AP GOVERNMENT INTRODUCTION

Journal #12/1/11 What is the proper role of

Government?

GovernmentGovernment

Makes and enforces public policies

Consists of lawmakers, administrators and judges

Public Policy Is a choice that gov’t makes in

response to some issue on its agenda

Types of Public Policy Congressional statute (laws) Presidential action Court decision Regulation

Who Governs? Four basic theories 1. Elite theory- 2. Bureaucratic theory- 3. Interest group theory- 4. Pluralist theory

Forms of Government Monarchy/Dictatorship/Oligarchy Republic Theocracy

HOW IS POWER DISTRIBUTED?

Unitary Federal Confederation

Figure 3.1: Lines of Power in Three Systems of Government

Figure 3.1: Lines of Power in Three Systems of Government (cont’d)

Figure 3.1: Lines of Power in Three Systems of Government (cont’d)

Relationship between Leg. & Executive

Presidential Parliamentary

Gov’t by force / By the People Dictatorship Democracy

participatoryRepresentative

Journal # 2, 2/5/10

Which form of government, presidential or parliamentary is best to respond to the needs of the citizens? Why?

American Political Culture

Political culture – is the distinctive and patterned way of thinking about how political and economic life ought to be carried out.

Political culture should not be confused with Political ideology

Basic views - political

Liberty (Freedoms) Equality Democracy Civic duty Individual responsibility

Economic assumptions

Liberty – free-enterprise “equality of opportunity” Individualism

Cultural Conflict

Areas of disagreement include- abortion, gay rights, drug use, school prayer, and pornography

Two basic views Orthodox – morality more important than self-

expression Progressive- personal freedom more

important than traditional moral rules

Figure 4.1: Trust in the Federal Government, 1958-2001

Source: University of Michigan, The National Election Studies, (September 1999), table 5A.1, updated by Los Angeles Times, poll taken November 10-13, 2001.

Political Efficacy- The capacity to understand and influence political events

Figure 4.2: Changes in the Sense of Political Efficacy

Source: University of Michigan, The National Election Studies, 1952-2000

Table 4.2: Patriotism in America, France, and Germany

Table 4.3: Commitment to Income Equity in Sweden and the United States

Figure 4.4a: Views of Toleration and Morality

Source: The American Enterprise (January/February 1999): 37, reporting data from Roper, Washington Post, Harvard, and Kaiser Family Foundation polls.

Figure 4.4b: Views of Toleration and Morality (cont’d)

Source: The American Enterprise (January/February 1999): 37, reporting data from Roper, Washington Post, Harvard, and Kaiser Family Foundation polls.

Figure 4.5: Changes in Levels of Political Tolerance, 1930-1999

Source: Gallup poll data, various years, as compiled by Professor John Zaller, Department of Political Science, UCLA; The Gallup Organization, Poll Releases (March 29, 1999), 2-6.

Table 4.7: Religion in Industrialized Nations, 1990-1993