AP GOVERNMENT INTRO

A. GOVERNMENT Formal institutions that make policy or laws for the people. National level: executive, legislative, judicial The government is whatever a nation makes of it.

Good vs. Bad

The 3 Things: Maintain national defense and provide public order. Provide public goods. Collect taxes to pay for the services it provides.

Linkage Institutions How people link up with public institutions.  Political Parties  Elections  Media  Interest Groups  Need to be accessible for democracy to thrive.

B. Public Policy Governments take action to help, defend, prosecute, etc. citizens at home or enemies abroad. The 3 branches, as well as the bureaucracies, government corporations, regulatory agencies, the President’s cabinet, etc., make policy.

Def.: Law passed by Congress Example: Social Security Act 1. Congressional Statute

2. Presidential Action: Sending troops abroad. 3. Court Decision: Brown v. Board 4. Bureaucratic Action: Sending immigrants home.

C. Democracy “of the people, by the people, for the people” Founder’s distrust—no mention anywhere in the Declaration or the Constitution. John Adams: “there was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” Federalists: mass revolts, factions, civil war Therefore, a republic. Direct vs. Representative

D. Theories of Representative Democracy Pluralist View  Struggle amongst competing groups for power, though in a democratic way.  Art of compromise.  Positive sense of government.

Elitist View:  Pluralism is too rosy a picture.  Elites are natural and have always existed.  Wealth is the basis for all power.  Top 1% run the country.  Real power rests in the hands of a small group of leaders.

Hyper-Pluralist View:  Once interest groups get too powerful, then democracy is threatened.  The danger of factionalism.  Democracy becomes paralyzed by the struggle between lobbyists or interest groups in the court system.

Bureaucratic View:  All institutions have fallen under control of a large and ever- growing bureaucracy.  Bureaucracies are large and complex, and can take control from elected politicians.