i
,1
Constitutional
Democracy
Chapter Overview
Politics and government matter—that is the single most important message
of this book. By emphasizing the foundations of American politics,
Magleby’s text helps students understand the complexity of contemporary
U.S. government and politics. To that end, Chapter 1 establishes the
foundation for the balance of the text by introducing questions fundamental
to the study of politics and government. We begin by exploring the scope
and nature of constitutional democracy in the United States. Setting the
United States in a global context, we differentiate the American political
system from other forms of government around the world. We then turn to
consider the historical roots of the U.S. Constitution. By the end of the
chapter, students should have the foundation necessary to begin to explore
some of the more complex questions in U.S. politics.
Lecture Suggestions
1
, 1.
1.Use the concept of constitutional democracy to
1 explain U.S. government and politics.
LECTURE 1: Government is comprised of those institutions that make
authoritative public policies for society as a whole. In the United States,
four key institutions operate at the national level to make such decisions:
Congress, the president, the courts, and the federal administrative agencies
(the bureaucracy).
Lecture on the fundamental questions arising about government from
Harold Laswell’s famous definition of politics as “who gets what, when, and
how.” How should we govern? What should the government do? Include
specific examples in your discussion.
LECTURE 2: Perhaps the least controversial element of government policy
centers on the provision of public goods—things that everyone can share,
such as clean air or national defense. Because of their nonexcludability,
there is little incentive for people to pay for public goods. Consequently, the
nature of public goods makes them difficult for the private sector to
provide. Instead, they are often provided by the government and paid for
through tax revenues.
In recent years, however, a number of alternative mechanisms have
been developed to shift public goods into private goods to be provided
through the market. The creation of carbon markets, for example, attempts
to privatize negative externalities associated with pollution to create a
cleaner environment. Similarly, the widespread use of private military
contractors changes the historical role of the government in the
maintenance of national defense.
Discuss the nature of public goods and the historical role of the
government in providing them. Then consider alternative mechanisms for
the provision of public goods.
2
, LECTURE 3: Contemporary politics often centers on the appropriate role
and size of government in American society. The media usually characterize
Republicans as favoring a smaller government and Democrats as favoring a
larger one.
However, such a picture is often overly simplistic, as Republicans and
Democrats both favor a government that performs specific functions
corresponding to their party’s platform and worldview.
Engage in a lecture and discussion centering on the appropriate
role of government in the United States and cover the following
questions and information:
Is the scope of government currently too broad or too
narrow? What does government being “too big” mean? Do
students think the U.S. government is currently “too big?”
Why?
By what criteria might we measure the size of government?
By some measures government today is much smaller than it
has been historically. In 1988, the year President Ronald
Reagan left office, there were 3.054 million employees of the
federal government. By 2010, that number had fallen to
2.776 million. (See the U.S. Office of Personnel Management
at
www.opm.gov/feddata/historicaltables/totalgovernmentsince
1962.asp for historical figures since 1962.)
By other measures, the size of the government has remained
relatively stable. Federal spending was 18.2 percent of gross
domestic product in 1988. By 2011, it had fallen to 15.4
percent (See the Presidency Project at the University of
California Santa Barbara at
www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/budget.php for historical
figures from 1930 through today.)
3
,1
Constitutional
Democracy
Chapter Overview
Politics and government matter—that is the single most important message
of this book. By emphasizing the foundations of American politics,
Magleby’s text helps students understand the complexity of contemporary
U.S. government and politics. To that end, Chapter 1 establishes the
foundation for the balance of the text by introducing questions fundamental
to the study of politics and government. We begin by exploring the scope
and nature of constitutional democracy in the United States. Setting the
United States in a global context, we differentiate the American political
system from other forms of government around the world. We then turn to
consider the historical roots of the U.S. Constitution. By the end of the
chapter, students should have the foundation necessary to begin to explore
some of the more complex questions in U.S. politics.
Lecture Suggestions
1
, 1.
1.Use the concept of constitutional democracy to
1 explain U.S. government and politics.
LECTURE 1: Government is comprised of those institutions that make
authoritative public policies for society as a whole. In the United States,
four key institutions operate at the national level to make such decisions:
Congress, the president, the courts, and the federal administrative agencies
(the bureaucracy).
Lecture on the fundamental questions arising about government from
Harold Laswell’s famous definition of politics as “who gets what, when, and
how.” How should we govern? What should the government do? Include
specific examples in your discussion.
LECTURE 2: Perhaps the least controversial element of government policy
centers on the provision of public goods—things that everyone can share,
such as clean air or national defense. Because of their nonexcludability,
there is little incentive for people to pay for public goods. Consequently, the
nature of public goods makes them difficult for the private sector to
provide. Instead, they are often provided by the government and paid for
through tax revenues.
In recent years, however, a number of alternative mechanisms have
been developed to shift public goods into private goods to be provided
through the market. The creation of carbon markets, for example, attempts
to privatize negative externalities associated with pollution to create a
cleaner environment. Similarly, the widespread use of private military
contractors changes the historical role of the government in the
maintenance of national defense.
Discuss the nature of public goods and the historical role of the
government in providing them. Then consider alternative mechanisms for
the provision of public goods.
2
, LECTURE 3: Contemporary politics often centers on the appropriate role
and size of government in American society. The media usually characterize
Republicans as favoring a smaller government and Democrats as favoring a
larger one.
However, such a picture is often overly simplistic, as Republicans and
Democrats both favor a government that performs specific functions
corresponding to their party’s platform and worldview.
Engage in a lecture and discussion centering on the appropriate
role of government in the United States and cover the following
questions and information:
Is the scope of government currently too broad or too
narrow? What does government being “too big” mean? Do
students think the U.S. government is currently “too big?”
Why?
By what criteria might we measure the size of government?
By some measures government today is much smaller than it
has been historically. In 1988, the year President Ronald
Reagan left office, there were 3.054 million employees of the
federal government. By 2010, that number had fallen to
2.776 million. (See the U.S. Office of Personnel Management
at
www.opm.gov/feddata/historicaltables/totalgovernmentsince
1962.asp for historical figures since 1962.)
By other measures, the size of the government has remained
relatively stable. Federal spending was 18.2 percent of gross
domestic product in 1988. By 2011, it had fallen to 15.4
percent (See the Presidency Project at the University of
California Santa Barbara at
www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/budget.php for historical
figures from 1930 through today.)
3
