THE US IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE Third most populous country Third physically largest country (just larger than Brazil and China; much smaller than Russia or Canada) Oldest modern democracyy… but not the largest Some data about us… You might also take a look at: – How happy are we compared to other advanced industrial democracies? – How rich are we? – How violent are we? What do we do to deal with violence and does it work? – How competitive are we today? How well are we prepared (education, technology, debt/investment for the 21 st century? – What do we think about political minorities and how committed are we to equality? – How moral and trustworthy are we? – How well do we take care of children? Of our working poor (minimum wage)?

HOW DOES OUWHAT KEY DEMOCRATIC CHOICES/TRADEOFFS HAS THE UNITED STATES MADE Why does the US Constitution look like it does? Whose concerns and what time period does it represent? What values/concerns are best represented? Which aren’t? Why were most initially Americans prevented from voting? Who got to decide who could vote and when? Why do changes in voting eligibility for governability over time and the structure of our politics? Why don’t we require people to vote? Why do we have republicanism instead of pure democracy at the federal level? Will this work in the 21 st C? Why do we have a “weak” (autonomy/capacity) state? For whom was our Constitution written? What was our Constitution designed to do within the context of its time? How detailed, fixed is our Constitution relative to the norm? How can it be changed (either through amendment or a new convention)?What are the most important amendments we’ve had over time? Why do we have both separation of powers & checks and balances? Why is the latter so important? Would we be less democratic with just one house? Why is US federalism is so strong? Why not as strong as Germany’s? Does federalism undermined minority rights and equal representation? How has it helped our economy? Will it help us in the 21 st C?

WHAT KEY DEMOCRATIC CHOICES HAS THE UNITED STATES MADE? HOW DO THEY WORK? How has the Congress changed over time? Size, Senate constituency, 14 th Amendment, Commerce Clause, committees & filibusters How has the Presidency changed over time? How imperial is s/he? How much power does our judiciary have? What is judicial review, and why is it such an important power? How is it limited? What kind of electoral system do we have? Why do we only two parties in America? How much power do they have relative to what we find in other democracies? How do primaries and gerrymandering impact US elections? Do we have equity problems in representation: Gender, race, youth, & urban areas. Would other electoral systems deal with representation more “fairly”? What problems may this create for us over the long run? What role does money play in American politics that is unusual? Is it helpful or harmful to do it this way going into the 20 th C? What performance costs/benefits do we pay for our democratic structure at the beginning of the 21 st century? To what extent does checked government and federalism lead to cynicism and a distrust of government? How does America look when comparing our taxation, poverty, happiness, education, healthcare, and attitudes about government to those of other democracies? Do we need to fix or redo our political system—or just go back to what the Founders wanted us to do? Looking at the big picture, should we just stay where we are?