PSC 101 – Introductory Discussion

1. PSC 101 – Introductory Discussion

2. Defining “politics” and “government” • Everyday uses of “politics” and “political” • Negative stereotypes of politicians • Relationship between politics and government---Can one have politics without government? • ---Can one have government without politics?(The Progressive Movement 1880s-1920s) • ---”Playing politics” vs. “getting things done” • ---”Playing politics” vs. “doing the right thing”

3. Your textbook’s definitions of politics and government • Politics: “individual and collective efforts to influence the workings of government”--David Easton’s model of the political system--Does “politics” exist in nondemocratic countries? In hierarchical organizations?--Different definitions of “influence”: persuasion, coercion, bargaining • Government: “the institutions that have the authority and capacity to enforce public policies (rules) for a specific territory and people”

4. Where does government get its authority and capacity? • Your book’s answer: near-monopoly of force • Where else does government get its authority from? (Legitimacy?) • --the democratic process--religion? • --habit? • --family ties? • --rationality?

5. Why is government necessary? (why is it rational to obey government) • Theories of political obligation • Social contract theory: Hobbes, Locke, RousseauWe willingly (and rationally) give up some of our freedoms in order to protect the rest • If not, we risk the “war of all against all” • But why? Scarcity (material and moral) is the key

6. Why is government necessary cont’d • 1.) Conflict over scarce resources • 2.) Conflict over “scarce” or “irreconcilable” values • ---Attempts to compromise: Roe v. Wade, civil unions for gays • 3.) Even in the absence of overt conflict, there are “collective goods” to be provided, which are vulnerable to the ‘free rider’ problem (collective action problem) – nuclear defense, paved roads

7. Why govt. is necessary cont’d • Debates between libertarians and others are about which things (education, roads, police, health care) are truly “collective goods” that the market does not sufficiently provide • 4.) Even in the absence of “collective action” problems, we still have “coordination problems” (ex. Restaurants, Habitat homes, Katrina, Haiti, oil spill) – someone must be in charge

8. How political scientists study politics and government • Political scientists do not have a monopoly on the study of politics! • How is their approach distinctive?---Emphasis on causality rather than description---Emphasis on forming generalizations (theories) that operate across time and space(Sarah Palin example) • ---Emphasis on replicability, which includes precision in concepts and measurement • ---SOME SAY (not all PSCists agree) that it’s an emphasis on empirical, rather than normative questions

9. Correlation is not causation, but it’s a good start! • We can’t do experiments very easily • So we rely on observing correlations • But watch out for • ---multivariate explanations • ---indirect causation • ---and worst of all, spurious correlations!(ice cream consumption and crime rates, homeownership and political participation)

10. US Political Culture • What is political culture?---Book definition • ---Political culture • ↓ • ---Political ideology • ↓ • ---Attitudes on particular • issues • As we go down, we go from most consensual/ambiguous/general to most controversial/specific

11. US Political Culture • --As universal as it is within US, US political culture distinguishes us from other societies • ------foreign observer literature • --How can a country diverse as US have a common political culture? • CONTENTS OF US POLITICAL CULTURE1.) Equality as unifying themeequality of opportunity v. equality of result2.) Individualism: self-reliance, nonconformism, “lone wolf” as hero

12. US Political Culture • 3.) Liberty---positive v. negative liberty---paternalistic legislation?4.) Property rights – major role of govt. in “free market” economy is to protect ‘em • 5.) Religion--free exercise, no established religion--yet religion taken very seriously, compared to other industrial societies!

13. Why These Five Elements? • 1.) Lasting imprint of US’ “formative years” (settlement, colonial and revolutionary periods) • 2.) Self-selection (emigration, immigration) • 3.) Reinforcement: political campaigns, education system, popular culture

14. Present-Day Consequences of US Political Culture • 1.) Continued antipathy toward government (and authority and politics in general) • 2.) Lack of finality in policy decisions • 3.) Class conflict (hence socialist attitudes) much more muted than in other societies • 4.) Even communitarian policies must be justified and advocated in individualistic terms (e.g. Social Security in the 1930s)