Unit 1 - Introducing Government in America

Government

Institutions that make public policy decisions for a society

5 functions of government

• Maintan national defense

• Provide public services

• Perserve order

• Socialize the young

• Collect taxes

Collective goods

Cannot be denied by anyone and must be shared with everyone

Single issue groups

Groups concerned with one issue that members cast their votes on the basis of that issue only, ignoring the politician’s stance on everything else

Policymaking system

Process where people's interests, problems, and concerns create political issues for government policymakers. The issues shape policy, which impacts people generating more interests, problems, and concerns

Interest groups

Organized group of people with a common interest

Linkage institutions

Parties, media, interest groups transmit preferences to policymakers in government

Policy agenda

Issue that attracts serious attention of public officials

Political issue

Result when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it

Public policy

Choice that government makes in response to a political issue

Types of public policies

• Congressional statue

• Presidential action

• Court decision

• Budgetary choices

• Regulation

Congressional statue

Law passed by congress

Presidential action

Action by president

Court decision

Opinion by Supreme Court/other court

Budgetary choices

Legislative enactment of taxes and expenditures

Regulation

Agency adoption of regulation

Democracy

System of selecting policymakers + organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences 

Basically …

“System of government which is ruled by the people”

Democratic processes

• Free/fair elections 

• Majority rule

• Minority rights

• Freedom of expression 

• Freedom of assembly

Traditional democratic theory (majoritian theory)

• Leaders heavily influenced by the will of the people

• Majority rules voting systems

• Public interest is served

Pluralism

Theory emphasizing that policymaking process very open to participation of all with shared interests, no single group dominating

Elitism

Upper class elite holds the power and makes policy, regardless of formal government organization 

Types of elitism

• Class (marxist) theory

• Power elite theory

• Bureaucratic theory

Class (marxist) theory

Upper-class wealthy in control

Power elite theory

Combination of high ranking officials/media/corporate leaders

Bureaucratic theory

Appointed officials who write rules/regulations make real decisions

Hyperpluraism

Competing interest groups so strong that government is weakened

• Too many groups have influence, crippling government’s ability to make policy

• Government tries to satisfy every group, leading to policy gridlock/contradictory muddled policy

Political culture

An overall set of values widely shared within a society

Egalitarianism

Equality of opportunity and respect

Laissez-faire

Promote free markets and limit government

Populism

Political philosophy supporting the rights of average citizens in their struggle against privileged elites

Gross domestic product (GDP)

Sum total of the value of all goods and services produced in a year in a nation