1. Bolanos – Political Behavior
C H A P T E R 1 Principles of Government
© 2001 by Prentice Hall, Inc.

2. S E C T I O N 1 Government and the State
How is government defined?
What are the basic powers that every government holds?
What are the four defining characteristics of the state?
How have we attempted to explain the origin of the state?
What is the purpose of government in the United States and other countries? 2 3
Chapter 1, Section 1

3. What Is Government?
Government is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies.

4. How are rules established?
Law is a set of rules made and enforced by government, that is binding to society.
Laws are part of public policy – or the plans and decisions that a government makes in a particular area of public concern.
Seat belt laws, speed limits, littering, etc.
All LAWS and PUBLIC POLICY have two things in common:
They deal with a public problem
They are enforceable

5. The state can be defined as having these four characteristics:

6. What is a government? Central Message:
Government is the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policy.
Public policy is all of the goals a government sets and the various courses of action it pursues as it attempts to realize these goals.
What is a government?

7. Three types of power Central Message:
Legislative Power: the power to make laws
Executive Power: the power to enforce laws
Judicial Power: the power to interpret laws
Three types of power

8. Characteristics of a State
Central Message:
Population
Government
A state is a body of people living in a defined territory who have a government with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority.
Territory
Characteristics of a State
Sovereignty

9. Origins of the State Central Message: Force Theory Evolutionary Theory
Divine Right Theory
Social Contract Theory
Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
Origins of the State

10. Good or Bad? Do you believe man is born good or bad?
Give me your rationale/examples on why you believe this to be true.
Based on your answers and examples – what should the role of government be?

11. Origins of Government : Locke vs. Hobbes vs. Rousseau
The rightful authority any government has over its citizens is known as legitimacy.

12. Origins of the State The Force Theory
The force theory states that one person or a small group took control of an area and forced all within it to submit to that person’s or group’s rule.
The Evolutionary Theory
The evolutionary theory argues that the state evolved naturally out of the early family.
The Divine Right Theory
The theory of divine right holds that God created the state and that God gives those of royal birth a “divine right” to rule.
The Social Contract Theory
The social contract theory argues that the state arose out of a voluntary act of free people.

14. Functions of Government
Maintaining Order – Government does this by enforcing laws that protect the safety and security of people and property. Business issues, and national security too.
Providing Services – provides many services that people cannot easily provide on their own. (argument – private vs. public sector)
Resolving Conflict – resolve conflict by bringing people together to reach common goals through compromise
Promoting Values – values are basic principals by which people act and live their lives. Government helps promote common values by passing laws and setting policy

15. The Public Good
The functions of government all share a fundamental purpose: to serve the public good
Government tries to pursue policies that serve the public interest
What serves the public interest the best is always up for debate
To determine if a policy serves the public good is to ask if it reflects the narrow interests of a few or the broad concerns of many.

16. The Purpose of Government
The main purposes of government are described in the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

17. Section 1 Review 1. A government is
(a) the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies.
(b) a collection of people.
(c) always democratic.
(d) the organization representing farms and industries.
2. A state has the following four characteristics:
(a) population, territory, sovereignty, and government.
(b) sovereignty, a perfect union, welfare, and territory.
(c) people, places, force, and divine right.
(d) justice, defense, liberty, and domestic tranquility.
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Chapter 1, Section 1

18. S E C T I O N 2 Forms of Government
How can we classify governments?
How are systems of government defined in terms of who can participate?
How is power distributed within a state?
How are governments defined by the relationship between the legislative and executive branches? 1 3
Chapter 1, Section 2

19. Classifying Governments
Governments can be classified by three different standards:
(1) Who can participate in the governing process.
(2) The geographic distribution of the governmental power within the state.
(3) The relationship between the legislative (lawmaking) and the executive (law-executing) branches of the government. 1 3
Chapter 1, Section 2

20. Classification by Who Can Participate
Democracy
In a democracy, supreme political authority rests with the people.
A direct democracy exists where the will of the people is translated into law directly by the people themselves.
In an indirect democracy, a small group of persons, chosen by the people to act as their representatives, expresses the popular will.
Dictatorship
A dictatorship exists where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.
An autocracy is a government in which a single person holds unlimited political power.
An oligarchy is a government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite. 1 3
Chapter 1, Section 2

21. Classification by Geographic Distribution of Power
Unitary Government
A unitary government has all powers held by a single, central agency.
Confederate Government
A confederation is an alliance of independent states.
Federal Government
A federal government is one in which the powers of government are divided between a central government and several local governments.
An authority superior to both the central and local governments makes this division of power on a geographic basis. 1 3
Chapter 1, Section 2

22. Classification by the Relationship Between Legislative and Executive Branches

23. Forms of Government

24. S E C T I O N 3 Basic Concepts of Democracy
What are the foundations of democracy?
What are the connections between democracy and the free enterprise system?
How has the Internet affected democracy? 1 2
Chapter 1, Section 3

25. Democracy in the United States
Section 3 at a Glance
Democracy in the United States
American democracy has been guided by a core set of democratic ideals—liberty, equality, and self-government—since our nation’s earliest days.
U.S. citizens ensure the continuation of democracy by committing to uphold basic principles of American democracy, including the worth of the individual, the rule of law, majority rule/minority rights, compromise, and participatory citizenship.
Economic freedom and the free enterprise system have a special place in American democracy and help preserve liberties and limit government.

26. Approaching an Ideal

27. Ideals of American Democracy
Ideal—Conception of something in its most perfect form
Core ideals of American democracy—Liberty, equality, self-government
Used from the beginning of our republic
Recorded in our nation’s founding documents
Still guide our government
Liberty
Ability of people to act and think as they choose
Choices must do no harm to the liberty or well-being of others
Freedom from government control
Freedom to exercise citizens’ rights guaranteed under the Constitution

28. Equality Self-Government
All people possess a fundamental, moral worth
Their worth entitles them to fair treatment and equal opportunity
Equality must be balanced with liberty to avoid despotism
Self-Government
All people can rule themselves and do so as political equals
People are the ultimate source of government authority
Governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed
People have a right to revolt against a government that has lost their consent

29. The American concept of democracy rests on these basic notions:
Foundations
The American concept of democracy rests on these basic notions:
Allowing Choice
Recognizing Individual Worth
Promoting Respect for Law
Protecting Minority Rights
Promoting the Public Good 1 2
Chapter 1, Section 3

30. Forms of Democracy
Direct Democracy: System in which laws are made directly by all citizens. Examples – town hall meetings, clubs at school.
Representative Democracy: People elect representatives to conduct the business of the government for them.
Helps because it direct democracy is not always practical
Government still answers to the voters
Example: United States

31. Democracy and the Free Enterprise System
The free enterprise system is an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods; investments that are determined by private decision rather than by state control; and determined in a free market.
Decisions in a free enterprise system are determined by the law of supply and demand.
An economy in which private enterprise exists in combination with a considerable amount of government regulation and promotion is called a mixed economy. 1 2
Chapter 1, Section 3

32. Democracy and the Internet
Democracy demands that the people be widely informed about their government.
Theoretically, the Internet makes knowledgeable participation in democratic process easier than ever before.
However, all data on the World Wide Web is not necessarily true, and the long-term effects of the Internet on democracy has yet to be determined. 1 2
Chapter 1, Section 3

33. Section 3 Review
1. All of the following are basic notions found in the American concept of democracy EXCEPT
(a) a recognition of of the fundamental worth and dignity of every person.
(b) a respect for the equality of all persons.
(c) the rule of government by a single individual.
(d) an acceptance of the necessity of compromise.
2. In a free enterprise system, the means of capital are owned
(a) by private and corporate entities.
(b) by government agencies.
(c) by only the agricultural sector.
(d) equally by the collective citizenry.
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Chapter 1, Section 3