American Government and civic engagement

Explain what the government is

The government is the way society organizes itself and how it allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals and provide benefits that the society as a whole needs.

What does the government do?

The government around the world, the government seeks to accomplish economic prosperity, secure national borders, and the safety and well-being of citizens.

What benefits does the government provide for their citizens

education, health care, and an infrastructure for transportation.

What is the term politics?

the process of gaining and exercising control within a government for the purpose of setting and achieving particular goals, especially those related to the division of resources within a nation.

Identify the type of government in the United States.

Republic or representative democracy. representative government.

Compare the type of government U.S has to other forms of government.

The type of government the United States can best be described as a republic, or representative democracy. which means political power—rests in the hands of the people and are capable of electing representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf of all the people ( they do not govern directly). minority rights are also protected because decisions are made through a majority rule and are critically influential forms of civic engagement in a representative democracy such as the United States.

direct democracy-people participate directly in making government decisions. For example, a referendum or proposed law might be placed on the ballot for citizens to vote on directly during state or local elections instead of leaving the matter in the hands of the state legislature. At New England town meetings, all residents are allowed to debate decisions affecting the town. Such occasions provide additional opportunities for civic engagement.

monarchy- are elite-driven form of government. one ruler-either a king or queen- usually a hereditary ruler, holds political power. many monarchs in southwest Asian kingdoms, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, have unristriceted power.

oligarchy- means when a handful of elite members of society, often those who belong to a particular political party, hold all political power. For example, in Cuba, as in China, only members of the Communist Party are allowed to vote or hold public office, and the party’s most important members make all government decisions.

totalitarianism-the government is more important than the citizens, and it controls all aspects of citizens’ lives. Citizens’ rights are limited, and the government does not allow political criticism or opposition. These forms of government are fairly rare. North Korea is an example of a totalitarian government.

What is a democratic government?

a democratic government promotes individualism and the freedom to act as one chooses instead of being controlled, for good or bad, by government.

What is capitalism?

it relies on individualism. At the same time, successful capitalists prefer political systems over which they can exert at least some influence in order to maintain their liberty.

What is a representative democracy?

it means citizens do not govern directly. Instead, they elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf of all the people.

Describe the pluralism-elitism debate

Pluralism or puralist theory, argue that although there are elite members of society they do not control government. Instead, pluralists argue, political power is distributed throughout society. Rather than resting in the hands of individuals.

while elitism or elite theory believe that a set of elite citizens is really in charge of government in the United States and that others have no influence.

Explain the tradeoffs perspective on government

Tradeoffs occur as a result of conflict between groups representing the competing interests of citizens. government action and public policy are influenced by an ongoing series of tradeoffs or compromises. neither the federal government nor state governments can allow someone’s right to free expression to interfere with someone else’s ability to exercise their own rights.

Explain the importance of citizen engagement in a democracy

civic engagement can increase the power of ordinary people to influence government actions. it can also help influence the quality of people’s lives, gain rights for themselves, and protect their interests.

Describe the main ways Americans can influence and become engaged in government.

informing yourself about political issues, like debates and events in the community, or engaging as individuals or in groups. emailing political representives, like city councils to inform them about a problem they don’t know about. responding to political poles, and engaging in social media blogs. voting is also another way to engage.

Discuss factors that may affect peoples willingness to become engaged in government.

Distrust is one of the factors that effects the engagement of people. as some feel disheartened when elected officials ignore all factors other than their party's position on a particular issue. Young Americans now consider themselves as independents and are increasingly concerned about specific issues. Younger voters also feel like they cannot relate to the issues put forth in a campaign. Another issue is ideology, as it is the influencing some of the political discussions. wealth and education has influenced voters to vote for income and education.

common goods

goods that all people may use but that are of limited supply

ideology

the beliefs and ideals that help to shape political opinion and eventually policy

intense preferences

beliefs and preferences based on strong feelings regarding an issue that someone adheres to over time

latent preferences

beliefs and preferences people are not deeply committed to and that change over time

majority rule

a fundamental principle of democracy; the majority should have the power to make decisions binding upon the whole

partisanship

strong support, or even blind allegiance, for a particular political party

political power

influence over a government’s institutions, leadership, or policies

private goods

goods provided by private businesses that can be used only by those who pay for them

public goods

goods provided by government that anyone can use and that are available to all without charge

social capital

connections with others and the willingness to interact and aid them

toll good

a good that is available to many people but is used only by those who can pay the price to do so

what goods are available to all without direct payment?

public goods

in which form of government does a small group of elite people hold political

oligarchy

What is the difference between a representative democracy and a direct democracy

The difference is that representative democracy allows citizens to elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on behalf of the people, but citizens do not govern directly unlike a direct democracy, where people participate directly in making government decisions, instead of leaving the matter in the hands of the state legislature.

What does government do for people

The government provides stability to society as well provides services to the people like public goods such as clean water, public transportation and also creates structure so that opinions and needs are known to public officials.

The elite theory of government maintains that

Wealthy, politically powerful people control government, and government has no interest in meeting the needs of ordinary people.

According to he pluralist theory of government,

government policy is formed as a result of the competition between groups with different goals and interests.

Which of the following is a good example of a tradeoff

The government pleases oil companies by allowing them to drill on lands set aside for conservation but allows environmental activist groups to protest the drilling operations.

Supporting the actions of the Democratic party simply because one identifies oneself as a member of that party is an example of

partisanship

When a person is asked a question about a political issue that person has little interest in and has not thought much about, the person’s answer will likely reflect.

latent preferences

what kinds of people are most likely to become active in politics or community service?

people with intense preferences

what political activities can people engage in other than running for office?

informing yourself about political issues, like debates and events in the community, or engaging as individuals or in groups. emailing political representives, like city councils to inform them about a problem they don’t know about. responding to political poles, and engaging in social media blogs. voting is also another way to engage.