Unit Warm-Up

Government is a topic that is always changing. New candidates and new issues, changing leaders and changing events all lead to changes in government and in public expectations of government. As expectations change, government policies change, and we are all affected by such policies.

Since America is a democratic society, all adult citizens can affect government, and anyone living in the United States (and many outside of the country) are affected by it. Public policies, those decisions made by government for the whole society, affect everyone.

Before we begin the study of how policies are made and how we in a democratic society, affect those policies, let’s take a moment to consider how public policies affect us.

On the Think and Clicks that follow, look at the events of an ordinary day. Think about any impact the government may have had on that activity, then click on each Think and Click to reveal the answer.

Woke up warm and cozy in bed at home.

Was your bed American made? If so, the factories must meet federal labor laws. And if your home is in a community, it had to meet local building codes in its construction, and may have required a contractor licensed by the state to build it. Your heating/cooling materials and costs are impacted by environment laws and taxes passed by state and federal governments.

Brushed teeth and showered

Was your water delivered by city government, meeting federal and state standards, or from a local water company, (established by state law) drawing from a well that meets federal purity standards?

If you’re a female, you have styled your hair and applied hairspray.

There are numerous federal standards for household appliances like hair dryers and curling irons and propellants for hairspray are federally regulated as well.

Got dressed

Check the labels. Was all of your clothing American made? Probably not. If it was, the company had to comply with numerous state and federal labor laws. If it was foreign made, then it entered this country under one of many trade agreements made by the federal government, which may have included some negotiated environmental or labor agreements as well. If your clothing is cotton, agricultural restrictions and subsidies affected its production and costs, as did other restrictions if the material is man made.

Ate cereal for breakfast

Check the labels, required by Federal law, which list basic nutrients and contents. There are numerous regulations concerning the productions of foods.

Walked the dog

Was the dog on a leash due to city leash laws? Did you recover and dispose of waste as required by most cities? Is your dog licensed (most state and local laws require it)?

In this example, you have barely left the house and we have alluded to many city, state and federal regulations. When one considers the numerous economic activities of this nation and the variety of activities of our residents, then perhaps one can imagine the expanding nature of "public policy" in our government.

Who makes public policy? What are the influences on public policy? These are the questions of politics and government. One author stated the questions this way: "Who governs? And to what ends?" Politics can be defined as “the study of who gets what, when and how or how policy decisions get made."

These questions will be the focus of our course. In this module, we will explore some common theories of who governs, and then we will discuss our own documents of government to see how the framers of our government designed a government that answered those questions.