AP US Government AMSCO Guided Notes
4.14: Political Ideologies and Public Policy
AP US Government Guided Notes
AMSCO 4.14 - Political Ideologies and Public Policy
Essential Questions
- How have ideologies of the two major parties shaped policy debate?
- How does U.S. political culture influence the formation, goals, and implementation of public policy over time?
- What are the differing political ideologies on the government's role in regulating the marketplace, and what impact do those ideologies have?
- How do different political ideologies influence the role of government in addressing social issues?
I. Ideologies of Political Parties
1. What are the core ideological positions of the Republican and Democratic parties on government's role?
A. Political Ideologies
1. What is an ideology and how do valence issues differ from wedge issues?
2. What is saliency and how does it affect which issues matter most to different groups?
B. The Liberal-Conservative Spectrum
1. How have the meanings of liberal and conservative changed from the early United States through the 1930s?
2. Why is it difficult to apply the liberal-conservative labels to modern political parties and voters?
C. Off the Line
1. What are the key characteristics of libertarian, populist, and progressive ideologies?
2. What do polling trends show about the distribution of Americans identifying as conservative, liberal, or moderate?
D. Party Platforms
1. What is a party platform and how do the 2024 Democratic and Republican platforms differ on key issues?
2. How do geographic voting patterns reflect the ideological differences between the two major parties?
II. Ideology and Policy Making
1. How do Americans' values, attitudes, and beliefs influence the formation and implementation of public policy?
A. Influences on Public Policy
1. What is majoritarian policy making and how does it reflect democratic principles?
2. How do interest groups influence policy making and what approach to democracy does this represent?
B. Balancing Liberty and Order
1. What two underlying principles guide policy debates and why is finding balance between them important?
C. Formation of Policy
1. What is a cost-benefit analysis and how does it guide policy development?
2. What are the main steps in the policy formation sequence from issue recognition to adoption?
D. Implementation and Administration
1. What challenges do new policies face after implementation and how can citizens overturn them?
III. Ideology and Economic Policy
1. Why is the economy such a critical factor in presidential elections and voter behavior?
A. Political Ideologies and the Marketplace
1. What is the fundamental difference between liberal and conservative views on government involvement in the economy?
2. How did the 2009 Recovery Act and 2008 Economic Stimulus Act reflect different ideological approaches to economic crisis?
B. Keynesian Economics
1. What is Keynesian economics and how does it explain the relationship between spending, demand, and employment?
2. What is the multiplier effect and how did FDR use it to justify New Deal public works programs?
C. Supply-Side Theory
1. What is supply-side economics and how does it differ from Keynesian theory?
2. How do supply-siders argue that lower taxes benefit both individuals and government revenues?
D. Fiscal Policy
1. What is fiscal policy and what role does the Sixteenth Amendment play in enabling it?
1. Taxing
1. What is a progressive tax and how have the highest tax brackets changed since World War II?
2. How do liberals and conservatives differ on using tax policy to encourage or discourage certain behaviors?
2. Spending
1. Why do both Republicans and Democrats tend to spend more than federal revenues, and what prevents budget balance?
2. How do spending priorities on science, arts, and welfare reflect ideological differences between the parties?
E. Monetary Policy
1. What is monetary policy and how does the supply and demand of currency affect the value of the dollar?
1. The Federal Reserve System
1. What is the Federal Reserve System and what are its main responsibilities in managing monetary policy?
2. How do changes in the discount rate and reserve requirement affect commercial banking and the economy?
3. Why is the Federal Reserve designed as an independent agency and how does this protect it from political pressure?
2. Differing Views on Monetary Policy
1. How do conservatives and liberals differ in their views on monetary policy as an economic stabilizer?
F. Political Ideologies on Trade
1. What is globalization and how do trade agreements like NAFTA reflect ideological differences?
2. Why do business conservatives and labor unions have opposing views on free trade agreements?
IV. Ideology and Social Policy
1. How do liberal and conservative ideologies differ on the government's role in providing social welfare?
A. Social Issues and Ideology
1. What does the Preamble to the Constitution say about government's role in promoting general welfare?
B. A Social Safety Net
1. What are entitlements and why do they contribute to both annual deficits and overall national debt?
1. Social Security
1. What is Social Security and why was it created during the Great Depression?
2. What demographic and financial challenges does Social Security face and why is it called the 'third rail' of politics?
2. Medicare and Medicaid
1. What are Medicare and Medicaid and how do they differ in eligibility and coverage?
2. How did President Johnson's Great Society programs expand government's role in addressing poverty?
3. Conservative Opposition
1. What is Reaganomics and how did it represent a conservative approach to reducing social spending?
C. Health Care
1. What is the Affordable Care Act and why did it become a divisive partisan issue?
2. How do conservatives and liberals differ on whether private companies or government should provide health care?
D. Labor
1. How do conservatives and liberals differ in their views on labor unions and collective bargaining?
2. What major labor laws were passed during the New Deal and how did the Taft-Hartley Act change labor protections?
3. How did President Reagan's response to the 1981 air traffic controllers' strike affect the labor movement?
E. Ideological Differences on Government and Privacy
1. How do liberal and conservative views differ on government regulation of private, personal matters?
1. Privacy and Intimacy
1. What did Griswold v. Connecticut establish and how has this precedent affected abortion and same-sex marriage cases?
2. How do conservatives and liberals differ on whether states or the federal government should regulate intimate personal decisions?
2. Informational Privacy
1. How do conservatives and liberals balance individual privacy rights with national security concerns?
3. Education and Religion
1. How do conservatives and liberals differ on school choice, vouchers, and the role of religion in education?
2. What do cases like Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Rights Commission reveal about conflicts between religious freedom and nondiscrimination law?
Key Terms
conservative
ideology
liberal
libertarian
moderate
populist
progressive
saliency
valence issues
wedge issues
agenda
majoritarian
bonds
discount rate
Federal Reserve Board
fiscal policy
flat rate
inflation
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
monetary policy
multiplier effect
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (1994)
progressive tax
reserve requirement
Sixteenth Amendment (1913)
supply side economics
trade balance
entitlements
mandatory spending
Medicaid
Medicare
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010)
Social Security Act (1935)
social welfare