Transcript American Democracy

Introduction to Political Science
Mr. Dupuis
Political Thinking:
Becoming a Responsible
Citizen
Chapter 1
Learning to Think Politically

Political thinking
 Involves the
careful gathering and sifting of
information to form a knowledgeable view about a
political issue
 Important for responsible citizenship
3
Learning to Think Politically

Barriers to political thinking
 Main
barrier: unwillingness of citizens to make the
effort to self-inform
 Changes in media consumption: more people
consume biased cable television and Internet blogs
 “Spin” by political leaders and government entities
 Research shows faulty perceptions becoming more
prevalent
4
Learning to Think Politically

What political science can contribute to
political thinking
 Political
science: the systematic study of
government and politics
 A descriptive and analytical discipline; can
increase ability to think politically
 Political science can provide deeper analysis
5
Politics and Power in America

Politics: the means by which society settles its
conflicts and allocates the resulting benefits
and costs


Harold Lasswell defines politics as conflict over “who gets what, when,
and how”
Power: the ability of persons, groups, or
institutions to influence political developments

Those who prevail in political conflicts are said to have “power”
6
Democracy

Definition: a form of government in which the
people govern, either directly, or through
elected representatives.
 Direct
Democracy: one person, one vote
 Representative democracy: a government in which
citizens elect representatives to serve in their
absence

In practice, majority rule through the free and open election of representatives
7
Politics and Power in America
 Majoritarianism:
the majority effectively
determines what government does

One limit of this is that the “majority” is usually only clear on a few
issues
a theory that holds that society’s
interests are substantially represented through
power exercised by groups
 Pluralism:

The preference of special interest groups largely determine determines what the
government does
 Authority:
the recognized right of officials to
exercise power
8
America’s Governing Systems
and Related Sources of Power
9
Politics and Power in America

A constitutional system
 The
Constitution: elaborate checks and balances,
Bill of Rights
 Constitutionalism: idea that there are lawful
restrictions on government’s power

Restraints on majority power
 Judicial action:
the use of courts of law as a means
by which individuals protect their rights and settle
their conflicts
10
Lawyers per Million Persons
11
Politics and Power in America

A free market system
 Operates
mainly on private transactions
 Some government intervention through regulatory,
taxing, and spending policies
 Tax rate much lower in U.S. than in European
countries
 Corporate power: influence firms have over
policymakers
 Elitism: power exercised by the influential few
12
Politics and Power in America

Who does govern?
 Defining
characteristic of American politics:
widespread sharing of power

Women and minorities initially excluded; their power will steadily
grow over time
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