Chapter 4 Section 4 Notes

I.               Federalism and Public Policy

A.     policy is a stated course of action.

B.     Announcing a policy means that a person or organization has decided upon a conscious, deliberate way of handling similar issues.

C.     The course of action a government takes in response to some issue or problem is called public policy.

D.    Federalism affects how and where new policies are made in the United States. It also introduces limits on government policy-making.

E.     Federalism permits states and localities to serve as providing grounds where new policies can be developed and tested.

F.     Sometimes the national government will impose new policies on states in which local pressure groups have resisted change.

II.             Federalism and Political Parties

A.     Rival political parties are a key element of democratic government.

B.     Each political party has a chance to win some elections somewhere in the system, helping lessen the risk of one political party gaining a monopoly on political powers.

III.           Political Participation

A.     Federalism increases people’s opportunities for political participation. It also increases the possibilities that a person’s participation will have some practical effect.

B.     Many Opportunities

a.     Federalism provides for several levels of government and for a great number of state and local government officials.

b.     American federalism give citizens many points of access to government and opportunities for influencing public policy.

c.      Citizens may work with interest groups to influence national policies and state and local government agencies.

C.     Increasing Chances of Success

a.     A related effect of federalism is to increase the chances that one’s political participation will have some practical impact.

b.     Most people are more likely to become involved in political activities if they think their efforts will contribute to something.

D.    Federalism’s Professional Politicians

a.     The increase of federal programs also changed the political relationship of state and federal government officials.

IV.            Differences Among the States

A.     Federalism contributes to real economic and political differences among the states because it permits each state considerable freedom in arranging its own internal affairs.

B.     Because states can create different economic and political environments, Americans have more choices in the conditions under which they want to live.