1. American Government: Continuity and Change
Chapter Fourteen
American Government: Continuity and Change

2. Original Constitution designed to make new policy adoption difficult
Introduction
Original Constitution designed to make new policy adoption difficult
How to explain contemporary big government?
First 150 years, limited federal government
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3. Three restraints in 19th and early 20th centuries
Restraints on Growth
Three restraints in 19th and early 20th centuries
Constitutional interpretation
Popular opinion
Potential interest groups
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4. Relaxing the Restraints
Constraints on federal action have weakened or disappeared
Public and elite opinion demanded federal expansion
Political resources more widely distributed
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5. Relaxing the Restraints (Cont’d)
The old system
The new system (began in the 1930s and established its present form in the 1970s)
Old vs. new systems—essential differences
Two periods in U.S. politics changed political landscape
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6. How the American System Affects Policymaking
Four constitutional provisions have particularly powerful impact
Creates an adversarial system; incentives greater to fight than cooperate
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7. Conclusion
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