Scribd
Upload
4 views27 pages

Governance and Representation

The document discusses the principles of governance and representation, outlining the purposes of government, types of government, and the importance of citizen representation in political decision-making. It highlights the challenges of achieving effective governance and representation, including the complexities of majority rule and the delegation of authority in a representative democracy. Additionally, it emphasizes the role of data analysis in understanding American government and the evaluation of political arguments.

Uploaded by

John Stewart 3
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
4 views27 pages

Governance and Representation

The document discusses the principles of governance and representation, outlining the purposes of government, types of government, and the importance of citizen representation in political decision-making. It highlights the challenges of achieving effective governance and representation, including the complexities of majority rule and the delegation of authority in a representative democracy. Additionally, it emphasizes the role of data analysis in understanding American government and the evaluation of political arguments.

Uploaded by

John Stewart 3
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 27

Chapter 01

Introduction: Governance and


Representation

Copyright © 2023 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.


Learning Objectives

• Identify the main purposes of government and the major


types of government, including constitutional democracy.
• Define politics and explain how representation enables
citizens to influence political decisions.
• Describe three reasons why achieving effective governance
and meaningful representation can be difficult, even when
people agree on these principles.
• Describe how careful, systematic analysis of data can help
make sense of American government.
Swearing In
Introduction

Governance is the process of governing, which involves making


official decisions about a nation’s affairs and having the authority to
put them into effect.
• A government refers to the institutions through which a land
and its people are ruled.
Governance requires citizen representation—an arrangement in
which citizens select individuals to express their views when
decisions are made.
Why Is Government Necessary?

Government makes it possible for people to live together by


accomplishing three key goals:
• Maintaining order
• Protecting property
• Providing public goods
Public Goods

A public good is a good that, first, may be enjoyed by anyone if it is


provided and, second, may not be denied to anyone once it has been
provided. Also called a collective good.

Enjoying a public good without contributing to its cost is called free


riding.
National Defense
Discussion: Government in a Farming Society

Imagine that everyone of us in this room is a farmer in our own self-


contained society.
• We are all equal in every respect.
• One of us proposes to build an irrigation system to support our
crops.

How do we make decisions? How will those decisions be enforced?


Forms of Government: Who Rules?

Autocracy: a form of government in which a single individual rules.


Oligarchy: a form of government in which a small group of people
(landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants) controls most
of the governing decisions.
Democracy: a system of rule that permits citizens to play a
significant part in government, usually through the selection of key
public officials.
Forms of Government: Recognition of Limits

Constitutional: specific limits are placed on the powers of


government.
Authoritarian: no legal limits are placed on government, although
power may be checked by other social institutions.
Totalitarian: no legal limits are placed on government’s power and
the government seeks to eliminate other social institutions that
might challenge it.
A Brief History of Democratic Government

The U.S. government is a representative democracy bound by a


constitution that places limits on what the government can do
and how it can do it.
Prior to the seventeenth century, governments took little account of
the opinions of ordinary people.
The shift toward representative government, which was driven
heavily by the middle class in some western European countries,
involved increasing the independence of parliaments relative to
monarchs and and guaranteeing individual freedoms.
Politics: The Bridge between Government and Representation

Politics: conflict and cooperation over the leadership, structure,


and policies of government—or more simply, conflict over who
governs and who has power.
Politics takes many forms—voting, running for office, joining
groups and parties, lobbying, and even speaking to friends and
neighbors.
Institutions represent a set of formal rules and procedures, often
administered by a bureaucracy, that shapes politics and governance.
Representation

Representation can take many forms:


• Descriptive representation hinges on the idea that citizens
can trust representatives to make decisions on their behalf if
those making the decisions share their religious, gender,
philosophical, or ethnic identities.
• Agency representation holds that constituents can hire and
fire representatives based on their performance, thereby
ensuring accountability.
Delegation of Power
Challenges to Combining Representation and Governance

Combining governance with representation produces a number of


complications that, taken together, can lead to the impression that
the government is “broken.”
Delegating Authority in a Representative Democracy

Delegating authority
• In a principal–agent relationship of delegated authority, an
agent (such as an elected official) is expected to act on behalf
of a principal (such as a constituent), but principals may not
always get what they want.
• This relationship may be affected by the fact that each party
is motivated by self-interest, yet their interests may not be
well aligned.
The Tension between Representation and Governance

Tensions exist between


representation and governance.
• Many voices can slow the
process down, and some are
better represented.
Sometimes no course of action
is consistent with majority rule.
The Enigma of Majority Rule

Can be harmful to minority rights


It may also be difficult to reach a majority consensus
• As in Condorcet’s Paradox

FIRST SECOND THIRD


PREFERENCE PREFERENCE PREFERENCE
Voter 1 Defense Health Care Environment
Voter 2 Health care Environment Defense
Voter 3 Environment Defense Health care
Using Data to Make Sense of American Government

Political scientists makes sense of the complexity of politics


• Observation: what is going on?
• Explanation: why?

Data: factual information collected and used as the basis for


reasoning, analysis and inference.
Step 1: Identify the Purpose of the Graph or Chart

What is the goal?


One variable or more than one?
• Variables are sets of possible values
Descriptive Graphs and Charts
Title shows just one variable
• This is a descriptive graph

Identify
• Variable
• Point of the graph
Graphs and Charts That Show a Relationship
Two variables
• This shows a relationship
Age Group Strengthening the Improving Education
Military
18-29 14% 57%

30-49 34% 59%

50-64 49% 50%

65+ 51% 43%


Step 2: Evaluate the Argument
Consider the point of the argument in light of the evidence
presented.
• Are there concerns with how the evidence is given?
Is the Range of the Y-Axis Appropriate?
Is the Graph a Good Match for the Data?
Does the Relationship Show Cause and Effect, Or Just a Correlation?
Consider the Source
• What is the source of the data?
• Is it clear what is being
measured?
• Do the variables capture the
concepts we care about?
• Are survey questions worded
appropriately?
• Are the data based on a
carefully selected sample?

You might also like