Chapter 1
Political science: is the study of who gets, what, when, and who
● Who are the participants in politics?
● What of politics are public policies, the decisions that governments make concerning
societal issues
● The when and how are the political processes.
Government
● Is organizing extending to the whole society that can legitimately use force to carry out
its decisions
According to U.S Constitution
● To establish justice and insure domestic tranquility
● The government manages conflict and maintains order
● Social contract theory: an implied agreement exists b/w the government and its people
who agree to obey laws in exchange for the protection of their rights
● To provide for the common defense. This is the primary responsibility of the U.S.
government.
● To promote the general welfare.
○ Providing the public goods (goods and services) that private markets cannot
provide to the public
○ It does this in a number of ways.
○ Regulates society to increase the quality of life
○ The government uses income transfers from tax prayers to people it regards as
deserving
○ To secure blessings of Liberty Democratic governments must protect individual
liberty by treating all people equally under all law
Democracy
● Governing system in which the people govern themselves from the greek term meaning
“rule of many”
Individual Dignity
● Liberties are not granted by governments, they belong to every person born into the
world.
Equality of opportunity
● The obligation of government to ensure that all Americans have an equal opportunity to
develop their full potential
Participation in Decision Making
● Individual participation in decisions that affect an individual's lives
Majority rule
● One person, one vote, each person’s vote must be equal to every other person's,
regardless of status, money, and fame.
Totalitarian
Political science: is the study of who gets, what, when, and who
● Who are the participants in politics?
● What of politics are public policies, the decisions that governments make concerning
societal issues
● The when and how are the political processes.
Government
● Is organizing extending to the whole society that can legitimately use force to carry out
its decisions
According to U.S Constitution
● To establish justice and insure domestic tranquility
● The government manages conflict and maintains order
● Social contract theory: an implied agreement exists b/w the government and its people
who agree to obey laws in exchange for the protection of their rights
● To provide for the common defense. This is the primary responsibility of the U.S.
government.
● To promote the general welfare.
○ Providing the public goods (goods and services) that private markets cannot
provide to the public
○ It does this in a number of ways.
○ Regulates society to increase the quality of life
○ The government uses income transfers from tax prayers to people it regards as
deserving
○ To secure blessings of Liberty Democratic governments must protect individual
liberty by treating all people equally under all law
Democracy
● Governing system in which the people govern themselves from the greek term meaning
“rule of many”
Individual Dignity
● Liberties are not granted by governments, they belong to every person born into the
world.
Equality of opportunity
● The obligation of government to ensure that all Americans have an equal opportunity to
develop their full potential
Participation in Decision Making
● Individual participation in decisions that affect an individual's lives
Majority rule
● One person, one vote, each person’s vote must be equal to every other person's,
regardless of status, money, and fame.
Totalitarian
