intro to ap gov
DESCRIPTION
Intro to AP Gov. What is the purpose of government? Make your own definition of government What do you picture when you hear “government” What is politics?. Why?. Gov’t: The institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society. Made up of bureaucratic agencies - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
*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