PSC 101 – Introductory Discussion

Defining “politics” and “government” Everyday uses of “politics” and “political” Negative stereotypes of politicians Relationship between politics and government ---Can one have politics without government? ---Can one have government without politics? (The Progressive Movement 1880s-1920s) ---”Playing politics” vs. “getting things done” ---”Playing politics” vs. “doing the right thing”

Your textbook’s definitions of politics and government Politics: “individual and collective efforts to influence the workings of government” --David Easton’s model of the political system --Does “politics” exist in nondemocratic countries? In hierarchical organizations? --Different definitions of “influence”: persuasion, coercion, bargaining Government: “the institutions that have the authority and capacity to enforce public policies (rules) for a specific territory and people”

Where does government get its authority and capacity? Your book’s answer: near-monopoly of force Where else does government get its authority from? (Legitimacy?) --the democratic process --religion? --habit? --family ties? --rationality?

Why is government necessary? (why is it rational to obey government) Theories of political obligation Social contract theory: Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau We willingly (and rationally) give up some of our freedoms in order to protect the rest If not, we risk the “war of all against all” But why? Scarcity (material and moral) is the key

Why is government necessary cont’d 1.) Conflict over scarce resources 2.) Conflict over “scarce” or “irreconcilable” values ---Attempts to compromise: Roe v. Wade, civil unions for gays 3.) Even in the absence of overt conflict, there are “collective goods” to be provided, which are vulnerable to the ‘free rider’ problem (collective action problem) – nuclear defense, paved roads

Why govt. is necessary cont’d Debates between libertarians and others are about which things (education, roads, police, health care) are truly “collective goods” that the market does not sufficiently provide 4.) Even in the absence of “collective action” problems, we still have “coordination problems” (ex. Restaurants, Habitat homes, Katrina, Haiti, oil spill) – someone must be in charge

How political scientists study politics and government Political scientists do not have a monopoly on the study of politics! How is their approach distinctive? ---Emphasis on causality rather than description ---Emphasis on forming generalizations (theories) that operate across time and space (Sarah Palin example) ---Emphasis on replicability, which includes precision in concepts and measurement ---SOME SAY (not all PSCists agree) that it’s an emphasis on empirical, rather than normative questions

Correlation is not causation, but it’s a good start! We can’t do experiments very easily So we rely on observing correlations But watch out for ---multivariate explanations ---indirect causation ---and worst of all, spurious correlations! (ice cream consumption and crime rates, homeownership and political participation)

US Political Culture What is political culture? ---Book definition ---Political culture ↓ ---Political ideology ↓ ---Attitudes on particular issues As we go down, we go from most consensual/ambiguous/general to most controversial/specific

US Political Culture --As universal as it is within US, US political culture distinguishes us from other societies foreign observer literature --How can a country diverse as US have a common political culture? CONTENTS OF US POLITICAL CULTURE 1.) Equality as unifying theme equality of opportunity v. equality of result 2.) Individualism: self-reliance, nonconformism, “lone wolf” as hero

US Political Culture 3.) Liberty ---positive v. negative liberty ---paternalistic legislation? 4.) Property rights – major role of govt. in “free market” economy is to protect ‘em 5.) Religion --free exercise, no established religion --yet religion taken very seriously, compared to other industrial societies!

Why These Five Elements? 1.) Lasting imprint of US’ “formative years” (settlement, colonial and revolutionary periods) 2.) Self-selection (emigration, immigration) 3.) Reinforcement: political campaigns, education system, popular culture

Present-Day Consequences of US Political Culture 1.) Continued antipathy toward government (and authority and politics in general) 2.) Lack of finality in policy decisions 3.) Class conflict (hence socialist attitudes) much more muted than in other societies 4.) Even communitarian policies must be justified and advocated in individualistic terms (e.g. Social Security in the 1930s)