Chapter 1
The Study of American
Government
1. What is meant by “politics”?
2. Can you give two definitions of
“democracy”?
3. How is political power actually
distributed in America?
4. What is the “political agenda” and why
has it expanded?
5. How can you classify and explain the
politics of different issues?
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Learning Objectives
2
 Issue: a real or apparent conflict
between the interests, ideas, or beliefs
of different citizens
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Issues and Politics
3
 Politics: activity by which an issue is
agitated or settled
 Negotiation
 Argument
 Discussion
 Application of force
 Persuasion
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Issues and Politics
4
 Power: ability of one person to get
another person to act in accordance
with his/her wishes
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Power, Authority, and
Legitimacy
5
 Authority: rightful power
 Varies from time to time
 Varies from country to country
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Power, Authority, and
Legitimacy
6
 Legitimacy: political authority conferred
by law or by a constitution
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Power, Authority, and
Legitimacy
7
 Democracy: rule of the many
 Direct democracy: government in
which most citizens participate directly
 Representative democracy:
government in which elected leaders
make decisions
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What is Democracy?
8
1. Class view
 Government dominated by capitalists
2. Power elite view
 Government dominated by a few top
leaders, mostly outside of government
3. Bureaucratic view
 Government dominated by appointed
officials
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Political Power in America:
Five Views
9
4. Pluralist view
 Belief that competition among all affected
interests shapes public policy
5. Creedal passion view
 Government dominated by impassioned
elites
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Political Power in America:
Five Views
10
 Who governs?
1. How is political power actually distributed
in America?
2. What explains major political change?
 To what ends?
1. What value or values matter most in
American democracy?
2. Are trade-offs among political purposes
inevitable?
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Who Governs—and to
What Ends?
11
 Political agenda: issues that people
believe require governmental action;
affected by
 Shared political values
 Weight of custom and tradition
 Impact of events
 Changes in way political elites think and
talk about politics
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Expanding the Political Agenda
12
Americans felt
powerfully connected
to their fellow citizens
in the immediate
aftermath of 9/11.
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Expanding the Political Agenda
13
 Groups (organized and unorganized)
 Government institutions
 Includes courts, bureaucracies
 Source of policy (not just reactive)
 Media
 Action by the States
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Expanding the Political Agenda
14
 Type of issue affects politicking
 Costs (monetary or nonmonetary)
 Benefits (monetary or nonmonetary)
 Perception of costs vs. benefits
 Is beneficiary “deserving”?
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The Politics of Different
Issues
15
 Simple theory of politics:
1. Are costs and benefits of proposed
policy widely distributed?
 Income tax, Social Security
2. Are costs and benefits of proposed
policy narrowly distributed?
 Farm subsidies
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The Politics of Different
Issues
16
 Majoritarian politics
 Distributed benefits, distributed costs
 Free-rider problem
 Example: Social Security
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Four Types of Politics
17
 Interest group politics
 Usually involves organized interest groups
 Concentrated benefits, concentrated costs
 Example: regulations affecting layoff
notifications for union members
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Four Types of Politics
18
 Client politics
 Concentrated benefits, distributed costs
 Pork-barrel legislations and log-rolling
 Example: farm subsidies
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Four Types of Politics
19
 Entrepreneurial Politics
 Distributed benefits, concentrated costs
 Policy entrepreneurs
 Ralph Nader
 Example: environmental protection
regulations
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Four Types of Politics
20
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A Way of Classifying and Explaining
the Politics of Different Policy Issues
21
 Policy dynamics
 Issue can remain stable, change a little or
a lot, change slowly or quickly
 No “typical” path
 Most major social legislation reflects
majoritarian politics
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Four Types of Politics
22
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Major Overhaul of U.S. Military
Includes Defense Cuts
23
Click picture to play video
Taking a closer look:
1. Which of the four types of politics best
describes defense policy?
2. When formulating this policy, who likely
served as President Obama’s primary
advisors?
3. What can you hypothesize about the
timing of this policy proposal?
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Major Overhaul of U.S. Military
Includes Defense Cuts
24
 Political scientists ask how and why
1. Who governs—and to what ends?
2. How do political issues get on the public
agenda?
3. How do the politics of issues change over time?
4. What political obstacles and opportunities will
arise?
5. What is the role of public opinion, interest
groups, the media, the courts and political
parties?
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Understanding Politics
25