*Intro to AP Gov

*Why?

*What is the purpose of government?*Make your own definition of government*What do you picture when you hear

“government”*What is politics?

*Government

*Gov’t: The institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society.*Made up of bureaucratic agencies*500,000 elected officials in US

*2 Essential questions:*How should we govern?*What should the government do?

*Functions of Government

*Maintain a national defense.*$650 billion a year spent here

*Provide public services*Schools, libraries, hospitals.*Public goods: Goods everyone must share

such as water, air, or roads.*Preserve Order*Socialize the Young: instilling national

values and pride*Collect Taxes

*Politics

*“Who gets what, when and how” – Harold D. Laswell*Who – candidates, voters, and parties.*What – the substance of government and

politics*The benefits

*How – The ways people participate in politics*Voting, lobbying, protesting, etc.

*Acting out

*Political Participation: all activities by which voters attempt to influence who is elected and the policies they pursue.*Voting is the most common from in a

democracy.*USA has some of the lowest participation

in the world.*Low turnout has an effect on who holds

power*Elderly vote more frequently, and receive

more benefits.*Young people…not so much

*Politics can be a vocation from some Americans*Not just politicians*Lobbyist and non-elected officials

that support the elected.*Some treat politics as critical to

their interests.*Single-Issue Groups: groups

intensely concerned with one issue, that issue may take their vote.*Abortion, Gay Rights, Gun Control,

Environmental issues.

*How do we get involved?

*Get involved in the policymaking system*People interest’s create an issue for the

government, who then drafts policies to meet these.

*Linkage institution: political channels through which a persons concerns become political issues.*Parties, elections, interest groups and the

media

*Policy Agenda: Issues that attract serious attention of public officials*When you vote, you partially look at who

shares your agenda*Political issue: an issue that arises when

people disagree about a problem and how to solve it*Policy agendas change frequently to match

the concerns of the nation.*Unemployment, War, Privacy