POL 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Limited Government, Individualism, Economic Liberalism
Document Summary
Political culture: the broad patterns of ideas, beliefs, and values about citizens and governments held by the citizens of a country: values: central ideas, principals or standards that most people agree are important. Freedom, income, etc: we often take our political culture for granted or aren"t aware of it. Most americans believe we should focus on fair rules and process rather than guaranteeing results, and on individuals being responsible for their own success. Procedural guarantees: government assurance that the rules will work smoothly and treat everyone fairly, with no promise of particular outcomes. Other democracies concentrate on substantive guarantees: assuring outcomes are fair: european socialism: 50% of taxes but government will provide health care. Individualism: belief that what is good for society is based on what is good for individuals: individuals, not government, are responsible for their own well-being. Democracy: representative democracy is a fair way to make decisions: everyone"s vote counts the same.
