2 Why Government?

1. 2Why Government?

2. Why Government? • People generally complain about government • So why do we have it? • Because anarchy (i.e. Mad Max) is even worse

3. Freedom v. Order • We want the freedom to do our own thing • But we can’t provide everything for ourselves • We need to coordinate actions with others to achieve collective goals • We need a certain degree of order to solve the problem of collective action

4. Collective Action • Collective action is defined in your text as: • Coordinated group action designed to achieve a common goal that individuals acting on their own could not otherwise obtain • What types of things can we do through government that we can’t do on our own? • Do people do these things spontaneously out of the goodness of our heart?

5. Collective Action and Security • The primary role of Collective Action is to provide Security • What is security? • The ability to protect something of value

6. The Problem • The problem is that there is a mismatch between the rewards for the individual and the collectivity • If we rely on the individual, we will not achieve our collective result • This is one type of a “Free Rider Problem” • Need to move the decision from the individual to the collectivity

7. The Solution • 1. Governmental action with enforcement • 2. Exhortation, social/moral pressure • Which is likely to work better?

8. Structural Problem • Relying on exhortation is only likely to work in a small collectivity with a small cost differential • Typically these are structural problems which require structural solutions

9. Morality • But we can’t ignore morality completely • “Capitalism only works as long as the values taught by capitalism don’t catch on” (Fred Hirsch, British Banker & Socialist) • What did Hirsch mean? • We may be individually self-interested but we can’t ignore the demands of the community of which we are a part

10. Examples • If people know the potential result and would rather forego the benefit, is no longer a collective action problem • What other CAP examples can you think of? • Road system, unionization, dumping of wastes, building levees, religious tolerance taxation, boycotts, conservation problems, worker protections, public TV, population growth • How are these collective action problems?

11. Why Government? • We need government, on behalf of the people, to force people to act collectively • Necessary to overcome our individualistic nature and culture • Government provides the rules by which citizens must play • Policy reflects the interests of those who participate

12. Anarchy • Anarchy refers to an absence of any kind of overarching authority or hierarchy • This can lead to chaos and violence but need not necessarily do so • Many anarchists (i.e. Thoreau/Rousseau) believe that humans are capable of peacefully intermingling without formalized governmental structures • In a hierarchical situation, the freedom and the power of the individual is constrained

13. Anarchy and Power • Generally, anarchy is depicted (i.e. Mad Max) as something horrific that never persists for long • In an anarchical environment, power is the ultimate resource • Anarchy can be thought of as the source of government • The collective pursuit of security provides an escape from the threat of anarchy

14. An Impetus for Government • Many (i.e. Hobbes) believe that rational individuals would prefer even an unpleasant government than none at all • Others (i.e. Locke) believe rational individuals should only surrender those rights that are absolutely necessary for government to protect people’s “natural rights” • Still others (i.e. Rousseau) believe it is society and it’s hierarchy that leads to individual self-interest, inequality and a lack of compassion • Rather, we should reject social inequality by placing the common good or the general will above our own personal interests and then we can be “forced to be free” • Which model do you endorse?

15. Context of Hierarchy • When societies form governments, they form institutionalized hierarchies • In a hierarchical situation, the coercive power of the authority structure can protect the weak from the strong • Different contexts employ different hierarchies: sometimes you’re the pigeon, other times you’re the statue.

16. Alliances • Individuals or groups combine resources and abilities in alliances that benefit the individual members of the alliance • The basics of alliance formation can illuminate how governmental structures emerge. • The alliance that is ultimately successful will form a group • Government results from the group’s need to institutionalize its power  

17. Group Identities • The degree to which members identify with a group and identify who is not part of that group can affect the group’s strength, cohesiveness, and survival • Group membership can often be amorphous • However, you can absolutely define who is not in your group by instigating a conflict with them (the “other” or enemy) • The degree to which people consider themselves part of a group increases when that group is engaged in conflict with another group • Can lead to the “Rally ‘Round the Flag” effect

18. Leadership Interests • Groups usually form for a specific purpose, but they also tend to continue even after they have accomplished the purpose • Leaders of such groups have made tremendous investments building the group and derive benefits from the group • They subsequently have an interest in the continued existence of the group • Much of what groups – or governments – do is determined by the interest of the leaders • To understand politics, simply ask “who benefits?”