1. © 2010 Pearson Education Chapter 1: A Changing America

2. Case Study: The Changing Face of America –U.S. population is aging 2005, 36.5 million 65+ Stress on U.S. financial solvency –Medicare –Medicaid –Social Security

5. Case Study: The Changing Face of America –How might the changing face of America force us to make tough choices in our future?

6. Political Culture Refers to the widely held, deeply rooted political values of a society Democracy and capitalism

7. Political Culture Political Culture and Policymaking –Commonly shared culture does not preclude debate Why? –Values are too general –Goals often conflict –Practice often falls short of our ideals

8. The International Environment U.S. is the pre-eminent nation in the world –Militarily –Economically –Culturally

9. The Demographic Environment Examines populations in terms of their: –Size –Composition –Movements of individuals 65% Non-Hispanic White 15% Hispanic 13% African American 5% Asian American 1.6% American Indians and Alaska Native 0.4% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders

11. The Demographic Environment Immigration accounts for large part of population growth U.S. population is diverse Population shifts

13. Ronald Reagan (1980 and 1984) Richard Nixon (1968 and 1972) Lyndon Johnson (1964) George W. Bush (2000 and 2004) Jimmy Carter (1976) Sunbelt politicians have also dominated the race for the White House; every elected president from 1964-2004 has been from the Sunbelt.

14. The Economic Environment The American economy –Largest in the world –High standard of living –Relatively strong and outpaced rates of growth in competitor economies in recent years

15. The Economic Environment The Global Economy –Affects domestic economy through arrangements like NAFTA WTO

16. The Economic Environment –High-technology industries require intelligent, skilled workers. –However, these industries hurt low-skilled, poorly educated workers.

17. The Economic Environment Income Distribution –Rising gap between rich and poor –Important because a healthy democracy depends on the existence of a large middle class

19. The Economic Environment Poverty threshold –12.5% –Greater for 1) Minority groups 2) Children 3) Families headed by women

21. Conclusion: The Cultural, International, and Socioeconomic Context for Policymaking Public policymaking –Takes place within socioeconomic and cultural context –Demographic changes –Performance of the economy –America’s political culture helps set boundaries for the policy agenda