Chapter 1

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman



Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America

• Government• Politics• The Policymaking System• Democracy• The Scope of Government in

America• Summary


Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives

• Government• LO 1.1: Identify the key functions of

government and explain why they matter.

• Politics• LO 1.2: Define politics in the context of

democratic government.



• The Policymaking System• LO 1.3: Assess how citizens can have an

impact on public policy and how policies can impact people.

• Democracy• LO 1.4: Identify the key principles of

democracy and outline theories regarding how it works in practice and the challenges democracy faces today.



• The Scope of Government in America• LO 1.5: Outline the central arguments of the

debate in America over the proper scope of government.

GovernmentLO 1.1: Identify the key functions of government and explain why they matter.

• Political Apathy• People age 18-29 are twice as likely than

people over age 65 to report low political interest.

• Age and Political Knowledge• Young people are less likely to know

answers to political questions than older people.

To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman

To Learning Objectives

LO 1.1



LO 1.1



Government

• Presidential Election Turnout Rates• Young people are less interested in politics

and hence less likely to be regular voters.

• Government• The institutions and processes through

which public policies are made for a society.


LO 1.1


LO 1.1



LO 1.1



Government

• Derived from the Greek term meaning “To steer/guide the ship…”

• Governments Must Perform Five Basic Functions• Maintain a national defense.• Provide public services.• Preserve order.• Socialize the young.• Collect taxes.


LO 1.1


Functions of American Govt. • Outlined in the Preamble to the U.S.

Constitution:• We, the People in order to• Form a more perfect union• Establish justice• Ensure domestic tranquility• Provide for the common defense• Promote the general welfare• And ensure domestic tranquility

• Do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America


LO 1.1


PoliticsLO 1.2: Define politics in the context of democratic government.

• Politics• The process by which we select our

governmental leaders and what policies they pursue.

• Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.



Politics

• Harold Lasswell• Defines politics as the struggle over who

(voters, candidates, groups, and parties) gets what (benefits and burdens), when (policy is made by government), and how (people participate in politics).


LO 1.2

The Policymaking SystemLO 1.3: Assess how citizens can have an impact on public policy and how policies can impact people.

• Policymaking System• The process by which policy comes into

being and evolves.• People’s interests, problems, and concerns

create political issues for government policymakers and shape policy that impacts society.



LO 1.3



The Policymaking System

• People Shape Policy• Policies Impact People


LO 1.3



• People Shape Policy• People have interests, problems, and

concerns.• People’s interests, problems, and concerns

create political issues for government policymakers.

• Four linkage institutions are political parties, elections, mass media, and interest groups.


LO 1.3



• People Shape Policy (cont.)• Policy agenda is the list of issues that

attract the serious attention of public officials.

• The four policymaking institutions are the legislative branch, executive branch, judicial branch, and the bureaucracy.


LO 1.3



• Policies Impact People (cont.)• Public policy is a choice that government

makes in response to a political issue.• Policy impacts are the effects a policy has

on people and problems.


LO 1.3


LO 1.3


DemocracyLO 1.4: Identify the key principles of democracy and outline theories regarding how it works in practice and the challenges democracy faces today.

• Traditional Democratic Theory• Three Contemporary Theories of

American Democracy• Challenges to Democracy• American Political Culture and

Democracy• A Culture War?



Democracy

• Traditional Democratic Theory• Democracy is a system in which policy

represents and responds to the public’s preferences.

• Five components of Traditional Democratic Theory are equality in voting, effective participation, enlightened understanding, citizen control of the agenda, and inclusion.


LO 1.4


Democracy

• Three Contemporary Theories of American Democracy• Pluralist Theory is a theory of government

and policies emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies.

• Groups must bargain and compromise to get policies.


LO 1.4


Democracy

• Three Contemporary Theories of American Democracy (cont.)• Elite and Class Theory contends that

societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule.

• Policies benefit those with money and power.


LO 1.4


Democracy

• Three Contemporary Theories of American Democracy (cont.)• Hyperpluralism is a theory of government

and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened.

• Confusing and contradictory policies result from politicians trying to placate every group.


LO 1.4


Democracy

• Challenges to Democracy• Increased complexity of issues make it

harder for citizens to make decisions.• Limited participation in government,

especially voting.• Escalating campaign costs stop people

from running for office.• Diverse political interests result into policy

gridlock.To Learning Objectives

LO 1.4


Democracy

• American Political Culture and Democracy• Political culture is an overall set of values

widely shared within a society.• Five elements of American political culture

are liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, laissez-faire, and populism.


LO 1.4


Democracy

• A Culture War?• James Q. Wilson believes that America is a

more polarized nation today than at any time in living memory.

• Other scholars believe that there is relatively little evidence of a so-called culture war going on among ordinary American citizens.


LO 1.4


LO 1.4


The Scope of Government in AmericaLO 1.5: Outline the central arguments of the debate in America over the proper scope of government.

• Gross Domestic Product• The sum total of the value of all the goods

and services produced in a year in a nation.

• Altogether, our governments— national, state, and local—spend about a third of our gross domestic product (GDP).



The Scope of Government in America

• Facts About the Size of Our National Government• Spends $3.8 trillion yearly.• Employs 2.8 million civilians and 1.4 million

in the military.• It owns one-third of the land in the United

States.• It occupies 2.6 billion square feet of office

space.To Learning Objectives

LO 1.5


LO 1.5



LO 1.1Summary

• Government• The functions that all governments must

perform include maintaining a national defense, providing public services, preserving order, socializing the young, and collecting taxes.

• These functions matter because they impact our lives.



Which of the following is an example of a public good?

A. College education

B. Automobile insurance

C. Home ownership

D. National defense


LO 1.1


Which of the following is an example of a public good?

A. College education

B. Automobile insurance

C. Home ownership

D. National defense


LO 1.1


LO 1.2Summary

• Politics• Politics determines who our leaders are and

what policies they pursue.• The who of politics is the voters, candidates,

parties, and groups; the what is the benefits and burdens of government; the how is the various ways in which people participate in politics.



Politics determines who we select as our governmental leaders and

policies these leaders pursue.

A. who

B. what

C. when

D. how


LO 1.2


Politics determines who we select as our governmental leaders and

policies these leaders pursue.

A. who

B. what

C. when

D. how


LO 1.2


LO 1.3Summary

• The Policymaking System• Citizens’ interests and concerns are

transmitted through linkage institutions to the policy agenda of the policymaking institutions.

• The policies that are made then influence people’s lives.



All of the following are considered linkage institutions EXCEPT

A. the media.

B. interest groups.

C. political parties.

D. courts.

E. elections.


LO 1.3


All of the following are considered linkage institutions EXCEPT

A. the media.

B. interest groups.

C. political parties.

D. courts.

E. elections.


LO 1.3


LO 1.4Summary

• Democracy• Key principles of democracy are equality in

voting, effective participation, enlightened understanding, citizen control of the agenda, and inclusion.

• The theories regarding how American democracy works in practice are the pluralist theory, elitist and class theory, and hyperpluralist theory.



LO 1.4Summary

• Democracy (cont.)• Challenges democracy faces today are

complexity of issues today, citizens’ limited participation, escalating campaign costs, and the policy gridlock resulting from diverse political interests.



According to Robert Dahl’s traditional democratic theory, an ideal democratic process should satisfy all of the following criteria EXCEPT

A. equality in voting.

B. effective participation.

C. enlightened understanding.

D. majority rule.


LO 1.4


According to Robert Dahl’s traditional democratic theory, an ideal democratic process should satisfy all of the following criteria EXCEPT

A. equality in voting.

B. effective participation.

C. enlightened understanding.

D. majority rule.


LO 1.4


LO 1.5Summary

• The Scope of Government in America• Politicians debate if the scope of government

responsibilities is too vast, just about right, or not comprehensive enough.

• This debate concerns whether the goals that are agreed to be important are best achieved through government action or rather through means other than government.



The annual budget of the federal government is nearly

.

A. $4 trillion

B. $5 trillion

C. $6 trillion

D. $7 trillion


LO 1.5


The annual budget of the federal government is nearly

.

A. $4 trillion

B. $5 trillion

C. $6 trillion

D. $7 trillion


LO 1.5


Text Credits

• U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Surveys. Data can be found at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/historical/index.html.


Photo Credits

• 1: Chuck Kennedy/Getty Images• 6: AP Photos• 8: Brennan Linsley/AP Photos• 20: Jewel Saned/Getty Images• 21: David Horsey

Chapter 1

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