American Politial Foundation and Culture

Limited government

belief that hte government should have certain restrictions in order to protect the individual rights and civil liberties of citizens

limited gov in US is based off of

• Natural rights

• popular soverignty

• republicanism

• social contract

Natural rights

unalienable rights. Framers of the DOI believe people are born with and can never lose

• MAIN ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IS TO PROTECT THEM

Government framers

leaders in revolutionary war era and had to decide what the government was going to look like

1776- Contental congress DOI, grievences with british monarchy, why is there going to be a seperate government?

• if not a monarchy, what?

• What kind of government can we have htat protects our rights

Answer: DOI and Constitution

DOI and Constitution based off of

John Locke and Thomas Hobbes

• deep influence and groundwork of our political system today

John Locke

• Natural rights

• Persue life liberty and property

  • inpired Jefferson- life liberty and persuit of happiness

• How to protect these rights without giving government too much power?

Social Contract

America needed to enter it

Society has to give up some freedoms in exchange for protection by government

• Created by Thomas Hobbes—> thought it to be the foundation of governemnt

throughout the DOI and constition the main worry was

making a too strong centralized government

counter by popular sovereignty

Popular sovereignty

Idea that the government power comes from the will of the people or the consent of the governed

• if the people believed that hte governemnt was violating their unalienable rights of their will, they have the right to change the government

ex: changes of political parties in power is a direct reprsentation of the will of the people. Parties represent the will of the people

“No taxation without representation”

against George 3, no representation of colonies in court and harsh taxes were levied against them

Republicanism

• The best form of government is to elect leaders who represent the people

• If people elected their leaders, there was less of a chance that goverment would hold onto power and refuse to give it up

models of democracy

participatory

pluralist

elite

Participatory Democracy

Citizens have the power to decide directly on policy and politicians are responsible for implemeting those policy decisions

• Town hall meetings

• initiatives (citizens bypass state legislature nad place proposed laws directly on ballot 24/50 ie Nevada background checks for gun control)

• referendum (allows voters to approve or repeal an act of legislature, differs in that the law had alr passed (Maine- overturn the outlaw of hunting bears with doughnuts)

pluralist democracy

no one group dominates politics nd organized groups compete with each other to influence policy

• individuals worth through groups formed around a common cause, try to get backing from popular politicians through donations and lobbying

• Interst groups- groups of people who seek to influence policymakers to support their position on a common interest (NRA- national riffle association, MADD-mothers against drunk driving)

elite democracy

Small number of people (wealthy and well-educated) influenced political decision making

• Electoral college

• Hamilton wanted this

electoral college

People popularly elect a president, btu teh electoral college serves as a check on tyranny by the majority. A small group of people are in charge of making major political changes, even if they contradict will of the people

lost vote but won the college

( Bush 2000, Trump 2016, Harrison 1888, Hayes 1876)

Democratic republic

power to govern comes not directly from the people bu telected officials to represent their intersts. Allows people to participate in government in many ways

Hobbes believed

Government was necessary

Hobsian war- collective dilema on a HUGE scar, chaos, why we need government

Collective dilemmas

Conflict between group goals and individual goals or self interst

• collective action

• prisoners dilemma

• coordination problem

• unstable condition

Collective Action problem

• what was going on under articles of confed

• many people would be better off if they all collaborated however an individual has an incentive to not cooperate as long as the others are cooperating

prisoners dilemma

two stratigic actions in which neither actor has incentive to cooperate even though both would be better off if they do

Governments forcing unioins to live up to what they agree to

Coordination problem

Group of people want to coordinate but there are many ways and they are unsure which one is the best

unstable coalition

voting coalition in favor of an alternative can be divided by consideration of an alternative

parties nominating canidates

public policies

programs and decisions by the government that are enforced by the rule of law

authoritarianism

political system where there is no expectation that the government represents the people and the institutions of government do not give people direct voice in who leads

dictatorship

authoritaian system where sovereign power is vest in one person

monarchy

a rule (king/queen) chosen by virtue of beign the heir of a previous ruler

oligarchy

power resides in a small segment of society

one party state

one party controls the government and actively prevents other parties from contesting power

democracy

rule by the people, election of government and basic protections of civil rights and liberties

republic

system in which public officials are chosen to represent the people in an assembly that makes important policy decisions

institutions

long term solutions to hot seat dilemmas, means by which governmetn controls collevtive dilemmas that strain society