Understanding American Government: Youth Political Engagement

1. Lineberry Chapter 1 Introducing Government in America

2. Politics Matters • Youth is known for its apathy • Very critical and cynical • But politics is the personnel system for democracy • Youth is decreasing its political awareness • See Table 1.1 • Lower voter turnout rate • Changes in media do have a role in youth’s apathy

3. Government • Institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society • Shapes our daily lives • How should we govern and what should government do? • Does government do what we want it to do? • All governments must: • Maintain a national defense • Provide public services in the form of public goods (Goods that everyone shares, like clean water and air) • Preserve Order • Socialize the young (Education) • Taxes

4. Politics • A process by which we select our government leaders and what policies these leaders will pursue • Who gets what, when, and how? • The media covers the who • What refers to the substance of politics and government – like benefits and taxes • How is about ways for people to get involved • Political Participation is all activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue.

5. Politics • Single Issue groups are groups that have a narrow interest, dislike compromise, and draw membership from people new to politics • This distinguishes them from interest groups

6. Process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time. Reveals how the government responds to the priorities of the people. See Figure 1.3 in text The system begins with people. (interests, problems, or concerns touched on by public policy) People’s concerns enter linkage institutions Political channels through which people’s concernsbecome political issues on the policy agenda. Include elections, parties, interest groups, and the media Ways to transmit preferences of the people to government policymakers Institutions help shape Policy Agenda Issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people involved in politics at any time Policymaking System

7. Policymaking System • Political issues are issues that arise when people disagree about a problem and how to solve it • Policy agenda changes regularly • Policymakers work within the 3 policymaking institutions • Legislative (Congress), Executive, Judicial • Bureaucracy is so strong that it is considered to be a 4th institution • Policies are finally created to impact people according to their concerns through expenditures, taxes, laws, regulations, or non-decisions • People are impacted by the policy

8. Policies impact people • Government decisions are public policy • Choices that government makes in response to a political issue • Policy is the course of action taken in regard to some problem

9. What is Democracy • A system of selecting policymakers and organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public • Does the U.S. have a Democracy as its form of governments? • Did the framers of the constitution want a democracy?

10. Traditional Democratic Theory • Equality in Voting • Effective participation • Enlightened understanding • Citizen control of the agenda • Inclusion • Must practice majority rule • May not infringe on minority rights • Representation must describe the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers

11. Contemporary Theories on American Democracy • Pluralist Theory • Theory of government that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each on pressing for its own preferred policies • Groups with shared interests influence public policy by pressing their concerns through organized efforts • EX. NRA, NOW, LULAC • Because of open access to various institutions of government, groups can compete for control of policy but no one group dominates. • Pluralists are usually optimistic that public interest will prevail • Everyone will get a slice of the pie

12. Contemporary Theories on American Democracy • Elite and Class Theory • Theory of government that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of government organization. • Critics of pluralists question how big is everyone’s slice of the pie • Wealth is the basis of power. • 1/3 of the nations wealth held by 1% of the population • A few powerful don’t just influence policymakers but are the policymakers • Big business is the center of elite and class theory

13. Contemporary Theories on American Democracy • Hyperpluralism • Theory of government that groups are so strong that government is weakened • Any exaggerated, perverted form of pluralism • Influence of groups cripples govt ability to make policy • Too many ways for groups to control policy • Groups are sovereign and govt is their servant • Powerful groups divide the government and its authority • Govt gives in to every interest and single-issue group

14. Challenges to democracy • Increased Technical expertise • Technical knowledge overshadows the knowledge of the general public • Limited Participation in Government • Escalating Campaign Costs • Diverse political interests • Policy Gridlock Is when no group is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. Nothing gets done