INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL/ TEST BANK FOR
WASSERMAN
BASICS OF AMERICAN POLITICS FOURTEENTH EDITION
PREPARED BY: THOMAS C. SUTTON BALDWIN‐WALLACE COLLEGE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1
What Is Politics? ..............................................................................1
Chapter 2
The Constitution: Rules of the Game.............................................17
Chapter 3
The Executive Branch: The President and Bureaucracy................37
Chapter 4
The Legislative Branch: Congress .................................................57
Chapter 5
The Judicial Branch: The Supreme Court and the Federal Court System.....................................................................79
Chapter 6
Civil Rights and Liberties: Protecting the Players.........................99
Chapter 7
Voters and Political Parties..........................................................119
Chapter 8
Interest Groups and the Media.....................................................139
Chapter 9
Who Wins, Who Loses: Pluralism versus Elitism .......................159
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CHAPTER ONE What Is Politics? CHAPTER OVERVIEW The first chapter introduces students to the concept of politics and then applies it to governmental decision making. The Wasserman text uses Harold Lasswell’s definition of politics—“the process of who gets what, when, and how”—as the basis for examining how valued goods are distributed disproportionately, with a relatively small number of people reaping most of the benefits in comparison to what the mass public receives. In other words, it is implied that policy decisions are never neutral. The concepts of power (the ability to influence another’s behavior), elites (those who get more of the values society has available than others), legitimacy (the acceptance of something as right), and authority (a legitimate, efficient form of power) are discussed. The author also addresses how American politics rests on bargaining, compromise, and conciliation rather than violence to maintain order and adapt to change. As important, he explains the meaning of a representative democracy and how citizens choose those who make decisions for them. The responsibilities of government are investigated with a particular emphasis placed on the need for government to control conflict (disputes over distributions of a society’s valued goods), to make rules determining who gets the valued goods of society, and to regulate the use of “legitimate force.” A condition of anarchy, or a society without government, is shown to be unrealistic. Using Microsoft as an example for studying different approaches to power-authority interaction, Wasserman distinguishes political science from the other social sciences, such as economics or history. Political scientists would look at how Bill Gates and his executives make decisions, the impact of the government’s antitrust suit against Microsoft, how the computer giant maintains its business preeminence, and how and why its leaders maintain power and authority. The short case study supports Lasswell’s claim that politics “is the study of influence and the influential.” The author illustrates the life-and-death consequences of the political “game” with the example of the Federal Aviation Administration’s failure to regulate a door problem on the DC-10. Political considerations resulted in McDonnell Douglas (manufacturer of the DC-10) delaying the modifications for cargo doors. The result was a cargo door blowing off on a Turkish-owned DC-10, in 1974, resulting in the deaths of 346 people on board. Wasserman concludes the introductory chapter by explaining the organization of the book and the reasons why everyone should care about the game of politics. Although politics is essentially a “spectator” sport, the major players owe their positions to voters.
1 Copyright © 2011, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading Chapter 1, the student should be able to do the following: 1.
Define “politics” and explain its importance in American society, analyze Lasswell’s definition, and discuss the political significance of the “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” boxed insert from the perspective of “equality.”
2.
Explain the significance of power, authority, and political elites, as well as explain why U.S. power is “limited” regarding the ability to stabilize Iraq and ensure the election of a representative government sympathetic to America’s goals in the region.
3.
Summarize the reasons why government is necessary, as well as its two key functions. Explain how and why the United States government protects the private distribution of most of society’s valued goods and simultaneously sets limits on that private distribution. Explain how government “alone” regulates the use of legitimate force.
4.
Understand how democratic politics differs from rival approaches and what is meant by representative democracy. Explain how politics in a democracy behaves like a marketplace.
5.
Distinguish what political scientists study from what experts in other disciplines such as history, economics, or psychology study. Summarize how political scientists would study Microsoft.
6.
Appreciate the serious and complex nature of the “political game” and understand how and why politics affects the individual’s life in so many ways.
7.
Review how politics was a “life and death” affair in the case of the Federal Aviation Administration, McDonnell Douglas, and the DC-10 cargo door catastrophe.
OUTLINE I.
Introduction “The First Day of Class” provides an illustration of how people get and use influence, which is representative of Lasswell’s classic definition of politics as “the process of who gets what, when, how.”
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Politics and Power Power is the ability to influence another’s behavior. A distinction is made between the capacity for power (e.g., a large military) and the ability to apply it (e.g., the American problem ensuring a representative form of government in Iraq). Power is generally a means to other ends; for example, a method to acquire values, such as wealth. 2 Copyright © 2011, 2008, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.