PS 200/Fall 2013

Sessions 1 & 2INTRODUCTION

Tannahill, (Intro. &) Chap. 1.
Joel Mathis and Ben Boychuck, Is the American Political System Beyond
Repair?, Korea Times, July 29, 2011.
STUDY QUESTIONS:
1) How does government affect our lives in the U.S.?
-through regulation, taxes, and services
2) What is public policy, and what are the major stages of the policymaking process?
-public policy what government officials choose to do or not do about
public problems
-agenda setting, policy formulation, policy adoption, policy legitimation,
policy implementation, policy evaluation and policy change
3) How has the U.S. changed in terms of demographics over recent decades? What
have been the political ramifications?
-more older people
-more foreign people
4) How is poverty defined in the U.S.?
-by the poverty threshold the amount of money an individual or family
needs to purchase basic necessities
5) What makes a countrys political system democratic?
-the ultimate political authority is vested in the people
6) What makes a countrys economic system capitalist?
-individual and corporate ownership of the means of production; supply
and demand
7) Is the American political system broken beyond repair? Would we be better off
with a parliamentary system?
-it depends
KEY TERMS, CONCEPTS, PEOPLE:
Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) law designed to end discrimination against
people with disabilities
GDP, GDP per capita, GNI gross domestic product; the value of goods and services
produced by a nations economy in a year
Government the institution with authority to set policy for society
Politics the process that determines who shall occupy the roles of leadership in
government and how the power of government shall be exercised
Policymaking context factors that determine problems that government addresses
Agenda setting the process through which problems become matters of public concern
and government action
Policy formulation the development of strategies for dealing with the problems on the
official policy agenda
Policy adoption official decision of a government body to accept a particular policy and
put it into effect

Policy legitimation the actions taken to ensure that most citizens regard a policy as a
legal and appropriate government response to a problem
Policy implementation the stage in which policies are carried out
Policy evaluation the assessment of policy
Policy change the modification of policy goals and means in light of new information or
shifting political environments
Baby boomers the exceptionally large number of Americans born during the late
1940s, 1950s and early 1960s
Sunbelt vs. Frostbelt sun the southern and western region; frost the northeast and
mid-western region
Political culture widely held, deeply rooted political values of a society
Capitalism (vs. socialism) capitalism privately owned; socialism government
owned
Mixed economy - an economic system that combines private ownership with extensive
intervention
Public sector the government-owned segment of the economy
Private sector the privately-owned segment of the economy
Separation of powers (presidential system) vs. parliamentary democracy
parliamentary head of state- queen; head of government prime minister
Manhattan Institute
United States Timeline

1776
1781
1786
1787
1788
1791
1794
1861-1864
late 1800s
1890s-1916
1933-1945
1960s
1973
1979-1980
1981-1988
1993-2000
2001-2008
2009-

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Revolution begins
Articles of Confederation
Shays Rebellion
U.S. Constitution adopted
U.S. Constitution ratified
Bill of Rights ratified
Whiskey Rebellion
Civil War
Industrialization, massive immigration
Progressive Era
FDR (Great Depression, New Deal)
Civil Rights, social movements
1st oil shock
2nd oil shock, Iranian Revolution
Ronald Reagan
Bill Clinton
George W. Bush
Barack Obama