CHAPTER ONE THE STUDY OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

The purpose of this chapter is to give you a preview of the major questions to be asked throughout the textbook and to introduce key terms.

TWO BASIC QUESTIONS: WHO GOVERNS?

AND TO WHAT ENDS?

THEME A: POLITICAL POWER AND AUTHORITY

Power Definition: the ability of one person to cause another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions Text's concern: power as it is used to affect who will hold government office and how government will behave Authority: the right to use power; not all who exercise political power have it Legitimacy: what makes a law or constitution a source of right Struggles over what makes authority legitimate Necessity to be in some sense democratic in the United States today

THEME B: DEMOCRACY AND INDIVIDUAL CHOICE Direct or participatory democracy Classical democracy New England Town meeting vs representative democracy

Will of the People Framers: "will of people" not synonymous with the "common interest" or the "public good" They strongly favored representative over direct democracy.

Representative democracy minimized chances of abuse of power by tyrannical popular majority or self-serving office holders

THEME C: POWER DISTRIBUTION IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

FOUR MAJOR THEORIES OF GOVERNMENT

MARXIST THEORY Government is merely a reflection of underlying economic forces.

THE POWER ELITE C. Wright Mills Elites outside of government hold the power.

BUREAUCRACY- Max Weber Appointed officials in government and in corporations dominate decision making.

PLURALIST Political resources are so widely scattered that no singe group can dominate.

THEME D

POLITICAL CHANGE

Political Change – Necessary to refer frequently to history because no single theory is adequate Government today influenced by yesterday Government today still evolving and responds to changing beliefs – Politics about the public interest, not just who gets what

Finding out who governs – We often give partial or contingent answers.

– Preferences vary, and so does politics.

– Politics cannot be equated with laws on the books.

– Sweeping claims are to be avoided.

– Judgments about institutions and interests should be tempered by how they behave on different issues.

– The policy process can be an excellent barometer of change in who governs.

Self-Test

For more information about this topic, link to the Metropolitan Community College Political Science Web Site http://socsci.mccneb.edu/pos/polsc main.htm

If you use the American Government Text, Political Source Net User Name : government Password: rules