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Introduction: Government & the People

Explore the dynamics of government, politics, and power in this comprehensive guide. Learn about constitutional democracy, interacting values, political processes, and the types of public policy. Discover why promoting democracy is important and how policies are implemented.

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Introduction: Government & the People

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  1. Introduction:Government & the People

  2. Government, Politics, and Power • Government: The rules of the game • The institutions and processes that make the rules for society and possess the power to enforce them • Ex.: Congress & the constitutional budget power • Politics: The pursuit and exercise of power • Harold Lasswell: “Who gets what, when, and how” • Ex.: The deals & compromises that go into the budget

  3. Constitutional Democracy • Democracy: Government by the People • Direct Democracy • (e.g., ancient Greece, New England towns) • Representative Democracy, or Republic • Constitutional Democracy = Limited Gov’t • Majority Rule and Minority Rights • Plurality & parliamentary systems • Equality • Worth, if not ability

  4. Interacting Values • Personal Liberty • Respect for the Individual • Equality of Opportunity • Popular Consent • John Locke • Values in Conflict

  5. Political Processes • Free and Fair Elections • Freedom of Expression • Right to Assemble and Protest • New “direct democracy” in the states • Initiative • Referendum • Recall

  6. Conditions for Democracy? • Education? • Economics? • Social Capital? • Something else? • Why promote democracies elsewhere?

  7. Making Public Policy • Policy: a course of action decided upon by a government that usually involves a choice among competing alternatives • Laws, presidential orders or “doctrines” (e.g., Bush Doctrine) • Implementation: actions taken by government to carry out a policy

  8. Types of Policy • Distributive Policies • Distributing goods and services to projects or groups • New bombers or a new park? • Redistributive Policies • Takes something from one person or group and gives it to another • Tax brackets; earned-income credits

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