1 / 64

AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM

AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM. LECTURE 1. GV261. OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE – THE IMPORTANCE OF US POLITICS – AN INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH PLUS ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF US: - 1940-1965 SELF CONGRATULATORY - 1966 -1980 RADICAL/CRITICAL

vienna
Télécharger la présentation

AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM LECTURE 1

  2. GV261 • OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE – THE IMPORTANCE OF US POLITICS – AN INSTITUTIONAL APPROACH PLUS • ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF US: - 1940-1965 SELF CONGRATULATORY - 1966 -1980 RADICAL/CRITICAL - 1981-1993 FUNCTIONAL/CRITICAL - 1994 – 2001 CRISIS OF PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS - 2001 – INTERNATIONAL CRISIS AND UNCERTAINTY

  3. GV 261 • BUT CONSISTENCIES THROUGHOUT: - POLITICAL FRAGMENTATION – SEPARATION OF POWERS;PLURALISM - ‘IT’S THE ECONOMY STUPID’ – ECONOMY USUALLY TRUMPS OTHER ISSUES - CONFUSION OVER WORLD ROLE – DOMESTIC CONSENSUS IS RARE - US AS A MELTING POT- RACE AND IMMIGRATIONALWAYS MAJOR ISSUES

  4. LECTURE 2 SOCIETY AND ECONOMY • 1. SIZE: July 2010 310,162.151 (est), distribution: moving west and south, to suburbs, edge cities, bi-coastal • 2. IMMIGRATION: 10.4 per 1000 pop in 1901-1910 now about 3.7 per 1000 (over 9 million per year) Origins away from Europe towards L. America Laws 1924; 1929; 1965; recent failures Politicisation of issue

  5. Society, and Economy • 3. AGEING, 1950: 29; 2000:37.3, 2050: 45.5 international perspective • 4. SOCIAL STRUCTURE >65% white collar <2% farmers Obsolescence of old categories • 5. RACE AND ETHNICITY (slide) Political cleavages Recent Changes • 6. RELIGION (slide) The Creedal Passion • 7. Gender Family structure; women in labour force; # women working; incomes, gender gap

  6. Distribution of U.S. Population by Race/Ethnicity, 2010 and 2050 2010 2050 Total = 310.2 million Total = 439.0 million NOTES: All racial groups non-Hispanic. Data do not include residents of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or the Northern Marina Islands. Totals may not add to 100%. SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation, based onhttp://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/downloadablefiles.html U.S. Census Bureau, 2008, Projected Population by Single Year of Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin for the United States: July 1, 2000 to July 1, 2050.

  7. Religious Affiliation US, 2010

  8. Views on evolution and climate change

  9. Labour force participation rates by race

  10. Wome’s earnings as % of men’s

  11. Women’s share of Labour force 1970-2010

  12. Society and Economy • 8. POVERTY Trends • 9. HEALTH % GDP, 4 categories: private, HMOs, Government, uninsured - but 2010 reforms • 10.CLASS Subjective v. objective social class Fragmentation? Recent Trends

  13. Lecture 3: Beliefs and Values • 1. Origins of beliefs – the Civic Culture and beyond • 2. US Beliefs and values a) individualism and self reliance - economic versus cultural self reliance b) Freedom or liberty - notable exceptions

  14. c) Equality - of condition - of opportunity - of esteem - of rights d) Democracy - majoritarian values - referenda, initiatives, recalls e) Rule of Law - enforcement of contracts - civic trust - exceptions

  15. LECTURE 3: CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT • 1.ORIGINS AND INFLUENCES OF INDEPENDENCE - localism - individualism - benign colonial rule - ‘illegitimate colonial power.’ - role of the mob • 2. EVENTS - 1774 Continental Congress - 1775 fighting in Mass. Seizure of colonial govts - 1775-82 War of Independence - 1776 Declaration of Independence

  16. 3. TWO CONSTITUTIONS - 1781 Articles of Confederation powers and weaknesses - 1787, 55 delegates in Philadelphia Constitution of the United States • 4. INFLUENCES - social contract – Locke, Hobbes - separation powers – Montesquieu - fear of majority rule, of factions and of a strong executive - federalism

  17. 5. THE GREAT COMPROMISE - NJ Plan; Virginia Plan - detailed provisions – Connecticut Compromise • 6. RATIFICATION - 9 of 13 states - Bill of Rights • 7. CHANGES TO CONSTITUTION - amendments – only 17 after 1791 changes to elections and representation; changes to powers of federal government - interpretation – role of federal government, executive, Supreme Court, protection of rights

  18. The Virginia Plan • Branches • Three - legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislature was more powerful, as it chose people to serve in the executive and judicial branches. • Legislature • Two houses (bicameral). The House of Representatives was elected by the people and the Senate was elected by the state legislatures. Both were represented proportionally. • OtherPowers • The legislature could regulate interstate trade, strike down laws deemed unconstitutional and use armed forces to enforce laws. The New Jersey Plan • Branches • Three - legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislature appoints people to serve in the executive branch, and the executive branch selects the justices of the Supreme Court. • Legislature • One house (unicameral). States would be represented equally, so all states had the same power. • OtherPowers • The national government could levy taxes and import duties, regulate trade, and state laws would be subordinate to laws passed by the national legislature.

  19. 8. ASSESSMENT - changes to USA - separation of powers - US World role - federalism - political fragmentation

  20. LECTURE 5: FEDERALISM • 1. What is federalism - compared with unitary and confederal - conception of dual sovereignty • 2. Advantages and disadvantages of federalism: - protection of minorities, but…. - heterogeneity, but….. - experimental policy ground, but…. - bad features isolated, but…. - government closer to people, but….

  21. 3. Evolution of American Federalism – 6 stages a. Slavery, the bank and the tariff, 1790- 1865 b. Reconstruction and the new federal bargain, 1865 – 1932 c. The New deal and its aftermath, 1933- 1964 – the rise of federal power d. The states in retreat, 1964-1980 e. Retrenchment, 1981-2001 f. Federal power resurgent? 2001 -

  22. 4. Conclusions

  23. Political parties • 1. the nature of US political parties a. Structure and organisation b. Ideological spread – why no socialists? c. Why only two parties? - institutional obstacles - societal/ideological obstacles

  24. LECTURE 8: POLITICAL PARTIES • 2. Development a. Jeffersonian to 1824 b. Jacksonian, and after 1824-1860 c. Civil war, reconstruction and sectionalism, 1860-1890 d. Populism, progressivism and the Republican majority, 1890-1908 e. The New Deal coalition, 1932-1968 f. Party decline and fragmentation, 1969-1980s g. 1980s- date

  25. 3. Significance of the changes - Anger – cause and effect - Effects on radical change – 2 periods - Puts premium on individual candidates - Quality of governance, oversight, accountability

  26. AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM: INTEREST GROUPS • A: Theories of interest group power 1. Populist – big interests v. small players constant theme but popular in populist/ progressive eras. (Justice) 2. Pluralism – balancing concept (Truman, Dahl), systems analysis. (equality) 3. Radical critique Mills, Domhoff. (Inequality) 4. Overload – interest group liberalism; rational choice approaches. (efficiency)

  27. B. Rise of interest group activity. Why? 1. access to institutions; changes in institutions 2. Role of media – information revolution 3. Freedom of information 4. Globalization

  28. C. Rise and decline of particular groups - Labour - Agriculture - Business – large and small - Advocacy groups – professional and cause - Foreign lobbies - Public interest organizations - Public interests and special interests – definitional and political problems

  29. D. Political Action Committees (PACs) for and against • E. Conclusions

  30. THE MASS MEDIA • 1. STRUCTURE a) TV and radio The big 3 ABC, CBS, NBC plus Fox CNN plus many other cable channels PBS Radio similar but…. Regulation FCC, ownership diverse But 1996 Television Communication Act

  31. B) The Press Localised Declining readership Opinion and editorial Conservatism • Internet 70% plus penetration

  32. 2. NEWS, BIAS AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE a) TV. Local biases in local stations Balance and big 3, but… Fox Changes in news content; dominant themes; trivialization Political influence – what is not said b) Press. Republican bias, but local variations are declining Political influence – reinforcing theory

  33. c) Internet Self selection of news and bias Political influence -only 5/6% of hits are political, but can make a difference – Howard Dean • 3. Censorship and control 1st Amendment freedoms But self censorship, conformity, privileged position of business McCarthyism, Patriot Act

  34. 4. Uniqueness of US media Less unusual than used to be Trivialization everywhere Print journalism different

  35. ELECTIONS AND VOTING • 1. Nature of US elections - number of offices, number of levels - votes on offices, referenda, initiatives, recalls - importance of elections, value placed on majority opinion - Who is elected profiles of candidates

  36. 2. Voting and non-voting - Why is turnout so low? But is it so low? Turnout by state/region - Attempts to increase turnout - Voters and non voters – who votes?

  37. 3. Who votes for who? - region - race - gender - ideology - age - religion

  38. 4. Party Identification

  39. 1896: The Urban/Rural divide replaces the North-South divide

  40. 1968: After faithless (1956) and unpledged (1960) electors, Southern Democrats form third party

  41. 4. Aftermath: Persistent Regional Blocs • West/South vs. North/Great Lakes division persists to this day: 1896 vs. 2004

  42. 3. Significance of the changes - Anger – cause and effect - Effects on radical change – 2 periods - Puts premium on individual candidates - Quality of governance, oversight, accountability

  43. CONGRESS 1 • 1. The Nature of Congress - bicameralism - powers - agenda setting • 2. Representation - microcosmic - party - trustee (virtual) - delegated

  44. 2. The electoral connection -Fenno’ s Home Style and Mayhew’s Congress: the Electoral Connection - Is it still applicable? Recent changes • 3. Logrolling and the committee system - The rise of partisanship - Leadership and the committees – centrifugal and centripetal forces - changing status of Congress

  45. The characteristics of Congress Overwhelmingly older, white, educated males with law and business backgrounds. • 111th Congress (2009-2011) is a little • different • Currently, in the House of Representatives, there are 262 Democrats (including five Delegates • and the Resident Commissioner) and 178 Republicans. The Senate has 55 Democrats; two • Independents, who caucus with the Democrats; and 41 Republicans. There are two Senate • vacancies and one House vacancy. • The average age of Members of both Houses of Congress at the convening of the 111th Congress • is 58.2 years; of Members of the House, 57.0 years; and of Senators, 63.1 years. The • overwhelming majority of Members have a college education. The dominant professions of • Members are public service/politics, business, and law. Protestants collectively constitute the • majority religious affiliation of Members. Roman Catholics account for the largest single • religious denomination, and numerous other affiliations are represented. • The average length of service for Representatives at the beginning of the 111th Congress is 11.0 • years (5.5 terms); for Senators 12.9 years ( 2.2 terms). • A record number of 95 women serve in the 111th Congress: 78 in the House, 17 in the Senate. • There are 41 African American Members of the House and none in the Senate. This number • includes two Delegates. There are 31 Hispanic or Latino Members serving: 28 in the House, • including the Resident Commissioner, and three in the Senate. Eleven Members (seven • Representatives, two Delegates, and two Senators) are Asian or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific • Islander. The only American Indian (Native American) serves in the House. • 􀀀􀀀 • 􀀀 • “111th Congress: Statistically Speaking,” CQ Today, vol. 44, no. 138 (November 6, 2008), p. 72. In the overwhelming • majority of previous Congresses, business has followed law as the dominant occupation of Members. However, in the • 111th Congress, 214 Members (182 Representatives, 33 Senators) list their occupation as public service/politics, 204 • Members (152 Representatives, 51 Senators) list law, and 201 Members (175 Representatives, 27 Senators) list • business. Ninety-four (78 Representatives and 16 Senators) list education as a profession. Members often list more than • one profession when surveyed by Congressional Quarterly, Inc. • As has been true in recent Congresses, the vast majority of Members (95%) of the 111th Congress • hold university By comparison, 30 years ago in the 96th Congress (1979-1981), at least 48 Members of the House • and 7 Senators had no degree beyond a high school diploma. • The average length of service of Members of the House at the beginning of the 111th Congress is • 11.0 years (5.5 terms), a year longer than that of the 110th Congress (10.0 years), and a year and • half longer than the average service (9.3 years) in the 109th Congress.14 Representatives are • elected for two-year terms. Representative John Dingell (D-MI), the dean of the House, has the • longest consecutive service of any Member of the 111th Congress (53.0 years).15 He began serving • on December 13, 1955. • The average length of service of Members of the Senate at the beginning of the 111th Congress is • 12.9 years (2.2 terms), six months longer than that of the 110th Congress (12.3 years), and slightly • more than a year longer than the average service (11.8 years) in the 109th Congress.16 Senators are • elected for six-year terms.17 Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV), the President pro tempore of the • Senate, has served longer (50.0 years) than any other Senator in history. His service began on • January 3, 1959. • 􀀀􀀀 • 􀀀 • Most Members of the 111th Congress cite a specific religious affiliation.18 Protestants • (Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and others) collectively constitute the • majority religious affiliation of Members. Roman Catholics, however, account for the largest • single religious denomination. Other affiliations include Greek Orthodox, Jewish, Christian • Scientist, Quaker, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon). There are also • two Buddhists and two Muslims in the House. • A record number of 95 women serve in the 111th Congress; 78 serve in the House and 17 in the • Senate. Of the 78 women in the House, 61 are Democrats, including 3 Delegates, and 17 are • Republicans. Of the 17 women serving in the Senate, 13 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans. • There are 41 African American Members in the 111th Congress, all serving in the House. All are • Democrats, including two Delegates. Fourteen African American women, including two • Delegates, serve in the House. • There are a record number of 31 Hispanic or Latino Members of the 111th Congress, one more • than the record number who served in the 109th and 110th Congresses.19 Twenty-eight serve in the • House and three in the Senate. Of the Members of the House, 22 are Democrats (including one • Delegate), three are Republicans, and seven are women. The Hispanic Senators include two • Democrats and one Republican. All are male. • Two sets of Hispanic Members are brothers, and one set are sisters. Mario and Lincoln Diaz- • Balart, Republicans from Florida, serve in the House. Ken Salazar (D-CO) serves in the Senate, • and his brother, John Salazar (D-CO), serves in the House. Linda Sánchez and Loretta Sanchez, • Democrats from California, serve in the House.20 • A record eleven Members of the 111th Congress are of Asian or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific • Islander heritage. Nine (seven Democrats, two Republicans) serve in the House; two (both • Democrats) serve in the Senate. Of those serving in the House, two are Delegates and one is an • African American Member with Filipino heritage. Included in this count is the first Vietnamese • American to serve in Congress. • There is one American Indian (Native American) Member of the 111th Congress, who is a • Republican Member of the House. • In the 111th Congress there are 121 Members who have served in the military, five less than in the • 110th CongressThe House has 96 veterans (including two Delegates); the Senate 25. These • Members served in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, • Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo, as well as during times of peace. Some have served in the • Reserves and the National Guard. The number of veterans in the 111th Congress reflects the trend of a steady decline in the number • of Members who have served in the military. For example, there were 298 veterans (240 • Representatives, 58 Senators) in the 96th Congress (1979-1981); and 398 veterans (329 • Representatives, 69 Senators) in the 91st Congress (1969-1971). • , • Matthew Glassman and Julius Jefferson provided assistance.

  46. 4. The Functions of Congress - Legislation – changing nature of - Oversight - reform attempts, the 1970s to date - Is Congress ‘The Broken Branch?’

More Related