every group
Challenges to Democracy
• Increased Expertise – hard to make well
informed decisions if you are not an expert
in the field. Why? Because laws and
policies are much more complex today
than ever before
• Limited Participation – citizens do not
make opportunity of all the ways to
participate in government or they don’t
participate at all.
Challenges to Democracy
• Campaign Costs – and the fact that
corporations are seen as having freedom of
speech – how do you speak as a
corporation? – with your money$$$!!!
• Diverse Political Interest – America is
becoming more diverse and with diversity
comes more issues – thus we have no
strong majority or the small minorities
team up keeping the majority from creating
policy = gridlock!! Not good!
American Political Culture
and Democracy
• Political Culture: An overall set of values widely
shared within a society. It holds American
democracy together.
• American culture is diverse and comprised of:
– Liberty: freedom . . .come on, everyone wants it!
– Egalitarianism: all of us are equal, all of us have the same
opportunities and all of us can make a difference in our own lives
& in the political arena.
– Individualism: the belief that people can & should get ahead
on their own.
– Laissez-faire: The government should stay out of the
economic markets. That is one reason why we have a small
government (believe it or not).
– Populism: the ordinary citizen is more important than any
company, industry or wealthy individual.
How Active is American
Government?
•
•
•
•
It spends about $2.8 trillion annually
It employs nearly 2 million people
It owns one-third of the land
It occupies 2.6 billion square feet of office
space
• It owns and operates 400,000 nonmilitary
vehicles