Political Science 101: American Politics - Lecture Notes

Lecture Overview

• Instructor: Dr. Andrea Haupt
• Lecture Topic: Government, its necessity, forms, and challenges of representative government.

Key Themes

1. What is Government and Why is it Necessary?

• Definitions: Governance vs. Government
  • Governance: Process of governing, making decisions, and having authority.
  • Government: Institutions and people through which a country is ruled.
• Necessity of Government
  • Debate on how much government is desirable (e.g., Thomas Jefferson's view).
  • Basic functions: Maintaining order, protecting property, and providing public goods.
• Public Goods
  • Non-excludable and non-rivalrous (e.g., roads, public parks, national defense).
  • Free-riding issue: People enjoy public goods without contributing to costs.

2. Forms or Types of Government

• Democracy Clarified
  • Comparative politics: Comparison of national-level politics and government forms.
• Types of Government by Ruling Authority
  • Autocracy: Single ruler (e.g., North Korea).
  • Oligarchy: Small group of rulers (e.g., military dictatorship).
  • Democracy: Rule by the people, citizens participate in government (Demos = people, Krasi = rule).
• Types of Government by Power Limits
  • Constitutional Governments: Have constitutions, can be democracies or not (e.g., Jordan vs. Great Britain).
  • Authoritarian Governments: Few or no legal limits on power, may be monarchies or dictatorships (e.g., China, Jordan).
  • Totalitarian Governments: No limits on power, control ideology (e.g., Nazi Germany).

3. Democratic Representation & Challenges

• Direct Democracy vs. Representative Democracy
  • Direct Democracy: Citizens vote directly on laws (e.g., California propositions).
  • Representative Democracy (Republic): Citizens elect representatives.
  • Principal-Agent Relationship: Relationship between voters (principals) and elected officials (agents).
• U.S. Government Structure
  • Constitutional republic and representative democracy.
  • Historical usage of terms by founding fathers.

4. Challenges of Representative Government

• Who Runs for Office?
  • Motivations: Improve public policy or pursue power/influence.
  • Salaries don’t compete with private sector.
  • Importance of policy accountability.
• Democracy and Conflict
  • Democracy involves competing ideas; lack of conflict suggests authoritarianism.
• Theories of Representation
  • Majoritarianism: Will of the majority.
  • Pluralism: All interests compete for influence, issues with interest organization and representation.
  • U.S. has a mix of both, depending on context.

Future Topics

• Exploration of political values and ideology.
• Examination of the founding of the U.S. Constitution.