By Loren Miller
Government in Your Daily Life
Read weather report that uses
data from National Weather Bureau
Take a government class
which is required by the state
Drive past post office,
military recruitment office
and environmental cleanup site
Eat cereal regulated
by the FDA
Call friend on cell phone
whose operation is regulated
by the FCC
Time set
by gov’t
Wake Up
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Sleep
Shower. Water
provided by local
gov’t
Get dressed in clothing
subject to import tariffs
and regulations
Drive to school in
car whose design is shaped
by federal regulations
Check e-mail using internet
developed with federal funding
Pay bursar bill
using federally funded
student loan
Attend lecture by professor
whose research receives
federal funding
Watch TV program
on station that has
federal licenseT
Politics
Who Gets What, When and How
Harold Lasswell, 1936
The authoritative allocation of values
David Easton, 1953
“The study of politics is the study of influence
in the influential . . . . The influential are those
who get the most of what there is to get. Those
who get the most are elite the rest are mass.”
Harold Lasswell, 1936
“If men were angels no government would be necessary.”
James Madison
Politics
“war by other means”
Michel Foucault
The who -- the participants in politics (voters,
interest groups, elected officials, unions,
and corporations)
The what -- the public policies (the decisions
that government makes)
The when and how -- the political process
(campaigns and elections, fund-raising,
and lobbying)
Politics and Power
Those who prevail in political conflicts are
said to have power. Power (and conflict) is
basic to politics.
Actors who have enough power can provide
or refuse health benefits, block or impose
gun control, raise or cut taxes, or prohibit or
permit abortions.
With so much at stake, it is not surprising
that people seek political power.
Theories of Power
THEORY
LOCATION OF
POLITICAL POWER
SOURCE OF INFLUENCE
Pluralism
Interest Groups
A group’s organization,
resources, connections
Hyperpluralism
Numerous
Interest Groups
A group’s organization,
resources, connections
Elitism
“Power elite” in government,
corporations and the military
Status based on economic
influence and leadership
positions
Idealized view of Pluralism
Groups/Organizations
Idealized view of Elitism
Elites
Masses
Politics and Government
Only government decisions can extend to
the whole society, and only government can
legitimately use force.
Individuals have a legal right to voluntarily
withdraw from nongovernmental
organizations, while no one can voluntarily
withdraw from government’s authority.
Development of Government
The Divine Theory:
-- people believed that God ordained and
established government
-- the King descended from God; the Divine Right of
Kings (no questioning the ruler)
-- prevalent until the revolutions of the 17th and 18th
century (the people v. royal absolutism)
The Natural Theory:
-- it was natural for people to get together and live
together
-- Aristotle: “man is by nature a political animal”
-- government is a natural, growing, inevitable, and
beneficial institution
-- evolution of the state (Herbert Spencer/Charles
Darwin)
Development of Government
The Social Compact Theory:
-- government is created by people who consented to
be ruled by someone else
-- what could you do if you were the only
person on earth?
-- what could you do if you were one of a dozen
people in your local area?
-- what would you have to give up?
Sovereign
Liberties
Protection
People
Development of Government
The Social Compact Theory of Thomas Hobbes:
-- Leviathan (1651)
-- what would life be without government?
-- the true state of nature is one of chaos
-- people are anxious to achieve peace and
security so they voluntarily surrender
their natural rights to the sovereign in
exchange for security
-- once the people gave up their rights they
could not get them back
-- government power had to be absolute to
counter the evils of mankind
-- there is no right of revolution (a defense of
the monarchy)
Development of Government
The Social Compact Theory of John Locke:
-- Two Treatises on Government (1690)
-- what would life be without government?
-- the true state of nature is a pleasant state
-- the people need someone to settle disputes
and claims so they voluntarily leave the
state of nature and enter into a contract
to form a society
-- people did not give up their rights, just
delegated them
-- government transgressions justify public
disobedience and rebellion
-- justifies the right of revolution
-- many of Locke’s ideas are incorporated into
the Declaration of Independence
Types of Government
Anarchy – the absence of government
Autocracy – any system of government in which political
power and authority are focused in a single person
-- monarchy or dictatorship
-- advantage: efficiency
-- disadvantage: threat of one person
rule
Oligarchy – any system of government in which a small elite
group holds the ruling power; usually based on wealth,
military power or social position
-- aristocracy, junta, or theocracy
-- advantage: rule by the best qualified
-- disadvantage: they might rule for
their own benefit
Types of Government
Democracy – a form of government in which the people
exercise political control
-- demos meaning “the people”; kratis meaning
“to rule”
-- popular sovereignty: ultimate power is vested
in the people
“Democracy is a form of religion; it is the worship
of jackals by jackasses”
H. L. Mencken
The Growth of Democracy
Types of Government
Principles of Democracy
-- Individual Dignity: requires personal freedom
-- human beings are entitled to life and liberty,
personal property, and equal protection
under the law
-- these liberties are not granted by government,
they belong to every person
-- Equality
-- true democracy requires equal protection of
the law for every individual
-- Majority Rule: one person, one vote
-- collective decision making in democracies
must be by majority rule, with each
person having one vote
Types of Government
Principles of Democracy
-- Participation in Decision Making
-- democracy means individual participation in
the decisions that affect individuals’
lives
-- The argument for democracy is not that the people
will always choose wise policies for themselves,
but that people who cannot choose for
themselves are not really free
“Educate and inform the whole mass of the people . . . .
They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of
our liberty.”
Thomas Jefferson
Types of Government
Madison’s fear of Democracy: Mobocracy
Criticisms of Democracy
-- failure to operate efficiently, promptly and honestly
-- must have an intelligent, informed, unprejudiced,
unemotional human being
-- unworkable under the complex conditions of modern
life
These criticisms of democracy give way to speculation on how
the government really works. Do people really make policy?
Models of Democracy
Majoritarianism: when political leaders respond to the policy
desires of the majority
-- normally we think that this is limited to the election of
representatives; the threat of defeat will make
public officials responsive to the people’s
wishes.
-- representatives are elected by vote of
all the people
-- elections are open to competition
-- candidates and voters can freely
express themselves
-- representatives are selected
periodically
Models of Democracy
Direct Democracy: when everyone actively participates in
every decision
-- New England Town Hall Meetings
-- referendum is an election on a policy issue (should
public money be spent in a certain way?)
-- initiative is the process of proposing legislation
(circulate petitions to place an issue in front of
the legislature of the people via a referendum)
Some states allow both referendum and initiative, but not
Texas. What groups would be opposed to such forms of
participation?
California Initiative
In 1978, California passed Proposition 13:
-- it rolled back property tax assessments to 1975
levels,
-- mandated that property could be assessed no more
than 1 percent of its value,
-- capped assessment increases at a maximum of 2
percent a year,
-- allowed reassessment only when the property is sold.
Although cutting property taxes was popular,
what was its impact on local government?
Trust in Government
What factors might explain the public’s lack of trust
and what does this mean for our democracy?
Political Ideology
A political ideology is a consistent set of values and
beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of
government
Are people consistent in their political ideology?
-- no; people can be liberal in some areas and
conservative in others
-- e.g., liberal in domestic affairs
and conservative in
international politics
Liberalism
Principles of Liberalism:
-- a broad political principle centered on the rights of
the individual
-- belief in government action to achieve equal
opportunity and equality for all
-- it is the duty of the government to alleviate social ills
and protect civil liberties and human rights
-- the role of the government is to see that no person is
in need
-- tend to be optimistic in that they believe that society
is progressively getting better
Liberalism
”If a free society cannot help
the many who are poor,
it cannot save the few
who are rich.”
John F. Kennedy
Liberalism in the United States
The darker the blue, the more liberal the state
2011
Conservatism
Principles of Conservatism:
-- a broad political principle centered on learning from
past solutions for answers that we need today
-- want to return to traditional religious and ethical
absolutes; distrust of reform or change
-- defend the status quo
-- emphasis on personal responsibility (self-reliance)
-- belief that the role of government should be to
provide the freedom necessary to pursue their
own goals
Conservatism
”Government is not the
solution to our problem;
government is the
problem.”
Ronald Reagan
Conservatism in the United States
The darker the red, the more conservative the state
Liberal/Conservative
2011
American Political Spectrum
American Political Spectrum
Liberals and Conservatives
Economic Liberals: favors more government regulation of business
to protect the environment and consumers, more progressive
taxes, and more programs to help low-income Americans.
Economic Conservatives: favors less government involvement in
economy and society, leaving more to the private sector.
Social Liberals: favors the right to abortion, more rights for gays and
lesbians, more civil rights protections for minorities, and
separation of church and state.
Social Conservatives: against abortion, supports traditional families
and gender roles, favors more religious practices in public
life.
Extremist Groups
Radicals:
-- leftist extremists (stems from the practice of
European parliaments of seating radical parties
to the left of the presiding officer)
-- advocate greater government control of society;
socialism
-- advocate governmental action to correct injustices
and shortcomings in existing society
-- mass protests during the Vietnam conflict; Occupy
Wall Street movement
Extremist Groups
Reactionaries:
-- rightist extremists (stems from the practice of
European parliaments of seating ultra
conservative parties to the right of the presiding
officer)
-- belief that most social problems result from
democratic excesses favoring the property less
masses
-- prefer government by an oligarchy
-- often adopt military tactics to achieve their objectives
-- the Know Nothing Party; Ku Klux Klan; against big
government (anti-UN)
Radicals and Reactionaries
Similarities:
-- both proliferate during periods of hard times
-- both are inflexible in their ideas; no
compromise
-- both resort to violence
Here in the United States we have people from every
extreme imaginable. However, most Americans are
“centerists.”
Ideologies
Liberal
Conservative
Radical
Reactionary
Democratic
Non-Democratic
Leftist
Authoritarian
Communism
Rightist
Authoritarian
Fascism
Authoritarian is the most prevalent of all governments throughout world history
Leftist comes about via social reforms
Rightist comes about via nationalistic revolt