AP US Government and

Politics

Chapter 1: Introducing Government

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Learning Objectives

To distinguish among the fundamental concepts of government, politics, and public policy

To understand how government, politics, and public policy are interrelated.

To ascertain how people can influence the government’s policy agenda.

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Politics and Government Matter

Many Americans are apathetic about politics and government.

– A tremendous gap has opened up between the young (under 25), and the elderly (over 65) on measures of political interest, knowledge, and participation.

Politics and government is important!

– Government has a substantial impact on our lives.

– We can have an impact on government.

3

GovernmentGovernment consists of those institutions

that make authoritative public policies for society as a whole.

Four key institutions make policy at the national level:

– Congress

– President

– The Courts

– The federal administrative agencies (bureaucracy)

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Government

Two fundamental questions we must ask

ourselves are

– How should we govern?

– What should government do?

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What Governments do

All governments have certain functions in

common.

– Governments maintain national borders.

– Governments provide public goods – things

that everyone can share, such as clean air.

– Governments have police powers to provide

order in a society.

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What Governments do

– Governments provide public services, such as

schools and libraries.

– Governments socialize the young into the

political culture, typically through practices

such as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in

daily exercises at school.

– Governments collect taxes to pay for the

services they provide.

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Politics

Politics determines whom we select as

governmental leaders and what policies they

pursue.

– Laswell defined politics as “who gets what, when, and

how.”

Political participation refers to the ways in which

people get involved in politics.

Single-issue groups are interest groups whose

members will vote based on a politician’s stand on

a single issue (pro-life, pro-choice)

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An Analysis of the Concept of

Politics

The Laswell Model

“Who gets what, when, and how”

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Who:

Covers voters, groups, candidates, political

parties. INDIVIDUALS

– Candidates

– Officeholders

– Supporters

– Voters

GROUPS

– Blue collar/White collar

– Men/Women

– Farmers/Bankers/

– Real Estate

– Catholics/Protestants/ Jews

– Liberals/Conservatives

– Affluent/Poor

– Whites/Blacks/Asians/Hispani

cs

– Elderly/Young

– Working class Labor/Business

ORGANIZATIONS

– AFL-CIO

– AARP

– ACLU

– NRA

– RNC

– DNC

– NOW

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Gets What (values)

Policies are the substance of politics

and government!

Broadly: ______________ for oneself

or for ones group at the __________ of

other individuals and/or groups.

– Benefits (ex. Medical care for elderly,

National defense)

– Burdens (ex. Taxes)

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When

Immediately, or

Later

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And HOW

The methods of political participation!

– Voting, supporting, lobbying

– Implies winners and losers!

Platforms

Campaigns

Speeches

Rallies

Public relations

Media exposure

Registration

Voting

Campaign

Finance

Lobbying

Grass Roots

Politics

Coalition Building

Compromise

Logrolling

Intimidation

Rewards

Sanctions

Bribery

Violence

Expanding the conflict

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The Policy Making Process Simplified:

THE EE SCHATTSCHNEIDER MODEL

• While Lasswell focuses on The Who, What, How and When of political action, EE Schattschneider puts emphasis on THE CONFLICT THAT IS POLITICS

• Politics is the socialization of conflict, and conflict is likely to change as it becomes political.

The Policy Making Process Simplified:

THE EE SCHATTSCHNEIDER

MODEL • Politics acts to expand conflict.

– Democratic Governments basically provide an arena in which to resolve private disputes.

• How a private dispute becomes public, and thus gets on the agenda, is dependent upon 4 factors– 1) the scope of the conflict

– 2) the importance of other conflicts competing for attention in government

– 3) the intensity and influence of the competing groups

– 4) the range of governmental powers and resources

The Schattsschneider Model

Conflict among private groups

1Losers seek to expand the struggle

to attract reinforcements

The issue gains visibility through

the media

2New forces are mobilized,

including candidates, parties, and

interest groups

Leads to

Leads to

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The Schattsschneider Model

The issue reaches the agenda of

government

3The government maintains the

status quo- or enacts new programs

Agenda factors

Scope of conflict

Other competing conflicts

Influence and intensity of

competing groups

Range of government power

and resources

New balance of power created

leading to renewed conflict

4Policy impact on groups and the

public

Leads to

Conflict among private groups

1Losers seek to expand the struggle

to attract reinforcements

Leads to

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Learning Objectives

To describe the basic concept of the

policymaking system.

To determine the essential principles of

traditional democratic theory.

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The Policymaking System

A policymaking system is a set of institutions and activities that link together government, politics, and public policy.

Linkage institutions are the channels or access points through which issues and the public’s policy preferences become part of the government’s policy agenda.

– In a democratic society, parties, elections, interest groups, and the media are key linkage institutions.

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A government’s policy agenda is the issues

that attract the serious attention of public

officials and other people actually involved

in politics at any given point in time.

The end product of government and politics

is public policy.

– When people confront government officials

with problems they expect them to solve, they

are trying to influence the government’s policy

agenda.

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A political issue arises when people

disagree about a problem or about a public

policy choice.

The end product of government and politics

is public policy.

Policymakers stand at the core of the

political system, working within the three

policymaking institutions established by the

U.S. Constitution: the Congress, the

presidency, and the courts.

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Policy impacts are the effects policy has on

people and on society’s problems.

Having a policy implies a goal: people who

raise a policy issues usually want a policy

that works.

Translating people’s desires into public

policy is crucial to the workings of

democracy. (WHY?)

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The Policymaking System23

DEMOCRACY: What is it?

• Direct Democracy v. Representative/In-direct Democracy:

• Democracy has two widely used meanings:– 1) “The Rule of the Many:” to the Ancient Greek Philosopher,

Aristotle, government was democratic if all, or at least most, citizens participated directly by holding office and making policy.

» DIRECT/Participatory Democracy: Government controlled directly by citizens

• (Today Referendums, Initiatives and Recall)

– 2) “For the People:” in most democratic nations today, direct democracy is simply not feasible (Think 300 Million attempting to debate and vote!), so democracy works for the people by proxy

» Representative Democracy: Government is controlled by the citizens through _____________ representatives

How to Define Democracy?

The writers of the U.S. Constitution were suspicious of democracy.

Abraham Lincoln defined democracy as “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

Our basic definition is “democracy is a means of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences.”

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Traditional Democratic Theory

Rests upon several principles that specify

how a democratic government makes its

decisions.

Robert Dahl’s five criteria for an ideal

democratic process.

1. Equality in voting- the principle of one

person, one vote is basic to democracy

2. Effective participation- political participation

must be representative.

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Traditional Democratic Theory: Dahl’s Criteria

3. Enlightened understanding- free press and free

speech are essential to civic understanding.

4. Citizen control of the agenda- citizens should

have the collective right to control the

government’s policy agenda.

5. Inclusion- government must include and

extend rights to all people subject to its laws

• Government can establish certain

qualifications as a prerequisite for

citizenship.

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Traditional Democratic Theory

Democracies must practice majority rule and preserve minority rights.

The relationship between the few leaders and the many followers is one of representation.

– The closer the correspondence between representatives and their electoral majority, the closer the approximation to democracy.

Most Americans feel it is vital to protect minority rights, such as freedom of speech.

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Contemporary Theories of

American Democracy

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Learning Objectives

To examine the four contemporary

theories of American democracy:

pluralism, elite and class theory, hyper-

pluralism, and majoritarianism.

To discuss and analyze various

challenges to democracy.

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Democratic Theory

• When we attempt to analyze American Democracy, it boils down to examining who has power and influence— Who is Really Governing in Our Nation?

–The 4 contemporary theories of American Democracy ask this exact question, but come to slightly different conclusions

»1) Pluralism

»2) Elitism

»3) Hyperpluralism

»4) Majoritarianism

Pluralist Theory

Pluralist theory contends that many centers

of influence compete for power and control.

Groups compete with one another over

public policy with no one group or set of

groups dominating.

There are multiple access points to our

government, with power dispersed among

the various branches and levels of

government.

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Pluralist Theory (continued)

Bargaining and compromise are essential ingredients of our democracy.

Electoral majorities rarely rule absolutely.

– All active and legitimate groups in the population can make themselves heard at some crucial stage of the policymaking process (Dahl)

The recent increases in interest group activity is cited by pluralists as evidence of pluralism.

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Elite and Class Theory

This theory contends that our society is

divided along class lines.

An upper-class rules, regardless of

government organization.

Wealth is the basis for class power: a few

powerful Americans are the policymakers.

Big business and its power is at the center

of most elite and class theories.

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Hyperpluralism Hyperpluralism is pluralism gone sour.

Many groups are so strong that government is

unable to act.

There are too many groups with access to the

different levels and branches of government.

– These groups have multiple ways to prevent policies

they disagree with and to promote those they support.

When politicians try to placate every group, the

result is confusing, contradictory, and muddled

policy (or no policy at all.)

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Democratic Theory:

MAJORITARIANISM

4) MAJORITARIANISM: The majority not only rules in elections, but also in policymaking and they do this over the minority. Our political leaders respond to the policy desires of the majority

While the majority’s will determining policy is

essential to democracy, the problem comes when the majority rules at the expense of the minority and the limited scope of interests of the majority are all that are given attention. (de Tocqueville—”tyranny of the majority”)

American Democratic Theory:

SUMMARY

All ask: WHO REALLY GOVERNS IN OUR NATION?

1) Pluralist Theory: everyone effectively governs as there is extreme free access to groups who can compete fairly for the attention of policymakers

2) Elitist Theory: only the top 1% governs are nation as they have the means to finance it

3) Hyperpluralist Theory: Special interest groups govern our nation by too much competition amongst too many diverse interests

4) Majoritarianism Theory: the majority governs our nation, often at the expense of the minority as they only focus on a select set of interests

Challenges to Democracy

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Increased Technical Expertise

Today, we live in a society of experts, whose technical knowledge overshadows the knowledge of the general population.

Today, the elite in society are likely to be those who command the knowledge, the experts.

How can average citizens make decisions about complex issues?

As human knowledge has expanded, it has become increasingly difficult for individualcitizens to make well-informed decisions.

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Limited Participation in Government

What if citizens know little about their

leaders and policy decisions?

Americans do not take full advantage of

their opportunities to shape government or

select its leaders.

Because young people represent the

country’s future, their very poor voting

turnout rates point to an even more serious

challenge to our democracy in the future.

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Escalating Campaign Costs

Is American democracy too dependant on

money?

All political campaigns are very expensive.

Candidates have become increasingly

dependent on Political Action Committees

(PACS), which usually represent specific

special interest groups.

Do elected officials represent the citizenry

or the groups that got them elected?

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Diverse Political InterestsAmerica’s diversity is reflected in the

diversity of interests represented in the

political system.

Does American diversity produce

governmental gridlock?

Policy gridlock is a condition that occurs

when no coalition is strong enough to form

a majority and establish policy. The result is

that nothing may get done.

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The Scope of Government

in America

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How Active is Government in America?

In terms of dollars spent, government in

America is vast.

– On all levels, when government spending

grows, tax revenues must also increase, i.e.

taxes go up!

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American Individualism

The concept of individualism in American

political thought is one of the primary

reasons for the comparatively small scope

of American government.

– As a general rule, we believe in the concept of

self-reliance.

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The policy consequences of individualism

are a strong preference for free markets and

a belief in limited government.

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American Democracy Today: The

AMERICAN CULTURE WAR

• Is a sharp polarization of Americans into rival political camps with different political cultures creating a culture war?

– Is the US polarized? Is this good or bad?

• A Potential Crisis of Cultural Values:

– 1) loss of traditional values

– 2) loss of patriotism and key when compared to other countries

– 3) a division of society into opposition groups with irreconcilable moral differences

Democratic Theory & Democracy in America

SUMMARY

• The System of Democracy takes 2 forms: Direct and Representative. Logistically the system of democracy through representatives is the most wide spread.

• American Democracy operates according to 4 theories: Pluralism, Elitism, Hyperpluralism, and Majoritarianism

• While Democracy may be the most practiced and efficient forms of government, there exists several challenges to its continued success. Potentially in the US a culture war of division could threaten democracy.

AP PRACTICE PROBLEM

51. Which of the following is NOT a trait of a liberal democracy?

a. Holding regular, frequent, and competitive elections

b. Protecting minority rights

c. Having a lively and free press

d. Achieving income equality

e. Guaranteeing equality in voting