Section 2                            

The Economic, Social and Ideological Context of Politics

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Readings: Chapter 2

The economy and government are intimately intertwined in the United States.  While almost everyone agrees that government's role in the economy should be limited, voters still hold elected officials responsible for the state of the economy.  In this chapter the authors explore the ties between government and the "private" sector of the economy. Zen.

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Your Name

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2.1 Under what conditions do markets "fail?"  How have the effects of these failures been minimized?

2.2 Alpha City has a diverse population.  30% are white and Catholic.  25% are black and Protestant.  20% are white and Protestant.  15% are hispanic and Catholic.  10% are white and Jewish,  The city's economy has a declining industrial sector and a rising service sector.  Poverty is disproportionately found among racial minority members.  Would you expect high or low intensity politics in the fictitious Alpha City?  Why?

2.3  Which four areas of consensus (basic agreement) are necessary for the play of power to proceed?

2.4  Which of the following pairs of values are inherently in conflict with each other?  

(conflict)    self-reliance and competition

(conflict)    materialism and individual rights

(conflict)    individualism and equality

(conflict)    equality of opportunity and equality of result

(conflict)    free market and limited government

(conflict)    majority rule and individual rights

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Questions or Comments? send e-mail to Dr. Werner at drblw@aol.com

Thought exercise: Think about this, but you don't need to write it out.   Imagine sitting down to dinner tonight with your family and mentioning that before you could understand the operation of the federal government you need to understand the American economy and government's relation to the economy. You would probably want to explain yourself before they hit you over the head with the Constitution and demand you change your instructor, major and/or school. Zen.