Government and Politics Understanding the Basics

What is Government Definition: The institutions and procedures by which peoples and territories are ruled – Governments can be as simple as small tribal councils or as complex as large states

Theories about Government Hobbes vs. Locke

What is the purpose of government? Hobbes: Argues that the purpose of government is to control and order men – Believed that mankind was naturally wicked, and needed to be controlled In its natural state, he argued life would be full of “continual fear and danger of violent death” and that life would be “solitary, poor, brutish, nasty and short.” Argued that mankind needed an absolute authority over it in order to establish a civil society

What is the Purpose of Government Locke – Read Locke’s Second Treatise on Government Note: it’s a tough one. Take your time, and don’t let yourself get frustrated.

Varieties of Government Autocracy: A nation in which power is vested into a single individual – What types of government does this include? Oligarchy: A nation ruled by a small, typically wealthy group Democracy: A government that grants its people control over the decision making process

Varieties of government Governments are not just described by their form of rule, but how that rule functions in relationship to the law. There are two major types in this category – Authoritarian: A government in which government is constrained only by the judgment of its leaders Totalitarian: An authoritarian government that maintains total control over the lives of its subjects

Authoritarian/Totalitarian Governments

Varieties of Government – Constitutional Constitutional governments follow the idea of “Rule of Law” – The notion that no member of government is above the law, and that all government functions must be carried out according to agreed upon standards Constitutional governments can take many forms, and do not actually need a written Constitution

Constitutional governments

Helpful* Graph *May not be helpful

What is Politics? Politics: Refers to conflicts between members of an organization regarding the using and sharing of power in that organization

Types of political behavior

The 5 Principles Politics takes many forms, but generally it has 5 basic rules that allow you to identify political behavior 1.All political behavior has a purpose 2.Institutions structure politics 3.All politics is collective action 4.Political outcomes are the product of individuals and group goals tempered by institutional procedure 5.History matters

All Political Behavior has a Purpose Known as the Rationality Principle No one engages in political behavior without that behavior being instrumental – Done with purpose and intent All political behavior costs something, whether measured in time or money

All political behavior has a purpose Examples – Politicians want to keep their jobs, either because of the salary, the prestige, etc – Elected politicians must appeal to their “base” (the voters who they must have to win) – “Retail Politics” Talking directly with individuals – “Wholesale Politics” Attempting to appeal to specific groups

All political behavior has a purpose Unelected political actors also engage in deliberate political behavior, because they too have wants – Agency heads want to maximize their budgets – Committee members want to maximize the power of their committees – Voters want to vote for people who best represent their idea of what the country should be – Justices want to maximize the chance that their interpretation of the law will prevail

Institutions structure politics An institution refers to the rules and procedures that provide incentives for political behavior and shape politics

Functions of Institutions Jurisdiction: Institutions set the limits on who has authority to make decisions on given issues – Example: The CIA has jurisdiction over foreign intelligence, not domestic. That falls to the NSA or FBI Agenda Power and Veto Power: Institutions set the character of debate. Who has the ability to introduce new topics/ideas? Who has the ability to stop an agenda they don’t like? Delegation: Institutions set up the transmission of power to lesser officials or bodies. Necessary in a large country

Delegation Delegation is necessary but comes with problems – How does one manage the Principal-Agent Relationship? Everyone has their own goals. Institutions insure that the agent carry out the goals of the principal by controlling deviation Delegation comes with transaction cost – The cost of clarifying each aspect of the relationship between agent and principal, and monitoring the agent to ensure tasks are complete

All Politics is Collective Action No one person can gain power without the help and support of others – This involves the amalgamation of individual goals into a whole Madison called these “factions” Cooperation between individuals is inevitable in a political world. This requires some form of bargaining to take place

All Politics is Collective Action Informal bargaining: an unstructured or officially unsanctioned form of give-and-take – Example: Agreements between neighbors to form a neighborhood watch, creating a farmer’s cooperative to share and sell each others crops, creating a protest Formal bargaining: Interactions governed by official rules Typically associated with formal institutions – Example: legislators attempting to amend legislation, submitting a formal complaint to the FBI

Collective Dilemmas Even when goals coincide it is not always possible to reach a satisfactory conclusion – A situation in which no possible good solution is possible is known as a dilemma Classic Political example: The prisoner’s dilemma See page 15 of your book for another example

Other Dilemmas Free Riding: Enjoying the benefits of the collective action of others without any of the costs Example: The Tragedy of the Commons See pages of your book for proposed political solutions to this problem

Rule 4: The Policy Principle Political ambitions of a group or individual are shaped by the institutions that they are a part of: – Examples: Congressman X believes in immigration reform, but knows that most of his base voters oppose it, he chooses to vote against reform legislation to ensure reelection Senator Y is politically moderate, but has been pushing conservative legislation to attract the attention of donors Congressman A gives a rousing speech in support of a bill the Speaker of the House likes, hoping to gain attention and perhaps a committee seat

History Matters The history of a given institution is shaped by its history – This is known as Path Dependency Path Dependency means that new ideas may be either made more or less likely given the historical character and structure of an institution History determines things like voter loyalty – Prior to the 1930s, African Americans voted overwhelmingly Republican, today they vote overwhelmingly Democrat. What happened?

History Matters Past events shape today’s perceptions – Example: How do you think the Watergate scandal effected the relationship between the people and the President?

Conclusion As we proceed, keep these ideas in mind The U.S. government is a confusing morass of state, local and federal institutions constantly jostling with each other, it makes new ideas slow, if not impossible to get through – This is BY DESIGN