The 5 P’s of government? Politics, Policy, Pluralism, Protections and Power Civics - Unit 1 Warm up – Respond using the prompt: It’s important to care about what happens in government because __________

Let’s get this straight: Key terms in a conversation about government. Part One “Politics does matter. It can make the difference in terms of a benefits check. It can make the difference in terms of school funding. Citizens can’t just remove themselves from that process. They actually have to engage themselves and not just leave it to the professionals.” -Barack Obama

Government, What is it? Government is an Institution that makes policy – Executive – Legislative – Judicial – Bureaucracy Functions – National defense – Provides public goods and service – Preserves order – Socializes the young – Collects taxes

What about Politics? Politics – The process by which we select our government leaders and what policies these leaders produce. – Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.

What is Policy and what are Public Issues? Policy - protocol to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes Public Issues – things explicitly up for active serious consideration by official decision-makers Policy Making Process Involves: – Individuals or groups identify a problem – The problem becomes part of the policy agenda – Congress passes legislation – The bureaucracy implements it – Feedback leads to revisions

How do my concerns get heard by policymakers? Linkage Institutions - the means by which individuals express preferences regarding the development of public policy – Political Parties – Elections – Media – Interest Groups (including single issue groups)

Prioritizing Public Policy Policy Agenda – The issues that government is addressing at a point in time – Items at the top of the policy agenda are taken care of first. – It may take years to get an item on the policy agenda and then several more years to enact policy.

Who Makes Policy Policy Making Institutions – Legislature (Congress) – Executive (President) – Courts (Federal and State) – Bureaucracies (Federal and State) Bureaucracy?

Once Policy is Approved Implementation – Once policy is implemented, feedback occurs: Effective or ineffective? Are the resources available? Does the policy need to be revised/clarified?

Political Culture A political culture is a set of attitudes and practices held by a people that shapes their political behavior. It includes moral judgments, political myths, beliefs, and ideas about what makes for a good society.

Why Don’t You Care About Politics? Political Efficacy—the belief that political participation matters and can make a difference. – Young people tend to have low political efficacy (rational ignorance) often times because they believe that their vote has no impact.