Chapter One Notes
People and governments * Need stability * Change their minds to fit their needs
Political Change in the US * Americans can change who (Republicans or Democrats) dominates Congress every two years * Divided government (1994, for example, w/ Bill Clinton as pres.) * A situation that exists when political party control over the government is divided (for example, when the pres. is a Democrat and Congress is controlled by Republicans) * The gov. in the 1990s and early 2000s was pretty flourishing. * Change is a tribute to the success of a political system (6) * Institution * A long-standing, identifiable structure or association that performs certain functions for society.
What Is Politics? * Politics * According to David Easton, the “authoritative allocation of values” for a society’ according to Harold Lasswell, “who gets what, when, and how” in a society. * The struggle or process engaged in by human beings to decide which members of society get benefits or privileges and which are excluded from certain benefits or privileges. * Conflicts that arise in society * People may differ over their beliefs, either religious or personal, or over basic issues of right and wrong. * People may differ in their perception of what the society’s goals should be. * People compete for scarce resources; government benefits and property are examples. (7)
The Need for Government and Power * Government * A permanent structure (institution) composed of decision makers who make society’s rules about conflict resolution and the allocation of resources and who possess the power to enforce those rules. (7) * When a community makes decisions and allocates values through informal rules, politics exists – but not government. (8) * Generally, governments not only make the rules but also implement them through the use of police, judges, and other government officials. (8)
Authority and
Political Change in the US * Americans can change who (Republicans or Democrats) dominates Congress every two years * Divided government (1994, for example, w/ Bill Clinton as pres.) * A situation that exists when political party control over the government is divided (for example, when the pres. is a Democrat and Congress is controlled by Republicans) * The gov. in the 1990s and early 2000s was pretty flourishing. * Change is a tribute to the success of a political system (6) * Institution * A long-standing, identifiable structure or association that performs certain functions for society.
What Is Politics? * Politics * According to David Easton, the “authoritative allocation of values” for a society’ according to Harold Lasswell, “who gets what, when, and how” in a society. * The struggle or process engaged in by human beings to decide which members of society get benefits or privileges and which are excluded from certain benefits or privileges. * Conflicts that arise in society * People may differ over their beliefs, either religious or personal, or over basic issues of right and wrong. * People may differ in their perception of what the society’s goals should be. * People compete for scarce resources; government benefits and property are examples. (7)
The Need for Government and Power * Government * A permanent structure (institution) composed of decision makers who make society’s rules about conflict resolution and the allocation of resources and who possess the power to enforce those rules. (7) * When a community makes decisions and allocates values through informal rules, politics exists – but not government. (8) * Generally, governments not only make the rules but also implement them through the use of police, judges, and other government officials. (8)
Authority and