Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 Chapter 1 A Changing America in a Changing World American Government: Policy & Politics, Eighth Edition TANNAHILL

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 In This Chapter We Will Cover: American political culture The international environment The demographic environment The economic environment

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 Political Culture Refers to the widely held, deeply-rooted political values of a society Defines the terms of political debate as well as the range of acceptable policy options

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 American Political Culture Democracy –Ultimate political authority is vested with the people Capitalism –Corporate and individual ownership of the means of production and markets based on supply and demand

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 Two Competing Policy Perspectives Liberalism –Favors the use of governmental power to foster the individual and promote social welfare Conservatism –Maintains that government power undermines individuals as well as society and should be used to defend traditional values

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The International Environment Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States has been the preeminent nation in the world— militarily, economically, and culturally.

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The International Environment –U.S. Military Power The United States spends five times as much on defense as China, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Cuba, and Libya combined.

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The International Environment –U.S. Economic Power The United States has the largest and most productive economy in the world.

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The International Environment –American culture is felt worldwide: Fashion Music Entertainment

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The International Environment Globalization –Despite U.S. preeminence, increasingly the American economy is tied to economies elsewhere. –Global terrorism, like September 11, 2001, demonstrated the U.S. is vulnerable to attack despite a strong military.

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The Demographic Environment Population –More than 280 million people live in the U.S. –The baby-boom generation are those born between the late 1940s and the early 1960s.

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 Average Annual Population Growth

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The Demographic Environment Recent Immigrants –Earlier waves of immigrants came from Europe, but recent arrivals come from Latin America or Asia. –An estimated five million illegal immigrants reside in the U.S. –The illegal immigrant population is concentrated in the states of California, Texas, New York, and Florida.

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The Demographic Environment Population Distribution –The population is shifting from the Frostbelt to the Sunbelt. –80 percent of Americans live in urban areas. Population Ethnicity –75 % White –*13 % Latino –12 % African American –4 % Asian American –1% Native American * Numbers exceed 100% because Latinos may be of any race.

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The Economic Environment The United States has a gross domestic product (GDP) of $9.5 trillion—larger than any other nation. The per capita (per person) GDP of the U.S. is $33,836, higher than any other nation.

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 Average Annual Per Capita Purchasing Power, Selected Countries, 2000

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The Economic Environment Global Economy –Increasingly, the U.S. economy is impacted by free trade agreements like NAFTA and the emergence of high-technology industries.

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 Share of National Income Received by Each Fifth of Families:

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 The Economic Environment Income distribution –The gap has grown between the rich and the poor. –Higher percentages of minorities live in poverty.

Pearson Education, Inc.; Longman © 2006 Concluding Questions What are the major elements of American political culture? What makes a country a democracy? What’s different about recent trends in immigration? How would you describe the population of the United States? How would you describe the U.S. economy?