Government in America

Government Institutions that make public policy decisions for society Congress, President, and the courts 500,000 elected officials in the united states

Major Questions How should we govern? What should government do? “ideal democracy” What should government do? Does the government do what we want it to do?

Functions of national government Maintain a national defense military Provide public goods and services Schools, libraries, hospitals, highways Preserve order Police and national guard Socialize the young Knowledge and pride in ones nation and political system Collect taxes Provide revenue for government to function

Politics Determines who is elected as our leaders, and which policies to pursue Who gets what, when and how political participation one of the lowest voter turnouts in the world Distorted sample of public as a whole Single Issue groups Cast vote only based on one issue

The Policymaking system Government responds to the priorities of its people People shape policy then in turn impacted by them

People shape policy Policymaking system begins with people Invested interest, concerns Linkage institutions Parties, elections, interest groups, and the media Policy agenda Pay attention to problems that concern voters(policy issues) Policymaking institutions Legislative, executive (the government) Policy Taxes, laws, regulations

Policies Impact People Public Policy Congressional Statue Presidential action Court Decision Budgetary choices Regulation Policy Impact Effect policy has on people Having a policy implies having a goal

Democracy In America Democracy- selecting policymakers or organizing government so that policy reflects citizens preference Writers of constitution not fond of democracy Government of the people, by the people and for the people Democratic Republic

Traditional Democratic Theory Equality in voting One person one vote Effective participation People can express opinion Enlightened understanding Free press and speech Citizen control of the agenda Inclusion Extend rights to all

Traditional Democratic Theory Majority rule Minority rights representation

Tree Contemporary Theories of American Democracy Pluralism Elitism Hyperpluralism

Pluralism Groups with shared interests influence public policy by pressing their concerns through organized efforts Ex: NRA, NOW(national organization for women) Open access to officials No one group dominates public interest will prevail through bargaining and compromise Speak through groups of minorities rather than majority rule Interest groups and lobbyists Groups have become isolated from one another

Elitism That our society is divided along class lines, and that an upper class elite pull the strings of government Wealth the basis of power 1/3 of nations wealth held by 1% of Americans Can afford to influence campaigns and politicians Elite are the policymakers Rise of “occupy wall street” and of Bernie Sanders

Hyperpluralism Pluralism gone sour Groups are so strong that the government is weakened, crippling governments ability to make policy Too many ways for groups to control policy Use fragmented system to advantage Use courts, legislatures, local official, etc to get their way NRA

Challenges to democracy Increase complexity of issues Harder for citizens to make well informed decisions Limited participation in government Low voter turnout Escalating campaign costs Creating of PACs Diverse political interests Policy gridlock

American Political Culture and Democracy Overall set of values widely shared within American Society Liberty Freedom of speech and religion, willing to fight for it Egalitarianism Equality of opportunity, equal chance to participate in democratic gov Individualism People can and should get ahead on their own, use of frontier Laissez-Faire Lighter tax burden, stay out of economy Populism Government by the people

A Culture war? Liberal vs Conservative Polarization More polarized today than ever in our history

The Scope of American Government Argument of should government be more or less involved How active is American Government? Spends $3.7 Trillion a year Employees 2.8 million Owns 1/3 of the land Occupies 3.2 billion sq ft of office space Should not be surprised by size of government considering all that it does