POLI 2051 : Test 1
Document Summary
8/28/2014 5:52:00 pm: what is government and why do we have it, government - a formally established way of making and carrying out political decisions, politics - the competition to shape government"s impact on society"s problems and goals. Why do we allow ourselves into this arrangement: because government can do things for us. Without government, we would have to exist in what some have called the state of nature. What would life be like without government: social contract theory can guide us here to some extent. What does government do: protecting life, protecting rights and liberties, providing public goods (roads, education, etc. , promoting equality. Don"t want government control over social issues: conservatives: Don"t want government control over economic issues: populists: Want government control over social and economic issues: libertarians: Don"t want government control over social or economic issues: exceptions: This chart is not always true: for example: gun control.
