"The purpose of education, finally, is to
create in a person the ability to look at the
world for him or herself, to make his or her
own decisions, to say that this is black or
this is white, to decide whether there is a
God in heaven or not. To ask questions of
the universe, and then to learn to live with
those questions, is the way a person achieves
identity. But no society is really anxious to
have that kind of person around. What
societies really, ideally want is a citizenry
which will simply obey the rules of society."
--James Baldwin, in "A Talk to Teachers," Oct. 16, 1963
2
Unit 1:
Constitutional Underpinnings
Chapter 1: Introducing Government
Political Efficacy
• The belief that political participation
matters and can make a difference.
• Do young
people have a
low sense of
political
efficacy?
• Why or why
not?
Government
• Institutions
(Executive,
Legislative,
Judicial,
Bureaucracy)
and
processes
that make
public policy
Politics
• The process by which
we select our
government leaders
and what policies
these leaders produce.
Politics produces
authoritative
decisions about public
issues and can be
conflicting in nature.
The Policy Making Process
• Process by which
policy comes into
being and evolves
over time.
Linkage Institutions
• Political channels
through which people’s
concerns become
political issues on the
policy agenda. These
include:
▫
▫
▫
▫
Political Parties
Elections
Media
Interest Groups
(including single issue
groups)
Policy Agenda
• The issues that
government is
addressing at a point in
time
▫ 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 enact
policy.
Policymaking Institutions
• Legislature
(Congress)
• Executive
(President)
• Courts (Federal and
State)
• Bureaucracies
(Federal and State)
Implementation
• Once policy is
implemented,
feedback occurs:
▫ Effective or ineffective?
▫ Are the resources
available?
▫ Does the policy
need to be
revised/clarified?
Democracy
• Difficult Definition:
▫ A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing
government so that policy represents and responds to
the public’s preferences
• Easier Definition :
▫ A system with free and fair elections and civil rights
and liberties.
▫ Rule by the people
▫ Two types
 Direct: rule by the people themselves
 Town hall meetings along the eastern
seaboard
 Ancient Greece
 Indirect (Representative)
 United States
 England
Founders' distrust of direct democracy
• Impracticalities
• Fleeting passions of the people --- > concern that
they would be swayed by demagogues (God like
attributes).
Traditional Democratic Theory
• Theory encompasses:
1. equality in voting “one person, one vote”
2. effective participation –equal
opportunities
3. Enlightened understanding - plethora of
ideas. . .
4. citizen control of the agenda.
5. inclusion of all who are willing to
participate.
• Majority rule w/ minority rights.
An issue of “power” .
▫ Majority = An accumulation of
minorities
Republic
•
•
•
Same as indirect
democracy
Solves problems
of direct
democracy
Secures the
advantages of
direct democracy
while curing its
weaknesses
Theories of American Democracy:
Distribution of power in our system
1. Elite and Class Theory:
• A theory of government and
politics contending that
societies are divided along
class lines and that an upperclass elite will rule.
• Policies benefit those with
money / power
 Marxist: inf1luence of economic
elites.
 C. Wright Mills: influence of
power elite: corporate, military,
political
 Max Weber: influence of
bureaucracy.
Theories Con’t
2. 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 with shared
interests influence public
policy by focusing on
organized efforts----they
will prevail
Pluralist Theory Con’t
• Political resources are so
scattered that no single elite
has a monopoly on them.
• There are so many institutions
in which power is exercised
that no single elite could
possibly control all of them.
• Policy is therefore the outcome
of political haggling,
innumerable compromises, and
ever-shifting alliances among
groups.
Theories Con’t
3. Hyperpluralism
• “Pluralism gone sour.”
• There are so many groups,
and they are so strong, that
government has become
gridlocked and is unable to
act.
• Governments give in to
interest groups and singleissue groups.
Political Culture
• Political culture is the set of shared
values within American society.
• Americans share a commitment to
democratic government
American Political Culture
• Liberties (freedoms)
• Egalitarianism (equality)
• Individualism
• Laissez-faire economic policies
• Populism---the people
• Justice
Challenges to Democracy
• Increased technical expertise: Power is based on
technical knowledge
• Limited participation in government: Low voter
turnout especially among young voters
• Escalating campaign costs: Tremendous costs of
even a House seat today greater than $500,000
• Diverse political interests: Difficulty in
achieving a majority---POLICY GRIDLOCK
Questions About Democracy
• Are the people
knowledgeable
enough about
government?
• Is low voter
turnout a
threat to
democracy?
• Do political
parties meet
the needs of
most American
voters?
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,
Con’t…
• Does the media adequately inform citizens of what
is happening in government?
Questions about the Scope of
Government, Con’t…
• Do the federal courts overstep their
bounds and intrude on the powers of other
branches of government?
Questions about the Scope of
Government, Con’t…
• Are the federal agencies too large and
unresponsive to the public they are supposed
to serve?