1. American and Texas Government: Policy and Politics, 10/e By Neal Tannahill Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

2. Case Study: Population Aging 2007 – 37.9 million Americans are 65 or older Expected to increase over next two decades 2010 – 65+ population will be 40.2 million 2015 – 65+ population will be 46.8 million 2020 – 65+ population will be 63.5 million Affects solvency of government healthcare and pension programs Medicare and Medicaid Social Security Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

3. Political Culture Political culture is the widely-held, deeply-rooted political values of a society. Democracy and Capitalism What is a Democracy? Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

4. Political Culture: Democracy According to Dahl, the 8 criteria are: Right to vote Right to be elected Right of political leaders to compete for support and votes Free and fair elections Freedom of association Freedom of expression Alternative sources of information Public policy dependent on citizen preference Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

5. Political Culture: Capitalism Capitalism – an economic system characterized by individual and corporate ownership of the means of production, and a market economy based on the supply and demand of goods and services. Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

6. Political Culture and Policymaking Political culture is important for the policymaking process because it helps determine which problems make the policy agenda and set the boundaries of permissible solutions available for policymakers to deal with those problems. While the public accepts and expects government regulation of business, public ownership of major industries is “not a policy option within the permissible limits of America’s political culture because it contradicts the basic principles of capitalism.” Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

7. The International Environment U.S. – preeminent nation in world militarily, economically, and culturally. U.S. spends more on military than next 14 nations combined. Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

8. The Demographic Environment U.S. Population – more than 300 million Population growth before Great Depression Growth rate fell sharply through WWII Post WWII “baby boom generation” Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

9. The Demographic Environment Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

10. Demographic Environment: Immigration Immigrants are 1/8 of nation’s population Earlier immigration mostly from Europe Today’s immigration mostly from Latin America and Asia Myers theory – immigration necessary to balance otherwise top heavy age structure in population Over 11 million immigrants here illegally Controversy over illegal immigration policy Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

11. Demographic Environment: Population Diversity 2000 Census of U.S. Population 75% white 12% African American 4% Asian American 1% Native American 6% other 13% Latino (may be any race), and growing faster than other groups Population shifts rural to urban, and frostbelt to sunbelt. Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

12. The Economic Environment U.S. Economy – largest in the world U.S. GDP $13.8 trillion at end of 2007 U.S. contains 4.6% of world population, but generates 21.1% of world economic output Global Economy – world economy more interrelated than ever before, NAFTA Income Distribution – Studies show gap between rich and poor has widened since 1980. Poverty – as of 2008, over 37 million Americans (12.5%) lived below “poverty threshold” ($21,200 for family of four). Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.

15. Conclusion: Cultural, International, & Socioeconomic Context for Policymaking Agenda Building – What problems do demographic and economic shifts and trends present? Policy formulation and adoption – What policies should the U.S. develop to address those problems? Policy implementation and evaluation – How can those policies be carried out, and how should we measure success? Copyright @ 2010, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc.