1. Introducing Government in America
Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry
Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy
Fourteenth Edition
Chapter 1
Introducing Government in America
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman. 1

2. Theories of Gov’t
Force
Evolution
Divine
Social Contract

3. 5 Functions of Gov’t Order Public Goods Defense Taxes
Socialize the young

4. Definitions Government - institutions through which policy is made
Politics - activities that influence policy

5. When Creating a New Government?
Who gets to participate?
Who should govern?
Where should government authority be located?
How much should government do?

6. Government Type Power Distribution Branch Relationship Anarchy None
Autocracy – Dictatorship
Unitary – state governed by a single power where the central gov’t is supreme
Presidential
Autocracy – Monarchy
Federal - system of gov’t in where several states form a unity but remain independent in internal affairs
Parliamentary
Oligarchy – Dictatorship
Confederation – organization that consists of a number of parties or groups united in an alliance or league
Democracy – Direct
Democracy – Representative

8. US vs European Democracy
Police and schools
Political parties
“Broad tent” or “big tent”
Nature of voters
Rise of “independent voters”
Separation of power
Divided government
Gridlock
Efficiency
Taxes
Safety net
Influence of economy

9. Direct vs Represent Democracy in the U.S.
Direct Democracy
Republic
Initiatives
Issues
Referendums
Public opinion is fickle
Recall elections
Time
Compromise
Polling

10. Conditions Required for Democracy to Exist
Equal right to vote
Opportunities for effective political participation
Enlightened understanding
Citizen control of the agenda
Social inclusion
Respect for the rights of others
Respect for the rule of law

11. How much should government do?
Ideology
Basic framework
Liberalism
Conservatism
Libertarianism
Populism

12. Models of American Democracy
Majoritarianism
– The majority is entitled to a degree of primacy, including making decisions that affect the society
Negatives
Assumes people can control government with adequate mechanisms to participate
Assumes people are knowledgeable
Assumes people want to participate
Assumes people are rational

13. Models of American Democracy
Pluralism
– groups w/ shared interests influence policy by pressing their concerns through organized effort
– policy making is open to all and no group dominates
Negatives
Citizens don’t need to be knowledgeable, only leaders do
Assumes that all groups are equal
Assumes that people want to join groups
Can get conflicting policies

14. Models of American Democracy
Hyperpluralism
Competing groups are so strong gov’t is weakened
Negatives
Undemocratic
Conflicting policies
Elitism
Upper-class elites hold the power and make policy
Do elections really matter?