1. Government, Politics, and the Policymaking Process

2. The Importance of Government Politics and government have enormous influence on us. ◦Government affects us through  Regulations  Taxes  Services Copyright © 2012, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. LO 0-1 To Learning Objectives

3. The Importance of Government Philosophical questions concerning ◦Role of government ◦Kinds of services government should provide ◦What limits should be placed on it Copyright © 2012, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. LO 0-1 To Learning Objectives

4. Government and Politics Government ◦Institution with the authority to set policy for society ◦Actions inherently political Politics ◦The way in which decisions for a society are made and considered binding most of the time by most of the people Government and politics are intertwined. Bill Fritsch/Brand X/Corbis Copyright © 2012, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. LO 0-2 To Learning Objectives

5. The Policymaking Process Public Policy: what government officials choose to do or not to do about public problems. Government policies can take the form of laws, executive orders, administrative regulations, court decisions, or, in some cases, no action at all. Copyright © 2012, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. LO 0-3 To Learning Objectives

6. The Policymaking Process The policymaking process has several stages: Agenda Setting: the process through which problems become matters of public concern and government action. Policy Formulation: involves the development of strategies for dealing with the problems on the official policy agenda. Policy Adoption: official decision of a government body to accept a particular policy and put it into effect. Copyright © 2012, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. LO 0-3 To Learning Objectives

7. The Policymaking Process Policy Legitimation: actions taken by government officials to ensure citizens regard a policy as legal and appropriate. Policy Implementation: the stage of the policy process in which policies are carried out. Policy Evaluation: Is the policy working well? Policy Change: the modification of policy goals and means in light of new information or shifting political environments. Copyright © 2012, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. LO 0-3 To Learning Objectives

8. A Changing America

9. The American People 310 million

10. Population Diversity

11. An Aging America

12. Income Distribution Rising Gap

13. Poverty threshold: 2009 poverty threshold was $22,050 for a family of 4 14.3% of Americans live in poverty