Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Conservative to Liberal: The First Dimension of American Politics
The most enduring political debate in the United States revolves around the size and scope of the federal government and its activities to manage the economy and provide public assistance to individuals who cannot or have not done well in the marketplace. This is the conflict between liberals and conservatives, and it is probably the principle political conflict in all large political societies. On this dimension, liberals advocate greater government control of the economy, more public ownership of industry, high levels of social welfare benefits (especially to the unemployed, elderly, infirm, etc.), and higher taxes (i.e. a greater public share of private wealth). Conservatives, in contrast, advocate less government control of the economy, a smaller government role in business, private property rights, small social welfare benefits, and lower taxes. You can see this conflict in the debate over issues like health care, taxes, welfare, and the stimulus plan.
Often, when people talk about liberals and conservatives in American politics, they talk about issues that are outside of this size and scope of government dimension, like abortion, gay rights, and the death penalty. These issues are important, but they are not (yet) a really enduring part of the liberal-conservative conflict. Political scientists sometimes call these kind of issues "second dimension" issues. These types of issues--which don't focus on the role of government in the economy and the relationship between private property and public welfare--come and go as society evolves and our moral and cultural concerns evolve. In the past, second dimension issues have included slavery, prohibition, suffrage, and desegregation. Though these issues are disparate, they tend to revolve around governments role in structuring social society, as opposed to our economic society.
Sometimes, first dimension liberals are on the side of government intervention in private morality (as in the case of antidiscrimination laws) and sometimes it is first dimension conservatives who support state control of morality (as in the case of abortion or drugs). Because of this inconsistency, political scientists are often hesistant to group moral or social issues into the same category as economic issues since there is no hard and fast rule about which side is "liberal" and which is "conservative" when it comes to government control of individual morality.
Often, when people talk about liberals and conservatives in American politics, they talk about issues that are outside of this size and scope of government dimension, like abortion, gay rights, and the death penalty. These issues are important, but they are not (yet) a really enduring part of the liberal-conservative conflict. Political scientists sometimes call these kind of issues "second dimension" issues. These types of issues--which don't focus on the role of government in the economy and the relationship between private property and public welfare--come and go as society evolves and our moral and cultural concerns evolve. In the past, second dimension issues have included slavery, prohibition, suffrage, and desegregation. Though these issues are disparate, they tend to revolve around governments role in structuring social society, as opposed to our economic society.
Sometimes, first dimension liberals are on the side of government intervention in private morality (as in the case of antidiscrimination laws) and sometimes it is first dimension conservatives who support state control of morality (as in the case of abortion or drugs). Because of this inconsistency, political scientists are often hesistant to group moral or social issues into the same category as economic issues since there is no hard and fast rule about which side is "liberal" and which is "conservative" when it comes to government control of individual morality.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Lecture Notes
I will be uploading the slides from lectures here on the class blog from now on. Here are the slides from our first three classes. I will post new slides on a rolling basis.
Lecture 1
Lecture 2
Lecture 3
UPDATE: I have gone through and corrected a typos, etc., in these slides since their presentation in class.
Lecture 1
Lecture 2
Lecture 3
UPDATE: I have gone through and corrected a typos, etc., in these slides since their presentation in class.
Making Social Choices
One of the most basic problems in politics--maybe the basic problem--is how to translate the preferences of a diverse group of people into a single choice for the group as a whole. In other words, the problem is how to aggregate the preferences of each individual person over the set of available choices into a final decision made for the group. This may seem simple at first glance. However, there are many different ways of making social choices and the process can become incredibly complicated very quickly, especially as the number of people, the variety of alternatives considered, and the diversity of opinion in the group increase.
Sometimes, the processes by which decisions are made are quite simple. One very simple mechanism for making social choices is called a "dictatorship." This means that one person makes choices on behalf of the group. Another way to put it is that the social preference order is the same as the individual preference order of the dictator.
Sometimes, the process for making a social choice is quite complicated, as is often the case in the United States. Our national social choices are often made by the federal legislative process which involves--among other things-- electing 435 members of the House of Representatives, 100 Senators, and one president, and an elaborate committee system to translate the preferences of 300 million Americans into single choices over this or that policy.
Whether the process is simple or elaborate, though, the process matters. The rules or institutions that govern the alternatives that groups consider and how preferences over those alternatives are aggregated influence and often determine the outcome of the social choice. In other words, how a social choice gets made often determines which choice is made.
To underscore this point, I am going to ask you to try and read an article by Charles Plott and Michael Levine that was published in 1977 in the Virginia Law Review. The paper (here--you must be using an on-campus network to access) is called "The Flying Club." It is famous because it tells the story of how one author (Levine) conspired with the other (Plott) to lead his airplane club to make a social choice that reflected his personal preferences over which kinds of airplanes to buy. It is important because it explains--in language that is about as clear as any academic paper can be--how parts of making social choices that seem innocent and inconsequential--the order in which alternative are considered, whether alternatives are considered two or three at a time, etc.--can change the outcome of a social choice process.
Sometimes, the processes by which decisions are made are quite simple. One very simple mechanism for making social choices is called a "dictatorship." This means that one person makes choices on behalf of the group. Another way to put it is that the social preference order is the same as the individual preference order of the dictator.
Sometimes, the process for making a social choice is quite complicated, as is often the case in the United States. Our national social choices are often made by the federal legislative process which involves--among other things-- electing 435 members of the House of Representatives, 100 Senators, and one president, and an elaborate committee system to translate the preferences of 300 million Americans into single choices over this or that policy.
Whether the process is simple or elaborate, though, the process matters. The rules or institutions that govern the alternatives that groups consider and how preferences over those alternatives are aggregated influence and often determine the outcome of the social choice. In other words, how a social choice gets made often determines which choice is made.
To underscore this point, I am going to ask you to try and read an article by Charles Plott and Michael Levine that was published in 1977 in the Virginia Law Review. The paper (here--you must be using an on-campus network to access) is called "The Flying Club." It is famous because it tells the story of how one author (Levine) conspired with the other (Plott) to lead his airplane club to make a social choice that reflected his personal preferences over which kinds of airplanes to buy. It is important because it explains--in language that is about as clear as any academic paper can be--how parts of making social choices that seem innocent and inconsequential--the order in which alternative are considered, whether alternatives are considered two or three at a time, etc.--can change the outcome of a social choice process.
Getting to Posts at The New York Times
Some of you are having trouble getting to links at The New York Times' website. That website requires users to register to view some articles. This is free, and should only take you a couple minutes.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Civic Literacy (Not Required)
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute annually publishes a web-based Civic Literacy Quiz, which tests one's knowledge of some basic information about American history, politics, and economics.
This year's quiz is here, and it's worth a few minutes to have a go.
When this test was administered to a random sample of adults, the average score was 49%. College graduates averaged 57%.
This year's quiz is here, and it's worth a few minutes to have a go.
When this test was administered to a random sample of adults, the average score was 49%. College graduates averaged 57%.
Politics
As we will discuss in class, "politics" emerges when people who disagree with one another have to make decisions on behalf of their group. Along these lines, one of the most apt definitions of politics come from David Easton, an American political scientist. He defines politics as "the authoritative allocation of values."
In plain language, Easton identifies politics with groups making binding choices about how to manage their material resources (things of value) and modes of behavior (actions of value or moral values).
So, sometimes a thing is political because a group decides how to dole out its tangible resources. The $700 billion (that's $700,000,000,000 or $7 x 10^11) "troubled asset" bailout that Congress approved last fall is an example of this. Sometimes a thing is political because a group makes decisions about "the good." The current debate over teaching evolution in public schools in Texas is good example of this kind of politics.
Politics of both types are all around us. Anytime a group of people make choices about "values," its political. Husbands and wives creating family budgets, fraternities and sororities deciding on dues, churches deciding whether to perform same-sex marriages and commitment ceremonies, cities making zoning rules, states making criminal laws, and countries setting taxes and making declarations of war are all examples of politics.
In plain language, Easton identifies politics with groups making binding choices about how to manage their material resources (things of value) and modes of behavior (actions of value or moral values).
So, sometimes a thing is political because a group decides how to dole out its tangible resources. The $700 billion (that's $700,000,000,000 or $7 x 10^11) "troubled asset" bailout that Congress approved last fall is an example of this. Sometimes a thing is political because a group makes decisions about "the good." The current debate over teaching evolution in public schools in Texas is good example of this kind of politics.
Politics of both types are all around us. Anytime a group of people make choices about "values," its political. Husbands and wives creating family budgets, fraternities and sororities deciding on dues, churches deciding whether to perform same-sex marriages and commitment ceremonies, cities making zoning rules, states making criminal laws, and countries setting taxes and making declarations of war are all examples of politics.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Syllabus Error: Textbooks
This semester, we will be using the 4th edition of the Logic of American Politics. The syllabus indicates that we will use the 3rd edition, but this is not correct, and I apologize for the error.
The campus bookstore has stocked the correct edition, I believe. So, if you made your purchase there, you should be fine.
The campus bookstore has stocked the correct edition, I believe. So, if you made your purchase there, you should be fine.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
President Obama's Inauguration
As Barack Obama prepared to take office, Iraqis were risking their lives to seek public office, a Russian human rights lawyer was murdered for challenging the release of an Army officer convicted of murdering a woman in Chechnya, and an Australian novelist was being sent to prison in Thailand for criticizing that country's monarch.
Regardless of your political orientation or attitude toward the new president, the peaceful transition of power amidst loyal opposition is a striking feature of the American republic.
Regardless of your political orientation or attitude toward the new president, the peaceful transition of power amidst loyal opposition is a striking feature of the American republic.
Welcome
Welcome to Introduction to American National Government and Politics for Spring 2009.
Sadly, I know that many of you enrolled in the course are not here by choice. Out of roughly 600 students enrolled in the 2 sections of this course I am teaching this spring, less than 10 have declared a major in political science. Most of you are here because the state legislature mandates that universities that receive state funds must require a course of study in political science as part of all bachelors degree programs. As Title 3 of the Texas Code reads, in part:
Still, it is important to remember why this requirement is in place. According the the Census Bureau's most recent data on educational attainment, only about a quarter of the adults in this country hold a college degree. While higher education confers many advantages and benefits to those who pursue it, it also imposes important responsibilities and expectations. Among these, many of you in this course will be called up to assume positions of civic leadership and social responsibility throughout your lives. It is therefore important for you to understand the values that our system of government is designed to protect and promote and to develop an understanding of the mechanics of our political system so that you can competently engage thoughtful citizenship.
These facts have led me to restructure this course in a way to make its content more engaging, interesting, and useful to students from a variety of fields. Specifically, I have updated the course to (1) make materials more accessible, (2) relate ideas and information to current events, and (3) make the course more interactive for students. The most visible part of the new structure is this blog, which I will use as a hub for course readings, information, and announcements.
I will make new blog posts for each class day that will link to external news sources and draw connections between our work in class and real world politics. I will also use the blog to communicate with students and make course announcements. So, please check the blog each day before you come to class for new readings and class information.
Please note, unless I specifically note otherwise, this blog and the items to which it links are required course reading. This means that you may be tested on the information and ideas covered in the blog posts.
In the meantime, good luck with the semester, and please make an effort to contact me if you have any questions about the course, readings, etc. or if you have suggestions about improving the course.
Sadly, I know that many of you enrolled in the course are not here by choice. Out of roughly 600 students enrolled in the 2 sections of this course I am teaching this spring, less than 10 have declared a major in political science. Most of you are here because the state legislature mandates that universities that receive state funds must require a course of study in political science as part of all bachelors degree programs. As Title 3 of the Texas Code reads, in part:
Sec. 51.301. GOVERNMENT OR POLITICAL SCIENCE. (a) Every college and university receiving state support or state aid from public funds shall give a course of instruction in government or political science which includes consideration of the Constitution of the United States... a college or university receiving state support or state aid from public funds may not grant a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic certificate to any person unless the person has credit for such a course.So, I recognize that many of you would rather be off taking another course or doing something else all together.
Still, it is important to remember why this requirement is in place. According the the Census Bureau's most recent data on educational attainment, only about a quarter of the adults in this country hold a college degree. While higher education confers many advantages and benefits to those who pursue it, it also imposes important responsibilities and expectations. Among these, many of you in this course will be called up to assume positions of civic leadership and social responsibility throughout your lives. It is therefore important for you to understand the values that our system of government is designed to protect and promote and to develop an understanding of the mechanics of our political system so that you can competently engage thoughtful citizenship.
These facts have led me to restructure this course in a way to make its content more engaging, interesting, and useful to students from a variety of fields. Specifically, I have updated the course to (1) make materials more accessible, (2) relate ideas and information to current events, and (3) make the course more interactive for students. The most visible part of the new structure is this blog, which I will use as a hub for course readings, information, and announcements.
I will make new blog posts for each class day that will link to external news sources and draw connections between our work in class and real world politics. I will also use the blog to communicate with students and make course announcements. So, please check the blog each day before you come to class for new readings and class information.
Please note, unless I specifically note otherwise, this blog and the items to which it links are required course reading. This means that you may be tested on the information and ideas covered in the blog posts.
In the meantime, good luck with the semester, and please make an effort to contact me if you have any questions about the course, readings, etc. or if you have suggestions about improving the course.
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