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Logic and Form of Government

Logic and Form of Government. Administrative Matters. Seating Chart Turn in “Statement of Student Responsibility” Meet Your Neighbors!. Overview. What is “government” and why does it exist? How can we characterize or describe different types of governments?

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Logic and Form of Government

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  1. Logic and Form of Government

  2. Administrative Matters • Seating Chart • Turn in “Statement of Student Responsibility” • Meet Your Neighbors!

  3. Overview • What is “government” and why does it exist? • How can we characterize or describe different types of governments? • What is the role of the individual in U.S. government?

  4. What Is “Government”? • People form communities • Government = institutions, rules, and procedures that regulate communities • Governments make choices and develop norms, then impose those choices and norms on all members of the community

  5. Why Do Governments Exist? • Keep us from killing each other • Maintain order and security • Define and enforce property rights • Redistribute wealth • Provide public goods • Makes government palatable • Increases productivity which provides payoff to government

  6. Forms of Government • Can characterize government on two dimensions: • Who makes the choices? • How much control is permitted? (i.e., what is the universe of options from which the choice is made)

  7. Who Makes the Choices? • Autocracy • Oligarchy • Democracy • Representative v. Direct Democracy • Representative Democracy • Popular v. Responsible • Who are “the people”? Suffrage

  8. Continuum of “Who Makes Choices” Representative Autocracy Responsible Popular Direct Oligarchy Democracy

  9. Pros and Cons of Democracy • Cons • Inefficient • Cannot respond to immediate crises • Pros • More stable • Normatively easier to defend

  10. How Large Is the Universe of Options? • Totalitarian (no limits) • Authoritarian (informal limits) • Constitutional Government (formal limits)

  11. Pros and Cons of a Constitutional Government • Cons • Some problems more difficult to address (crime, security, etc.) • Pros • More stable

  12. What Do We Have in the U.S.? • Representative Democracy • Between Responsible and Popular • Relatively Broad Suffrage • Constitutional Government

  13. What Do We Need to Make That Work? • Because individuals are ultimately responsible for the choices government makes, we need • Trust in government • Sense of “political efficacy” • Knowledge of government

  14. In Sum • Many different types of governments can achieve the goals of having a government (creating order) • Constitutional democracies may be slower and less efficient, but they are ultimately more stable because people are happier, less apt to revolt • But in a constitutional democracy, it is the responsibility of every individual to understand how government works and to participate

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