9:11 Class Notes PDF

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Prof. Agatstein at Northeastern American Government notes and reflection papers ...

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9/11/2018 1 American Government! POLS 1150 ! CRN 12888! !

Introduction to American Government: Module 1: Conceptual Foundations of American Government and Democracy ! • Politics- ! • Not just what happens in the state capital/Washington DC! • The way in which a polity orders and governs itself ! • Polity=any group or society that has an order; a community! • Power- the ability of A to get B to do what A wants and B would not do otherwise (can be persuasive, coercive)! • Authority- the legitimate right to exercise power! • Different types ex- Divine Right of Kings, authority by consent of the people! • Democracy- the idea that the people govern and the people are sovereign! • Participatory democracy- people choose to take part! • Direct democracy- Let the people govern directly (no formal institutions) ! • Representative democracy (aka Republicanism)- the public has the ultimate authority; votes on/selects people to represent us on our behalf in Congress or legislature; people who act as the voice of their constituents ! What does American Democracy look like?! • • Takes different forms; ultimately it is a representative democracy !

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Lenses to view Political Power: !

• Class ! • Economic view of power! • Marxist thinking (the bourgeoise)- the struggle between haves and have nots ! ! • Marxist does not always mean socialist • Where do we see this view today?- Discussions surrounding taxation, debates over access to healthcare! • Power Elites! • Similar to class, but distinct-> not specifically an economic view of power ! • Cadre politics- the idea that there are a handful of people that make key decisions in a society! • Political dynasties, lobbyists, Koch Brothers, Captains of Industry/Robber Barrons, church groups, super delegates ! Bureaucratic View! • • What is a bureaucracy?- civil employees and the rules/regulations they develop! • Comes from Max Weber- noticed parties with internal structures were much more successful in politics! • Max Weber saw 2 important points of bureaucracy: ! • 1. Professionalization !

9/11/2018 2 • People in bureaucracy should not be aligned with a political party; a more fair way to hire people-> prevented people from losing their jobs when a new party was elected in ! • 2. Procedure and Rules! • There should be clear instructions that come from the top and information that goes up from the bottom-> leads to greater efficiency ! • Pluralist View! • Wholistic view of power in a society-> we have a diffusion of power; not just in the hands of power elite; a number of competing interests ! • Governmental, non-governmental forces! • Levels of government not always in sync with one another; battles b/w local and state governments ! • Where do we see diffusion/pluralism in action?- new and different groups getting involved; people are organizing/trading information now more than ever! • Social movements- groups with a common goal-> first=civil rights movement; one of the best ways to look at power in America today ! • Creedal Passion (Often looked at as outdated) ! • Someone has to be in power for change to come/policy to be enacted ! • Shows values and norms within a society! • Leaders go against their parties to do what they believe is right within society ! • Sees politics as cyclical! • Pushback- creedal passion is too elitist of a view, sometimes its successes cannot be seen until much later ! • Examples= LBJ signing civil rights docs, Roosevelt taking on monopolies and trusts in US, Lincoln and slavery!

Who Governs?! • Central question in all politics, US and global ! • Scholars have many different answers- different answers in homework readings for this week! • Different methodological approaches-> some use statistical models, some use more case study approaches! • Dahl- Power lies where people think it lies!

! The Political Agenda ! • What is an agenda?- what is going to be discussed at a certain time, a certain meeting, etc. ! • Agenda shifts overtime depending on the party ! • Takes into account values and contexts of a society (what is most important to us today) ! • Accounts for customs and traditions ! • Sets terms of the debate!...