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Government, Politics, and the Policymaking Process
The Importance of GovernmentPolitics and government have enormous
influence on us.◦Government affects us through Regulations TaxesServices
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The Importance of Government
Philosophical questions concerning◦Role of government◦Kinds of services government should provide ◦What limits should be placed on it
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Government and Politics
Government ◦Institution with the authority to set policy for
society ◦Actions inherently political
Politics ◦The way in which decisions for a society are
made and considered binding most of the time by most of the people
Government and politics are intertwined.
Bill Fritsch/Brand X/Corbis
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The Policymaking Process
Public Policy: what government officials choose to do or not to do about public problems.
Government policies can take the form of laws, executive orders, administrative regulations, court decisions, or, in some cases, no action at all.
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The Policymaking ProcessThe policymaking process has several stages:Agenda Setting: the process through which problems become matters of public concern and government action.Policy Formulation: involves 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.
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The Policymaking ProcessPolicy Legitimation: actions taken by
government officials to ensure citizens regard a policy as legal and appropriate.
Policy Implementation: the stage of the policy process in which policies are carried out.
Policy Evaluation: Is the policy working well?Policy Change: the modification of policy goals
and means in light of new information or shifting political environments.
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A Changing America
The American People
310 million
Population Diversity
An Aging America
Income Distribution
Rising Gap
Poverty threshold: • 2009 poverty
threshold was $22,050 for a family of 4
• 14.3% of Americans live in poverty
