Government and Politics

  Anarchism  Bureaucracy  Gridlock  Interest Group  Lobbyist  Patronage Key Terms  Pluralism  Political Alienation  Political Party  Power Elite Model  Regulatory Agency

  Anarchism  is the philosophy that advocates the abolition of government in order to secure true freedom for people.  Government is here to:  Protect the Citizenry  Secure Order  Distribute Power Equitably  Provide a Safety Net Why Government?

  Protection from threats that come from sources more powerful than any individual.  How this is done:  Laws (example: illegal immigration)  Regulatory agencies (example: FDA)  Organizations established by the government to enforce statutes that apply to a particular activity Protect the Citizenry

  Government is necessary to control individuals so that society does not degenerate into chaos and violence.  Order is essential to both emotional and physical well-being. Secure Order

  This gives every citizen an equal opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Remember these factors have and do affect people’s life chances.  Survey of nations has shown a direct relationship between the way the government functions and the reported happiness of the citizenry. Distribute Power Equitably

  Government provides a safety net, which is a minimum standard of living below which it will not allow citizens to fall.  Differences exist over what should be included in the safety net.  Current safety net benefits include:  Social Security and Medicare for the retired  Short term financial aid for unemployed  Subsidized lunches for poor schoolchildren  Health insurance for uninsured children Provide a Safety Net

  Political parties and government bureaucracy play a central role in the way representative democracy functions in the US.  A Political party is an organized group that attempts to control the government through the electoral process.  A bureaucracy is an organization which there are specific areas of authority and responsibility, a hierarchy of authority, management based on written documents, worker expertise, management based on rules, and full- time workers Political Parties and Government Bureaucracy

  Problems include:  Inequalities in Power  The Failure of Trust  Waste, Corruption, and Scandals  Gridlock Problems of Government and Politics

  The actual distribution of power in American society contradicts the expectation that the government should ensure equity.  Points to consider include:  Pluralism or Power Elites?  Power and Inequality Inequalities in Power

  Who holds the most power in the US?  Many believe the US is a pluralistic society.  Pluralism is the more or less equal distribution of power among interest groups.  Interest groups are groups that attempt to influence public opinion and political decisions in accord with the particular interests of its members Pluralism or Power Elites?

  Others believe that the power elite model applies in our country.  The power elite model is a model of politics in which power is concentrated in political, economic, and military leaders.  There is evidence that supports both pluralist and power elite positions. Pluralism or Power Elites?

  People are not powerless, particularly when they organize.  Examples: NRA, MADD  There clearly are power inequities.  Regardless of which model of power most accurately reflects realities of social life, government clearly has not maintained an equitable distribution of power Power and Inequality

  An important part of the task of securing order is building trust.  Public trust in major institutions has declined markedly over the last half century.  Consequences of the failure of trust include:  Lack of Citizen Participation  Altered Voting Patterns  Political Alienation The Failure of Trust

  Failure of trust is one reason for low proportion of Americans who vote.  About half or less of the voting-age population participates in national elections, and the proportion is much lower for state and local elections.  New laws that made it easier for people to register to vote have not had a significant impact on voting participation. Lack of Citizen Participation

  Some people choose not to vote, but others change the way they would have voted under conditions of high levels of trust.  Third parties are likely to benefit when people do not trust the government.  Some see third parties as a threat, and others think they would work well.  If failure of trust intensifies, a three-party system may become a reality. Altered Voting Patterns

  Political alienation is a feeling of political disillusionment, powerlessness, and estrangement.  Alienated people lose interest in political life and are disillusioned with the entire system, including the voting process.  Alienated people believe that the system itself is fundamentally flawed. Political Alienation

  These are contrary qualities of politicians.  Professional assessments of government effectiveness and efficiency do little to change those beliefs. Waste, Corruption, and Scandals

  Government waste refers to excessive paperwork, excessive costs, and unnecessary expenditures.  Waste is a serious problem of government at all levels. Government Waste

  Instances of corruption or scandal involve a politician acting in terms of self-interest or particular interests to the detriment of the politician’s constituency or the general public.  Forms of corruption include:  Patronage, which involves giving government jobs to people who are members of the winning party.  “Stuffing the ballot box” or rigging elections Government Corruption and Scandals

  Government seems unable to legislate policies because of conflict, party differences, or standoffs between government branches.  This is known as a gridlock.  Gridlocks reflect:  Inability to compromise  Power struggles  Gridlocks can occur at any level of government and can maintain/intensify failure of trust. Gridlock

  Government action or inaction leads to three problem areas that affect quality of life:  Unequal Opportunities for a High Quality of Life  Inadequate Protection of Individual Rights  Lack of Responsiveness to Needs Government, Politics, and Quality of Life

  Politicians and citizens alike expect government at all levels to have a role in those matters that affect the quality of life.  When some groups benefit to the detriment of others, the result is a lower quality of life for whole groups of people.  This relationship between advantages and quality of life holds true in other nations, as well.  The government has failed to maintain a social system in which all individuals, regardless of their social origins, have equal opportunities. Unequal Opportunities for High Quality of Life

  A contradiction exists between the value of individual rights and the way government functions to protect them.  Part of the problem lies in the dilemma faced by government – how can individual rights and social order both be preserved?  Areas where individual rights are affected include criminal justice system, the Internet, drug policies, immigrant rights, homosexual rights, police practices, right to privacy, and religious freedom. Inadequate Protection of Individual Rights

  Any satisfying relationship requires give and take.  Some perceive government to be all “take” and no “give.”  Problem areas include:  Speed and efficiency  Maintaining neutrality  This leads to the view of government not as their protector and safety net, but as their competitor for the good things of life, or even as their enemy. Lack of Responsiveness to Needs

  Social structural factors that contribute to the problems with government include:  Size  The Structure of Government  The Economics of Campaigning  The Media  Interest Groups Contributing Social Structural Factors

  The federal government has not been growing in terms of the number of people employed, but rather in terms of those who work via contracts, grants, and mandates.  Fewer people work for the government now than in the 1980’s.  Growth of government reflects both a growing population and a growing number of functions and services assumed by government. Size

  Both the size of government and size of the population has consequences for functioning.  More difficult for larger organizations to be efficient and responsive.  More difficult to gain compliance and enforce rules when regulating a large number of people.  More difficult to adequately represent people when their number and diversity increase. Size

  Two aspects of government structure contribute to problems:  The extent to which a government is a political democracy  Strong relationship between level of political democracy and quality of life in the nations.  The way the government is organized to fulfill its functions.  The government is organized along bureaucratic lines in order to fulfill its various functions.  Government is not organized in a way to deal effectively with waste and corruption. The Structure of Government

  Based on 2008 election, Senate candidates spent an average of $13.6 million dollars each to campaign for office.  Cost of political office is high and has been rising dramatically.  It is evident that people without access to considerable sums of money or money-raising skills are unlikely to win an election.  Although some campaign financing reform measures have been taken, campaign financing remains problematic. The Economics of Campaigning

  The nature of media coverage and the influence of the media have changed as radio, network television, cable television, and now the Internet have been added to the print media as factors in the political process.  The media play an important role in terms of:  Elections  Political agendas and action  Public trust The Media

  Although television advertising for political campaigns is expensive, a substantial proportion of Americans rely on television for their political news.  What appears in the media affects how people vote.  Cable television and the Internet both make a big impact on campaigning. The Media and Elections

  The media are an integral part of the governing of the nation.  The media help decide what are the issues, problems, and crises to which political leaders must respond.  The problem is that only nine corporations control most of the nation’s media. The Media, Political Agendas, and Action

  The media gives so much coverage to scandals, including matters that would have been glossed over as private affairs in past decades.  Although Americans have expressed a weariness with this extensive coverage because of its negative impact on their trust in government, they admit to an almost insatiable curiosity about the scandals. The Media and Public Trust

  Interest groups have become an increasingly important factor in American political life because an organization can put considerable pressure on politicians.  Interest groups hire lobbyists to use various means to influence politicians.  Lobbyists are individuals who try to influence legislation in accord with the preferences of an interest group.  Most lobbyists use corrupt or questionable methods to influence politicians or candidates. Interest Groups

  Social psychological factors that contribute to the problems with government include:  Public Attitudes  Ideologies Contributing Social Psychological Factors

  American ideal: government is of the people, by the people, and for the people.  Negative attitudes lead to alienation and withdrawal from political life.  Alienation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy because negative attitudes lead to nonparticipation, resulting in fewer benefits. Public Attitudes

  Contrary attitudes of Americans:  Want strong leaders, but fear abuse of power  Like ordinary people in office, but value charisma  Want unifying leaders, but do not want to compromise their own positions for the unity  Admire leaders with vision, but want responsiveness to public opinion  This poses a dilemma for politicians Public Attitudes

  Most Americans are suspicious of extreme ideologies and value compromise in resolving political conflicts.  Opposing ideologies often lead to compromise, but can sometimes lead to gridlock.  This gridlock reflects the fact that there is a sufficient number of politicians on both sides of opposing ideologies so that the issue cannot be resolved. Ideologies

  Ways to address the problems of government:  Selected restructuring  Campaign finance reform  Greater citizen participation Public Policy and Private Action

  Trial-and-error process  May not be clear if change is going to make government more or less responsive to people’s needs. Selected Restructuring

  One of the most needed areas for addressing problems of government  Rich donors find ways to circumvent the laws on contribution limits  Subsidized public finance system for legislative candidates can lead to campaigns that are shorter, less expensive, and more likely to focus on issues rather than personal attacks. Campaign Finance Reform

  Ways to foster greater citizen participation include:  Using the Internet as a tool to build greater participation.  Encouraging citizens to become part of a group that engages in political discussions.  Educating people about the effectiveness of these groups.  Easing the registration process.  Allowing citizen-initiated ballot measures at the state level.  Using social pressure.  Face-to-face canvassing to increase voting numbers. Greater Citizen Participation