Government and Politics

Why do we need to study government? Text – the zero page (turn to page 1)

What are the purposes of government?

Provide for national security and common defense Maintain social order Provide for national security and common defense Maintenance of security and order of citizens from violence and criminal activity is the oldest purpose of government Iraq Somalia

Provide public services Provide for and control of the economy The preamble of the Constitution sets out the general purposes of the American government and why it was established

What is government?

The institution through which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces binding decisions on citizens The institution through which government makes and enforces its public policies

Government is an aspect of politics Politics the struggle over power or influence within organizations or informal groups that can grant or withhold benefits or privileges Politics “who gets what, when, and how”… Harold Laswell Government can be defined as an institution in which decisions are made that resolve conflicts or allocate privileges or benefits

Government is the preeminent institution within society – the ultimate authority for making decisions and establishing political values

Definitions Institution – An organization that performs certain functions for society Order – a state of peace and security Public Policy – all those things government does

Why is government necessary? The need for security and order Order is a political value In an orderly society government may turn its attention to other purposes In a capitalist economy government attempts to soften the harshness of capitalism Government may encourage investment, private ownership of property, protect the environment

Why is government’s power limited? Citizen’s need to be protected from the abuses of government Iraq WMDs not the only reason for the war Promote stability in the Middle East by freeing the Iraqi people of a despotic regime Protect the liberties of the Iraqi people Iraq has various groups divided on the basis of religion, ethnicity and language and each group is subject to the oppression of others

Order cannot be the only political value Liberty is the second major political value Liberty – The greatest freedom of individuals that is consistent with the freedom of other individuals in the society Liberty is a value that can be promoted by government, but it can also be invoked against government

Liberty existed prior to government Philosophically people gave up liberty to create a government for protection Government power is limited because it only has the power granted to it by the people