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Unit 1-Study of American Government. Why does this matter? A 2006 Zogby poll found that nearly three-quarters of those asked could name each of the Three Stooges — Larry, Curly and Moe — but only 42 percent were able to name the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.
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Why does this matter? A 2006 Zogby poll found that nearly three-quarters of those asked could name each of the Three Stooges — Larry, Curly and Moe — but only 42 percent were able to name the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.
The most important governmental figure in this class (next to me) is…
Golden Ticket!! • What is government? • What is economics? Is it this? Or possibly…? Or maybe this…?
THE TWO MAIN QUESTIONS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: • Who governs? • What should it do? On a sheet of paper, describe all the functions of government.
HOW ABOUT…? • Provide national defense • Use police powers to maintain order • Provide public goods/services • Collect taxes/revenue • Socialize the young into political culture • Take a look at your list. Which of the functions you named do you consider to be appropriate? Is health care an appropriate governmental function?
I. POWER: A. Ability of one person to get another to act in accordance with one’s intentions B. In government, what goes from PRIVATE to PUBLIC concern is most important! Powerman says: do what I say…
II. Authority A. The right to use power B. To have authority, one must have legitimacy (that which makes authority a source of right) 1. ex. In U.S., a constitution
Golden Ticket!! • Look at the list below. Then determine which characteristic each has: power or authority. • Police officers • School administrator • Parent • Best friend • Mugger • Children (your own) • Grizzly bear
OKAY, so THAT’S GOVERNMENT…BUT WHAT IS POLITICS? “Who gets what, when, and how.” Harold D. Laswell “Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.” Oscar Wilde Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.” Earnest Benn • Good men are unwilling to rule, either for money's sake or for honor.... So they must be forced to consent under threat of penalty.... The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself. That is the fear, I believe, that makes decent people accept power...." • Plato
POLITICS IS THE ART OF MAKING AND ENACTING POLICY Policymaking institutions: which make policy (Congress, Presidency, the Courts) Linkage institutions: which link citizens’ preferences to policymaking institution (parties, elections, interests, media)
Democracy: Let the Good Times Roll Traditional democratic theory (Robert Dahl): • Equality in voting • Effective participation • Enlightened understanding • Citizen control of the agenda • Inclusion (citizen must be open to all within a nation)
Democracy: 3 different systems: Democratic centralism: the government represents “true interests” of people, whether or not people have direct role in decision-making --ex., Cuba, China China, allowing a brief moment of direct decision-making
Golden Ticket!! GRAB SOMEONE NEARBY AND RANK THESE CRITERIA ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: TO WHAT DEGREE ARE THESE RIGHTS SAFE AND STABLE IN THE CURRENT AMERICAN POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT? (1 should be most secure, 5 least secure) • Equality in voting • Effective participation • Enlightened understanding • Citizen control of the agenda • Inclusion (citizen must be open to all within a nation)
Direct/participatory democracy: (Aristotelian) “rule of many” • Under what conditions will this work? • Think of it this way…what do Greece and New England towns have in common? Ah, Greece… Ah, New England (said with dismissive swipe of hand)
Representative Democracy (a.k.a., “elitist democracy”): individuals acquire power to lead by competitive struggle for people’s vote VS VS !!
What makes representative democracy work? a) Opportunity for genuine leadership competition b) Communication (through press, speech, etc.) must be free c) Voters perceive that a meaningful choice exists
Democracy: is it really all that and a bag of chips? • representative policy is impractical, b/c of time, information, energy, interest, expertise limitations…but it is NOT impractical to expect citizens to make reasonable choice in elections • direct democracy may lead to bad decisions, b/c people decide by temporary passions & in response to “popular demagogues” • direct democracy allows majority to oppress minority without any check
Majoritarian politics: • Elected officials=delegates of the people, acting as the people would act in a popular vote • Issues must be: • Important enough to command attention of most citizens • Clear enough to elicit informed opinions from most citizens • Feasible enough to address what citizens want
Elite politics • A group of officials make decisions on behalf of people • Elite: identifiable group of persons who possess a disproportionate amount of some valued resource (ex., political power) • Policy-making depends on people sufficiently motivated to participate
Who Actually Runs Things? "The person who is in charge is me."
Karl Marx • Government=reflection of underlying economic forces, primarily a pattern of ownership of means of production • society is divided into classes based on relationships of people to economy • capitalists (bourgeoisie), workers, farmers, intellectuals • In modern society, 2 classes: capitalists & workers • Gov’t is machinery to express/effect class interests • Traditional Marxism: study of government is pointless, since it’s controlled by dominant social class & thus has no independent power My theories are dull and dead, but my beard is lush and vibrant!
Power Elite Theory (C. Wright Mills) • non-government elite makes the major decisions • “Power Elite”--loose coalition of 3 groups: • corporate leaders, top military officers, some key political leaders • (could add media, labor, special interest groups) • government is dominated by elite, mostly outside the gov’t itself; policies serve the elite Mills versus “this whole setup" "Take it big," Mills urged his students and colleagues. “Varoom !”
Bureaucrat View (Max Weber) • appointed officials operate the government from day-to-day • all institutions, gov’t or non-gov’t, are under control of large bureaucracies • this expertise/specialization are essential to management of modern society • Weber=“this is better; decisions are made rationally” • also, this could be worse; bureaucratic power can be “over-towering”
Pluralist View • political resources (money, prestige, expertise, organizational position, access to mass media) are so scattered that no single elite has monopoly • same for institutions; too many for one to dominate • policies are results of haggling, compromises & alliances • not equal division of resources, but enough different kinds of “elites” represented to provide for all relevant interests to affect decisions We’re ALL winners! Or losers!
Hyperpluralist View • Pluralism gone wrong • So many groups, so much diffusion of power, that gov’t is unable to act • When politicians try to make everyone happy, the result is muddled, contradictory policy
Golden Ticket!! So which is it? Tell me which view most closely adheres to your own view of how power is distributed in government. • Marx • Mills, “Power Elite” • Weber, “Bureaucratic” • Pluralism • Hyperpluralism
CHALLENGES TO ALL THIS: • Increased technical expertise necessary to understand policy issues • Limited participation in government • Escalating campaign costs • Diversity of political interests (lots of irons in the fire) The American Electorate
