Essay INTRODUCTION GOVERNMENT

Submitted By ganzokmon
Words: 955
Pages: 4
Open Document
INTRODUCTION GOVERNMENT politics and government matter
Senator John Glenn worried “about the future when we have so many young people who feel apathetic and critical and cynical about anything having to do with politics”
Thomas Jefferson stated that no one is politically ignorant and free
What Americans Know About Politics and Why It Matters argues that political knowledge:
1) fosters civic virtues such as political tolerance
2) helps citizens to identify what policies would truly benefit them and then incorporate this information in their voting behavior
3) promotes active participation in politics
1996 presidential elections fell below the 50% mark for the first time since early 1920s (when women just received suffrage) those who participate in political process are more likely to benefit from government programs today’s youth has grown up in environment in which public affairs has not been as readily visible as in the past optimistics say that it gives prospect of a revitalized democracy characterized by a more active and informed citizenry
GOVERNMENT
Government - institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society ie. national government are Congress, president, courts, bureaucracy how should be govern? what should government do? national government performs 5 functions:
1) Maintain a national defense - armed forces (U.S. spends $275 billion on national defense)
2) Provide public services - schools, libraries, highways (public goods - goods such as air and water and highways and parks that everyone must share)
3) Preserve order
4) Socialize the young - Pledge of Allegiance fosters patriotism
5) Collect taxes - ⅓ $1 earned is used to pay for taxes
POLITICS
Politics - process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue; politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues
Lasswell’s “who gets what, when, and how”
Political Participation - all activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue; the most common in a democracy is voting; other means are protest and civil disobedience many people judge the well being of a government from the political participation
America does poorly when judged with voter turnout
Single Issue Groups - groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise and often draw membership from people new to politics; different from interest groups ie. abortion
POLICYMAKING SYSTEM
Policymaking system - process by which policy comes into being and evolve over time; people’s interest, problems, and concerns create political issues for government policymakers which shape policy and impacts people, generating more interests, problems, and concern
People shape policy
Linking institutions - political channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the political agenda ie. elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media
Policy agenda - issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point of time
Political issue - an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it
Policymaking institutions - 3 branches of government charged with taking action on political issues 1) Congress 2) presidency 3) courts; some political scientists believe that 4) bureaucracy since it’s power is so great
Policies impact people
Public policy - a choice that government makes in response to a political issue; a policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem (ie. congressional statute presidential action, court decision, budgetary choices, regulation)
DEMOCRACY
Democracy - a system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences
Robert Dahl stated that an ideal democratic process needs 5 criteria
1) Equality in voting
2) Effective participation
3) Enlightened understanding
4)
Show More

Related Documents: Essay INTRODUCTION GOVERNMENT

Chapter 1 Introduction to Government Key Terms Essay

Chapter 1: Introduction to Government- Key Terms Government- the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society. Public Goods- Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share. Politics- the process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues. Political Participation- all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political…

Words 627 - Pages 3

Essay Writing

presents your stance on the argument% Essay Template: Introduction: Discuss what the text is prompting the reader to think about Australian society. Consider how this is achieved. Global/General Statement Introduction of Text Introduction of key ideas Thesis Statement Essay Template: Introduction: Characters often give insight into the themes presented in a story. Discuss. Introduction Sentence Thesis Introduction of key ideas Linking sentence Essay%Structure%…

Words 387 - Pages 2

Evaluate Why A Nation's Political System Was More Effective In Meeting The Needs Of Its People.

2. 3. Evaluate why the other nation’s political system was less effective in meeting the needs of the people… 1. 2. 3. Task 3: Writing an Introduction Paragraph (What does it look like?) Political systems are instrumental in shaping the development of a particular nation. They determine the policies that are to be followed by the government and establish political stability. Throughout history, many kinds of political systems developed in different areas of the world depending on the needs…

Words 427 - Pages 2

StudentNotes Part1 IntroCJSystem JCaplan Essay

Introduction to Criminal Justice | Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice | Dr. Joel Caplan PART ONE Crime and the Criminal Justice System Course Introduction System: a regularly interacting or interdependent group of parts forming a unified whole, whose operations … are directed toward The Criminal Justice System: • … Players… • It is a “system” because • Parts … Due to the very nature of the criminal justice system being a “system”, it is multidisciplinary…

Words 2712 - Pages 11

Lecture 1 Powerpoint Essay example

BFF 5230 Global Financial Markets Lecture 1: Introduction to international financial markets Do you have a disability, medical or mental health condition that impacts on your study? The Disability Liaison Unit (DLU) provides a range of services for registered students including: • • • • Notetakers and Auslan interpreters Readings in alternative formats Adaptive equipment and software Alternative arrangements for exams For further information and details about how to register: Email: dlu@monash…

Words 4161 - Pages 17

Notes On Sociology

101 Introduction to Dance 3.00 Undergrad Graded C 6.000 POSC 100 American Government 3.00 Undergrad Graded W SPCH 100 Intro To Human Comm 3.00 Undergrad Graded F UNIV 100 Intro University Studies 1.00 Credit / No Credit CR Spring 1995 AFRO 107 Intro Afro-Amer Studies 3.00 Undergrad Graded C 6.000 ART 101 Introduction to Art 3.00 Undergrad Graded C 6.000 KNES 110A Beginning Swimming 1.00 Undergrad Graded C 2.000 POSC 100 American Government 3.00…

Words 398 - Pages 2

Essay on Speech 2

Within the U.S Government Specific Idea: To inform the class about the Separation of Powers within in the U.S government. Introduction: A. Attention getter: Considering we all live here in the United States, whether it’s permanently or temporary it’s important to know how the United States government is separated into different branches. B. Credibility: After a sufficient amount of time researching and watching musical videos in grade school regarding the United States Government I’ve learned…

Words 418 - Pages 2

The Pros And Cons Of The Industrial Revolution

in Britain during 1760 and 1850 it is sometimes referred to as ‘economic revolution’. It allowed for the development of many nations to grow and form a society or a system that was convenient, in most cases, it was important to be aware that the introduction of the industrial revolution also had its cons as many people were unemployed due the invention of new technology. As a result of the industrial revolution places such as factories and mills of every kind were discovered to have production of cotton…

Words 1555 - Pages 7

Anti-Federalist In the United States Essay

centralized government because they felt that it would just lead to tyranny. What further fueled this unease for the Anti-Federalists was that the Federalists were implementing a system that the United States had just rid themselves of; that is, the English. In his book, Dry outlines in the introduction the main concerns for the Anti-Federalists towards the Constitution. They argued for a small and more limited government that would be based on common interests. As they saw it, a federal government was…

Words 578 - Pages 3

Essay about History: Politics and Ps

students and departmental faculty in active learning and honest scholarship. The goals of the department are these: 1) to employ the principles of discovery learning in developing an understanding of both the foundational concepts of systems of government and the theoretical concepts that animate contemporary public affairs; 2) to create a balanced perspective among the subdisciplines within political science; 3) to empower students to integrate lessons learned in other disciplines with those…

Words 2609 - Pages 11