1. 1 Introducing Government in America
Government and politics matter. Government affects every aspect of your daily life. As Barack Obama said when he first ran for public office in 1993, “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.”
Young people participate in politics at lower rates than older generations, for a variety of reasons. After completing this course, you should be convinced of participating in politics and your ability to make a difference.

2. 1
Learning Objectives
In this chapter we'll discover the differences between government and politics.
Identify the key functions of government and explain why they matter
1.1
Define politics in the context of democratic government
1.2

3. 1
Learning Objectives
We’ll look at the ways you as a citizen can get involved in the policymaking system.
We'll next examine democracy in theory and practice and, finally, consider debates about the appropriate scope of government.
Keep these learning objectives in mind as you complete this chapter.
Assess how citizens can have an impact on public policy and how policies can impact people
1.3
Identify the key principles of democracy and outline theories regarding how it works in practice and the challenges democracy faces today
1.4

4. Government 1.1 What is government? How should we govern?
Government is the institutions that make public policy decisions for a society. What are these institutions in the United States?
One fundamental question to ask ourselves about government is: How should we govern? Our government is democratic, but that is not the only form government can take.
Another question to ask ourselves is: What should government do? Debates over the scope of government are fierce in America today, but there is agreement in a few areas of government responsibility, including:
• national defense
• providing public goods and services
• preserving order
• socializing the young
• and collecting taxes.
Activity: How we should be governed? What are the strengths and weaknesses of our democracy in the contemporary era? What are its weaknesses? Why? What can we do about them? This could also be used for a reading and writing connection, asking students to keep a journal that focuses on these questions throughout the semester.
What is government?
How should we govern?
What should government do?
Maintain a national defence
Provide public goods and services
Preserve order
Socialize the young
Collect taxes
Give an example of each of these.

5. 1.1
Transfer of Power
We see in this photo a peaceful transfer of power in Congress. When Republicans won a majority of seats, Democrat Nancy Pelosi handed the gavel over to the new Speaker of the House, Republican John Boehner.

6. 1.1
Afghanistan
National defense is a key public service. The United States spends over $650 billion a year on national defense.
As we learn from the caption, these troops are guarding the road in Afghanistan against explosive devices planted by Taliban insurgents.

7. Politics 1.2 What is politics? Political participation
Politics determines whom we select as our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue. Or, more succinctly, politics is who gets what, when, and how.
Political participation comprises the ways people get involved in politics. Most people think first of voting when they consider political participation. This is an important form of political participation. The voter turnout rate in the U.S. is one of the lowest in the world.
What is politics?
Who gets what, when, and how
Political participation
More than just voting

8. FIGURE 1.1: Political apathy among young and old Americans, 1972–2008
1.2
FIGURE 1.1: Political apathy among young and old Americans, 1972–2008
In every presidential election from 1972 to 2008, the American National Election Studies has asked a cross-section of the public the following question: “Would you say you follow what’s going on in government and public affairs most of the time, some of the time, only now and then, or hardly at all?”
The graph shows the percentage who said they only followed politics “only now and then” or “hardly at all.” Lack of political interest among young people hit a record high during the 2000 campaign between Bush and Gore, when over two-thirds said they rarely followed public affairs. Compared to senior citizens, young people are twice as likely to report low political interest.

9. FIGURE 1.2: Age and political knowledge, 1972 and 2008
This figure shows the percentage of correct answers to questions asked in 1972 and 2008 by age group. One question was Which party currently had more seats in the House of Representatives?
In 1972, the relationship between age and political knowledge was basically flat: Each age group displayed roughly the same level of information about basic political facts. By 2008, the picture had changed quite dramatically, with young people being substantially less likely to know the answer to such questions than older people.

10. 1.2
FIGURE 1.3: Election turnout rates of young and old Americans, 1972–2010
This graph shows the turnout gap between young and old Americans in all presidential and midterm elections from 1972 through The sawtooth pattern of both lines illustrates how turnout always drops off between a presidential election and a midterm congressional election.
In 2008, turnout among young people rose to the highest level since 1972, spurred by a surge of participation by minority youth. Record rates of turnout were set by young African- Americans, who for the first time had a higher turnout rate than young whites, and by young Hispanics and Asian-Americans. What happened in 2010?

11. Politics 1.2 Single-issue groups e.g., abortion
Voting is not the only way to get involved in politics.
Single-issue groups consist of voters so concerned with one issue that members often cast their votes on the basis of that issue only, ignoring a politician’s stand on everything else. Groups of activists dedicated to outlawing abortion are a good example of a single-issue group.
Single-issue groups
e.g., abortion

12. 1.2
Abortion rally
Anti-choice and pro-choice groups are single-minded and usually uncompromising. Few issues stir up as much passion as whether abortion should be permitted and, if so, under what conditions.

13. FIGURE 1.4: The policymaking system
1.3
FIGURE 1.4: The policymaking system
Let’s look at this graphic that shows the cycle of the policymaking system.
Policymaking begins with people. We all have problems, interests, and concerns that we expect the government to act on. How are these transmitted to government policymakers? Usually by parties, elections, interest groups, and the media, so-called linkage institutions.
These institutions help to shape the government’s policy agenda, which comprises the issues that public officials address.

14. People Shape Policy 1.3 Linkage institutions Policy agenda
People, of course, do not always agree on what government should do. A political issue is the result of people disagreeing about a problem or about the public policy needed to fix it. The current health care policy debate is a perfect example.
The U.S. Constitution created three policymaking institutions: Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Few policies are made by a single policymaking institution but rather by some combination, as intended by our system of checks and balances, which you'll learn more about later.
Linkage institutions
Policy agenda
Political issue
Policymaking institutions
Congress
Presidency
Courts
Linkage institutions
Policy agenda
Political issue
Policymaking institutions
Congress
Presidency
Courts

16. Table 1.1: Types of public policies
1.3
Table 1.1: Types of public policies
This table lists five types of public policies. Which government institution makes each type?

17. Traditional Democratic Theory
As previously mentioned, an ideal democratic process should satisfy certain criteria, including:
• equality in voting, which means one person, one vote
• effective participation, by which we mean that all citizens have an equal chance to influence the policy agenda
• enlightened understanding, which is predicated upon free speech and a free press
• citizen control of the policy agenda
• and inclusion, which we take to mean access to citizenship for all residents of a democratic nation.
Democracies must practice majority rule but the basic rights and liberties of minorities must also be protected.
Since it is impractical for all citizens to vote individually on every policy issue, we elect representatives to do that for us.
Key principles of the democratic process (according to Dahl):
Equality in voting
Effective participation
Enlightened understanding
Citizen control of the agenda
Inclusion
Majority rule and minority rights
Representation
1.4

18. Three Contemporary Theories of American Democracy
1.4
Pluralism
Groups of minorities working together
Elitism
Power is held by the wealthy
Hyperpluralism
Too many groups try to control policy
Pluralism is the theory that groups with shared interests influence public policy through organized efforts. The National Rifle Association (NRA) is an example of an interest group. Pluralists claim that no group can dominate because all have equal access to institutions of decision making. Is this true? Pluralism depends upon interest group participation. Are Americans joiners?
Elitism contends that not all groups have equal access, that the wealthy have much more power and influence on government than the poor, and can therefore shape public policy to suit them. Current demographics and policy trends support elite theory.
Hyperpluralism is pluralism gone sour. In this view, the influence of so many groups cripples government’s ability to make policy. When politicians try to placate every group, the result is confusing, contradictory, and muddled policy.
Which theory do you subscribe to?
Pluralism
Groups of minorities working together
Elitism
Power is held by the wealthy
Hyperpluralism
Too many groups try to control policy

19. Challenges to Democracy
1.4
Challenges to Democracy
Traditional democratic theory holds that ordinary citizens have the good sense to reach political judgments and that government has the capacity to act on those judgments. But is that still true today when policy issues are so complex that they require intensive technical knowledge to make well-informed decisions?
Limited participation challenges the very foundation of democratic government. Low voter turnout and low levels of political activity by young people are an ongoing challenge.
The diversity of the American people can lead to each interest using its influence to thwart others, resulting in policy gridlock.
The close connection between money and politics is the major challenge to democracy in this country. Candidates must raise vast sums to run for office, and spend most of their time in office fundraising rather than governing.
Increased complexity of issues
Limited participation in government
Diverse political interests
Policy gridlock
Escalating campaign costs

20. Super PAC contributions
1.4
Super PAC contributions
Billionaires like Sheldon and Miriam Adelson (shown here) made multimillion-dollar contributions to Super PACs that supported particular presidential candidates in What effect do you think money has on fair elections? 20

21. American Political Culture and Democracy
1.4
American Political Culture and Democracy
Egalitarianism in the United States involves equality of opportunity and absence of formal class distinction such as titles of nobility. Americans have never been equal in terms of condition.
Political culture based on American creed
Liberty
Egalitarianism
Individualism
Laissez-faire
Populism

22. FIGURE 1.5: Pride in equal treatment
1.4
FIGURE 1.5: Pride in equal treatment
of groups in the U.S. and other established democracies
Americans rank very high in terms of being proud of their country’s fair and equal treatment of all groups. This figure shows the percentages who said “very proud” or “somewhat proud” in response to the question, “How proud are you of [country] in its fair and equal treatment of all groups—very proud, somewhat proud, not very proud, not proud at all?”

23. American Political Culture and Democracy
1.4
American Political Culture and Democracy
Individualism is the belief that people should get ahead on their own, without assistance or interference from government. It stems from the fact that immigrants came to the New World to flee oppressive governments.
Linked to individualism is a preference for laissez-faire or free market economic policies.
Populism can be defined as a political philosophy supporting the rights of average citizens in their struggle against privileged elites.
Activity: Although there is widespread support for the basic concepts of freedom and liberty in the United States, there have been many intrusions on basic rights in American history, from the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II to proposals to a constitutional amendment prohibiting flag burning. Ask: Can you explain why we find such discrepancies in an area where we also find complete public support for the basic principles? How might we reconcile such competing perspectives?
Political culture based on American creed
Liberty
Egalitarianism
Individualism
Laissez-faire
Populism

24. A Culture War? 1.4 Is it happening? Loss of traditional values
Some scholars are concerned that a sharp polarization into rival liberal versus conservative political cultures has taken place in recent years. They argue that the intensity of political divisions in twenty-first-century America is a major problem.
Other scholars see little evidence of this so-called culture war. If anything, they say, public opinion has grown more centrist, more tolerant of the divergent views, values, and behavior.
What do you think? Which side is correct?
We can test for a crisis of cultural values by asking if there has been a loss over time of traditional values, such as the importance of religion and family life, if we can make an unfavorable comparison with the citizens of other countries in terms of key values such as patriotism, and if our society is now divided into opposed groups with irreconcilable moral differences.
Activity: Ask students to find a political cartoon relating to a recent event or issue. Daryl Cagle’s PoliticalCartoons.com website ( may provide a useful starting point. Then ask students to bring their cartoon to class and discuss how the cartoon illustrates a central theme in American politics.
Polarization of liberal and conservative political culture
Is it happening?
Testing a crisis of values
Loss of traditional values
Less patriotism
Irreconcilable differences

25. How Active Is American Government?
1.5
How Active Is American Government?
The gross domestic product is the total value of all goods and services produced annually by the United States. The federal government spends about one-third of this, or $3.7 trillion a year, implementing public policies, and it employs about 24 million Americans.
The size of federal government expenditures should hardly be surprising in light of the many issues that Americans have come to expect their government to deal with.
Gross domestic product (GDP)
Government spends 1/3
Government employs 24 million people
Americans expect government to solve problems
Unemployment, terrorism, illegal immigration, energy, education, lack of access to health care

26. 1 Let’s Review… Discussion Question What are the three theories of
policymaking in the United States?
Which theory seems most plausible to
you? Why?