1 / 28

Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America

Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America. Government Politics The Policymaking System Democracy The Scope of Government in America Summary. Government LO 1.1: Describe the key functions of government and explain why they matter. Government makes public policies made for society.

Download Presentation

Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America • Government • Politics • The Policymaking System • Democracy • The Scope of Government in America • Summary

  2. GovernmentLO 1.1: Describe the key functions of government and explain why they matter. • Government makes public policies made for society. • Governments must perform five basic functions. • Maintain a national defense. • Provide public services. • Preserve order. • Socialize the young. • Collect taxes. To Learning Objectives

  3. LO 1.1 To Learning Objectives

  4. LO 1.1 To Learning Objectives

  5. LO 1.1 To Learning Objectives

  6. PoliticsLO 1.2: Define the various aspects of politics. • Politics is the process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies they pursue. • Harold Lasswell defines politics as the struggle over who gets what, when, and how. To Learning Objectives

  7. The Policymaking SystemLO 1.3: Assess how citizens can have an impact on public policy and how policies can impact people. • People Shape Policy • Policies Impact People To Learning Objectives

  8. LO 1.3 To Learning Objectives

  9. LO 1.3 The Policymaking System • People Shape Policy • People have interests, problems, and concerns. • The four linkage institutions are political parties, elections, mass media, and interest groups. To Learning Objectives

  10. LO 1.3 The Policymaking System • People Shape Policy (cont.) • Policy agenda is the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials. • The four policymaking institutions are the legislative branch, executive branch, judicial branch, and the bureaucracy. To Learning Objectives

  11. LO 1.3 The Policymaking System • Policies Impact People • Public policy is a choice that government makes in response to a political issue. • Policy impacts are the effects a policy has on people and problems. To Learning Objectives

  12. LO 1.3 To Learning Objectives

  13. DemocracyLO 1.4: List the key principles of democracy, theories regarding how it works in practice, and challenges it faces today. • Traditional Democratic Theory • Three Contemporary Theories of American Democracy • Challenges to Democracy • American Political Culture and Democracy • A Culture War? • Preview Questions about Democracy To Learning Objectives

  14. LO 1.4 To Learning Objectives

  15. LO 1.4 Democracy • Traditional Democratic Theory • Democracy is a system in which policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences. • Five components of Traditional Democratic Theory are equality in voting, effective participation, enlightened understanding, citizen control of the agenda, and inclusion. To Learning Objectives

  16. LO 1.4 Democracy • Three Contemporary Theories of American Democracy • Pluralist Theory is a theory of government and policies emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies. • Groups must bargain and compromise to get policies. To Learning Objectives

  17. LO 1.4 Democracy • Three Contemporary Theories of American Democracy (cont.) • Elite and Class Theory contends that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule. • Policies benefit those with money and power. To Learning Objectives

  18. LO 1.4 Democracy • Three Contemporary Theories of American Democracy (cont.) • Hyperpluralism is a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened. • Confusing and contradictory policies result from politicians trying to placate every group. To Learning Objectives

  19. LO 1.4 Democracy • Challenges to Democracy • Increased complexity of issues make it harder for citizens to make decisions. • Limited participation in government, especially voting. • Escalating campaign costs stop people from running for office. • Diverse political interests result into policy gridlock. To Learning Objectives

  20. LO 1.4 Democracy • American Political Culture and Democracy • Political culture is an overall set of values widely shared within a society. • Five elements of American political culture are liberty, egalitarianism, individualism, laissez-faire, and populism. To Learning Objectives

  21. LO 1.4 To Learning Objectives

  22. LO 1.4 Democracy • A Culture War? • James Q. Wilson believes that America is a more polarized nation today than at any time in living memory. • Other scholars believe that there is relatively little evidence of a so-called culture war going on among ordinary American citizens. To Learning Objectives

  23. LO 1.4 Democracy • Preview Questions about Democracy • Are people knowledgeable about matters of public policy? • If there are choices, do the media help citizens understand them? • Is Congress representative of American society, and is it capable of reacting to changing times? To Learning Objectives

  24. The Scope of Government in AmericaLO 1.5: Explain the debate in America over the proper scope of government. • How Active Is American Government? • Preview Questions about the Scope of Government To Learning Objectives

  25. LO 1.5 The Scope of Government in America • How Active Is American Government? • Spends $3.8 trillion yearly. • Employs 2.8 million civilians and 1.4 million in the military. • It owns one-third of the land in the United States. • It occupies 2.6 billion square feet of office space. To Learning Objectives

  26. LO 1.5 The Scope of Government in America • Preview Questions about the Scope of Government • What role did the Constitution’s authors foresee for the federal government? • Does the public favor a large, active government? • Is Congress too responsive to the demands of the public and organized interests? To Learning Objectives

  27. Photo Credits page 2: Chuck Kennedy/Getty; 3T: AP Photo; 3TC: Getty Images; 3TB: Jewel Samad/Getty Images; 3B: Joseph Sohm/Corbis; 5: Colorblend Images/Getty Images; 7: AFP/Getty Images; 8: AP Photo; 9: AP Photo; 10: AFP Getty Images; 12 AFP Getty Images; 14: Chris Wildt/www.cartoonstock.com; 16: Alex Wong/Getty Images; 18: Joseph Sohm/Corbis; 20: Robert Trippett/Sipa; 21: David Horsey; 23: Jewel Sammad/Getty Images

  28. Text Credits U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Surveys. Data can be found at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/historical/index.html.

More Related