The two questions central to your understanding of government and its role in your life are: "How should we be governed?" and "What should government do?" The first question reminds us that democratic government is a choice from among a range of government types. Americans are fond of calling their government democratic. Democratic government requires, above all else, a commitment to majority rule and minority rights. Government in America helps you compare American government with the standards of democracy, as well as other countries' governments.

The second question regarding the nature of government considers the scope of government action. Still one of the most hotly contested issues surrounding governing, conservatives want to sharply limit government activities while liberals argue that America's government is comparatively smaller and costs less than the governments in most other industrialized democracies. Government in America will explore the ways in which the structure and history of this country's government affect its ability to perform, even today.

After reading this chapter, students should be able to:

• Distinguish among the fundamental concepts of government, politics, and public policy.
• Understand how government, politics, and public policy are interrelated.
• Ascertain how people can influence the government's policy agenda.
• Describe the basic concept of the political system.
• Determine the essential principles of traditional democratic theory.
• Examine the three contemporary theories of American democracy: pluralism, elite and class theory, and hyperpluralism.
• Discuss and analyze the challenges to democracy presented in the text.
• Address the issue of the scope of government and explain how the scope of government is relevant to an understanding of democracy.
• Describe how liberals and conservatives differ in their positions concerning the appropriate role and scope of government.
• Understand the importance of individualism in limiting the scope of American government.
• Begin to assess the two questions that are central to governing and that serve as themes for this textbook: How should we be governed? and What should government do?