POLS 206: CHAPTER ONE: Introducing Government in America

Political Apathy

The lack of interest, indifference, or disengagement from the political process. Refusing to cast a ballot, avoiding political topics, and not participating in civic activities.

How does Democracy representation best work?

Representation works best when everyone votes and shares their concerns with elected officials

What is Government?

Government are the institutions that make public policy decisions for a society

What are the four institutions that make up public policy?

Congress, The President, The Courts, and Federal Administrative Agencies (Bureaucracy)

How many local governing bodies impact our lives?

87,000

What are the main functions of a Government?

Maintaining national defense, socializing the young, preserving order and public safety, providing public goods and services, collect taxes

What are the two types of goods and services that can be provided?

Collective goods, Private sector

What is Private Sector goods and services?

College, Medical Care

What are Collective Goods?

Clean Air, Clean Water, Access to Highways

What is a basic function of government, and who is called when protests get out of control?

Maintaining Order, the National Guard

What is Politics?

Determines the who, what, when, and how. It also determines the people we choose as government leaders, and what policies they pursue.

Political Participation

Includes running for office, contacting public officials, engaging in protest, and civil disobedience

What is a Single Issue Group?

A group so focused on only one issue that they vote on that single basis only.

What is Policymaking?

How our government responds to the people’s priorities

What are Linkage Institutions?

Political parties, interest groups, that transmit preferences to policymakers, that shape policy agenda

What is Policy Agenda?

Issues that seriously attract the attention of public officials and those involved in politics.

What are the Policy Making Institutions?

Congress, the President, and the Courts

What is Public Policy?

Every decision that the government makes. This includes laws passed, budgets established, and court decisions handed down.

What is Policy Impact and how is it achieved?

The effect that a policy has on a society’s problems and its people. It is determined by how well a policy achieves its goal, and at what cost.

What is a Congressional Statute?

A law passed by Congress

What is Presidential Action?

A decision made by the President

What is Court Decision?

The opinion by the Supreme Court, and or another court.

What are Budgetary Choices

Legislative Enactment of Texas and Expenditures

What is Regulation?

A rule or restriction put in place by a governmental authority, or an administrative agency

What is Democracy?

A system of selecting policy makers and organizing the government so that policy reflects what the people want.

What is Abraham Lincoln’s quote about Democracy/definition?

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

What does democracy in the United States look like in practice?

Choosing representatives of the people to govern.

What are the Ideals of a Democratic Process (According to Robert Dahl)

Equality in voting, effective participation, enlightened understanding, citizens that control the agenda, inclusion

What must Democracies also practice?

Majority Rule, Minority Rights, Representation

What are the three contemporary theories of American Democracy?

Pluralism, Elitism, Hyperpluralism

What is Pluralism?

The theory that groups with shared interests organize to influence policy

What is Elitism?

The theory that the upper-class elite hold the most power.

What is Hyperpluralism?

The theory that to many groups try to control policy

What is Political Culture?

The overall set of values shared within American society; it holds democracy together.

What are the five elements of the American Creed?

Liberty, Individualism, Laissez-faire, Populism, Egalitarianism

What is Liberty?

Belief that freedom is fundamental to American life

What is Individualism?

The idea that people can, (and should) get ahead on their own (without government help)

Laissez-faire

The preference for economic policies that promote free markets and limited government

What is Populism?

The idea that politicians stand up for ordinary people

What is Egalitarianism?

The idea that all men are created equally

What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?

The total value of all goods and services produced each year in America