What Government Does

BraunwarthPOSC 121

Pre-Course Questions for ConsiderationPlease write out an honest response for each

of the following questions: When I think of U.S. Government, I think of… What do I personally hope to get out of this

course? How do I think the study of U.S. Government

will relate to my day to day life? If I were going to teach a course on U.S.

Government, how would I structure it? What’s the best class I’ve ever had and why?

Introduction to U.S. Government and Politics

Introduction: This is an entry level course that will survey a number of different aspects of Government and Politics in the U.S.

U.S. Government: We will learn about both the structure and function of the U.S and, to a lesser extent, CA governments

We’ll start with an examination of what government does and why

What Government Does We all have routines,

take a few seconds and make a list what you do on a typical day

Take a second look at your list: which of the items is completely under your control and which are influenced, in some way, by government?

Collective Action Problem Why is government involved in these things? Government is simply the mechanism by which

people collectively organize to provide things individuals can not provide for themselves

Could a society function without a government? Whether you like it or not, government is necessary

and affects many aspects of your life Allows us to overcome “Collective Action Problems” Allows/forces us to act in concert, at a cost to ourselves, to provide something we can’t provide on our own

Government or the Free Market What about the free market? Is there such a thing as the free market? What kind of restrictions are there on what

can be traded? How about restrictions on who can participate

in markets? Are we better or worse off with these and

other restrictions?

Government or the Free Market What about restrictions on the ability of those

with more money to finance political campaigns or pay for political advertising?

Who benefits when regulations are removed? Free market boundaries are not objective but

are politically determined Politics is about Power

What Government Does The preamble of our

Constitution essentially lays out what the Framers wanted our government to do

The Preamble

Establish Justice and Ensure Domestic Tranquility Police powers to Provide Order Monopolization of Violence Protect Property Set the rules that allow commerce to

flourish (enforce contracts, punish fraud, etc.)

Why would we want financial markets to be LESS efficient?

Socialize citizens

Provide for the Common Defense The global society

has no government to establish justice

Subsequently all governments have an interest in protecting themselves

Promote the General Welfare Provide “Public Goods” Things that everyone can share Therefore there is no possibility for profit

so if they are to be provided, it must be by government

Creates a Free Rider Problem (enjoy the benefits without paying the costs)

Can you think of any examples? National defense, lighthouse, the

reduction of “negative externalities” such as air and water pollution

Promote the General Welfare Government also provides a number of

services that could be, and often are, provided by the private sector

Like what? Education, libraries, fire protection, medicare,

social security, etc. Why? Isn’t it enough to have equality of

opportunity? Are we going to achieve better outcomes if

we leave success solely up to individual competition?

Right to Die What should we do if a 30 year-old man, who

decided not to buy health insurance, found himself in need of six months of intensive care?

Would it make a difference if he had tried to buy insurance but either couldn’t afford it or was denied because of a pre-existing condition?

Should society, through government, try to mitigate some of the “common hazards of life”?

What about compassion? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/16/opinion/krugman-free-to-die.html?_r=2&hp

Equality and Freedom Positive Freedom: Having the power and

resources to fulfill one’s potential Equality requires government action to

provide equal opportunities or to remove limitations to political or economic action

Examples? Why provide these services? Allows everyone the opportunity to

succeed even in the face of tragedy or bad luck

Equality and Freedom Negative Freedom: absence of restraint Equality can be best achieved by government

getting involved as little as possible, especially in the marketplace

Why would a strong welfare state increase social mobility and make people more open to change?

Secure the Blessings of Liberty What kind of liberties do we

have? Freedom of speech, press,

assembly, etc. From whom do we need to be

protected? Ironically, one key function of

government is to protect us from itself

Politics While we can all agree the

preceding items are necessary We disagree about how much of

each of these we need or whom should provide them (national, state, local)

Politics is the process for determining whose values will prevail

Paradoxically, most people complain about too much government but demand increased government services

Politics Taken to the extreme, some of the functions of

government mentioned above come into conflict with each other.

For instance, we can’t have maximum amounts of both liberty and public services.

We need to contribute taxes to bring about things we can’t achieve on our own

Critics of government argue that the free market will provide what we need more efficiently without government

How and why does the government currently interfere in the free market?