Introduction to American Government

Purpose of studying American politics and government includes addressing:
- How should we govern?
- What should government do?

Government: Institutions through which public policies are made for a society.
- Major functions include providing public goods.
- Public goods: Goods that are shared and cannot be denied to anyone. Examples include:
  - Clean air
  - Economic stability
  - Safety
Politics:
- Definition 1: The Process of determining who occupies leadership roles in government and what policies these leaders pursue.
- Definition 2: "Who gets what, when, and how."
Power: The ability to influence another’s behavior; getting someone to do something they wouldn't do otherwise.
Policymaking System:
- The process through which policy evolves.
- Steps of the Policymaking System:
- Political issues arise from people's interests, problems, and concerns.
- Linkage institutions (parties, elections, media, interest groups) highlight these issues on the policy agenda.
- Policymakers (legislature, executive, courts, bureaucracy) create policies.
- Policies impact society through expenditures, taxes, laws, regulations, and non-decisions.

Definition of Democracy: Forms of government including direct and indirect.
- Indirect democracy is referred to as a republic or representative democracy.
Criteria of an Ideal Democratic Process (Robert Dahl):
1. Equality in voting
2. Effective participation
3. Enlightened understanding
4. Citizen control of the agenda
5. Inclusion
- Important to balance majority rule with minority rights.

Three contemporary theories of American democracy:
- Pluralism: Power is distributed among many groups; no single group dominates.
- Elitism: A small number of powerful individuals or groups hold the majority of power.
- Hyperpluralism: Too many groups are trying to influence policymaking, leading to gridlock or ineffective governance.