Introducing Government in America
AP U.S. Government and Politics
Chapter 1
Government
• Government – the institutions through which public
policies are made for a society.
• Two fundamental questions about government:
– How should we govern?
– What should the government do?
• Although citizens often disagree about what their
government should do for them, all governments
have certain functions in common.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Maintain National Defense
Provide Public Goods and Services
Preserve Order
Socialize the young
Collect taxes
Politics
• Politics – Process determining the leaders we select
and the policies they pursue.
• Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.
• “Who gets what, when, and how.” – Harold D. Lasswell
• The ways in which people get involved in politics
make up their political participation.
• Types of political participation:
–
–
–
–
Voting
Running for office
Joining a single-issue group
Others???
The Policymaking System
• Government responds to the priorities of its people
through the policymaking system.
Linkage Institutions
• Linkage institutions connect people with their
government.
– They are the channels through which people’s concerns
become political issues on the policy agenda.
– American linkage institutions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Elections
Political parties
Interest groups
The media
Policymaking Institutions
• Policymaking Institution – The branches of
government charged with taking action on political
issues.
– Three established by U.S. Constitution:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Congress
The Presidency
The Courts
Bureaucracy
–
Not in U.S. Constitution, but power is so great that many political
scientists consider it a fourth policymaking institution or “fourth
branch” of government.
Public Policy
• Public Policy – choices made by government in response to a political
issue.
• Policy impacts – effects a policy has on people and problems.
Type
Definition
Example
Congressional statute
Law passed by Congress
The $787 billion American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is
enacted.
Presidential action
Decision by President
American troops are withdrawn from
Iraq.
Court decision
Opinion by Supreme Court or
other court
Supreme Court rules that individuals
have a constitutional right to own a
handgun.
Budgetary Choices
Legislative act of taxes and
expenditures
The federal budget resolution is
enacted.
Regulation
Agency adoption of regulation
The Dept. of Education issues
guidelines for qualifying for the federal
student loan forgiveness program.
Democracy in America
• Democratic theory rests on several key principles.
– Equality in voting
– Effective Participation
– Enlightened understanding
– Citizen control of agenda
– Inclusion
• Democracies must practice majority rule while also
protecting minority rights.
Theories of Democracy
• Theories of democracy focus on the question of
“who really governs in our nation?”
– Pluralism – policymaking process is open to participation
of a variety of groups, with no single group dominating.
– Elitism – upper-class elites hold power and make policy
regardless of the formal government’s organization.
– Hyperpluralism – theory stating that groups are so
strong that government is weakened, crippling its ability
to make policy.
Challenges to Democracy
• There are a number of continuing challenges to
democracy.
– Increased complexity of issues
– Limited participation in government
– Escalating campaign costs
– Diverse political interests
gridlock
American Political Culture
• According to Seymour Martin Lipset, American
political culture can be summarized by five
elements.
1. Liberty – individual freedom is fundamental to
American life.
2. Egalitarianism – equality of opportunity.
3. Individualism – belief that people should and can get
ahead on their own.
4. Laissez-Faire – free markets and limited government.
5. Populism - supports the rights of average citizens in
their struggle against the elites.
The Scope of Government in America
• What role should government play in the lives of
Americans?
• Some Americans support a more active role for the
government while others feel the scope of government needs
to be smaller.
– Facts about the size of our national government:
•
•
•
•
It spends $3.7 trillion annually.
It employs 2.8 million civilians and 1.4 million in the military.
It owns about 1/3 of land in the U.S.
It occupies over 3.2 billion square feet of office space.