American Government and Civic Engagement: 1.1 What is Government? 1.2 Who Governs? Elitism, Pluralism, and Tradeoffs 1.3 Engagement in a Democracy

A set of QUESTION_AND_ANSWER flashcards covering the key concepts from 1.1–1.3 of the lecture notes.

What is government?

The means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals and provide benefits that the society as a whole needs.

What are the primary goals governments seek to accomplish?

Economic prosperity, secure national borders, and the safety and well-being of citizens, plus benefits like education, health care, and transportation infrastructure.

What does the term politics refer to in these notes?

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.

How is capitalism described in relation to government in the United States?

An economic system with private property and markets; capitalism developed alongside representative government, and while they often support each other, they do not have to always go hand in hand.

What is socialism as described in the notes?

An economic system in which the means of generating wealth are owned by the government and wealth is redistributed, often via social programs and government ownership of essential utilities and transportation.

What are private goods?

Goods provided by private businesses that are excludable and rivalrous.

What are public goods?

Goods provided by the government that are non-excludable and non-rivalrous, such as national security and public education.

What are toll goods?

Goods available to many people but access is conditional on paying a price; excludable and often considered a middle ground between public and private goods.

What are common goods?

Goods in limited supply that all people may use, requiring regulation to prevent depletion (sustainability), such as fish in the sea or clean drinking water.

Why does government provide some goods and services?

Because markets cannot supply everything; government provides public goods and regulates common resources, funded by taxes.

How is the United States’ government best described in terms of democracy?

A republic, or representative democracy, where citizens elect representatives to make decisions and pass laws on their behalf.

What is direct democracy?

A form of democracy where citizens participate directly in making government decisions, with examples like referenda and town meetings.

What is the role of minority rights in a representative democracy?

Minority rights protect individuals or groups from being deprived of their rights even when the majority favors a different outcome.

What is elite theory?

The idea that political power rests with a small, wealthy, educated elite who control government and policy.

What is pluralist theory?

The belief that political power is distributed among competing interest groups, with policy shaped by group competition rather than a single elite.

What is the tradeoffs perspective in government?

Public policy results from compromises among competing interests; elites and ordinary people influence policy through negotiation and compromise.

Give an example of a tradeoff involving freedom of speech mentioned in the notes.

Balancing abortion access with protest rights: the 2007 Massachusetts buffer zone requiring protesters to stay 35 feet from clinic entrances, later struck down by McCullen v. Coakley (2014).

What is sustainability in the context of common goods?

Regulating access to common goods (like fishing) to prevent depletion and ensure access for future generations.

What is a budget and how is it funded?

A plan for spending revenue, funded by taxes, that allocates money to education, police, parks, defense, Social Security, etc.

What role does government play in regulating business?

It checks and regulates business (emissions, product safety, etc.) to prevent unregulated capitalism from harming public interests.

What is civic engagement?

Participation that connects citizens to government, including reading, discussing, voting, volunteering, protesting, and contacting representatives.

What is social capital?

The networks, trust, and sense of belonging that motivate people to cooperate for the common good.

What are latent and intense preferences?

Latent preferences are weakly held and can change; intense preferences are strong, enduring beliefs that drive political action.

What is the Electoral College?

The system by which the President is elected; individual votes determine electors who then vote for the President, not a direct popular vote.

What is the difference between representative democracy and direct democracy in practice?

Representative democracy has citizens elect officials to govern, while direct democracy involves citizens voting directly on laws or referendums.

What are some pathways to engagement mentioned in the notes?

Staying informed, contacting representatives, writing letters, attending meetings, voting, joining groups, volunteering, campaigning, protesting.

What factors influence youth engagement in politics according to the notes?

Partisanship, polarization, independence, issue-based politics, election-year dynamics, and issues like education debt; youth turnout varied across elections.

What is the First Amendment’s general purpose in the context of tradeoffs?

Protects freedom of speech and the press, but tradeoffs can involve balancing this right with other rights and national interests.