what are governments for?. what are governments? 19 th century: night watchman states › provide...
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WHAT ARE GOVERNMENTS FOR?
What are governments? 19th Century: night watchman states
› Provide law and order, defense, protect property
20th Century: Police state and welfare states› Welfare state: from Bismarck to US
However, Western Europe focuses on health equality, US focuses on equality of opportunity and education
Welfare states have grown into regulatory states because governments have become large and inefficient
Reformation and Enlightenment Church being
questioned-as was divine right
Martin Luther-focused on individual rights and right to worship God directly
Locke vs Hobbes Thomas Hobbes believed
the state’s only job is to stop disorder, protect against war; actually encouraged democratic thought while defending royal absolutism
John Locke believed the state’s job is to protect property, commerce and economic growth
Locke vs. HobbesIssue Locke: Second Treatise on
GovernmentHobbes: Leviathan
Human nature and natural law
Man is by nature a social animal and they have an ability to know right and wrong and what is theirs and someone else’s
Man is not by nature a social animal, society only exists through the state and property only exists through the state
The State of Nature
Men were honest, and while insecure it was peaceful, good and pleasant
No society, man lives in continual fear of death; life is solitary, poor, short
The Social Contract
We give up our right to ourselves exact retribution for crimes in return for impartial justice
If you shut up and do as your told, you have right not to be killed
Violation of Social Contract
If a ruler seeks absolute power, he is in a state of war with citizens and they have a right to kill the ruler
No right to rebel; ruler’s define good and evil
Role of the State
The only role of the state is to ensure that justice is being done
Whatever the state does is just by definition
Adapted from www.jim.com/hobbes.htm
Jean Jacques Rousseau
The Social Contract Freedom of
Thought and Action
All citizens could and should join in the making of laws agreed on by the basis of the general will
Other functions of governments
1. Community and nation building teaching common
language, heritage, values, symbols, myths, identity
2. Security and order Internal and external
security
Other functions
3. Protecting property and other rights Without protections of
property, people won’t work to create sustained economic growth
4. Promoting economic efficeincy and growth to prevent economic failure Provide public goods (national
defense, clean air, parks) Externalities---natural monopolies
Other functions 5. Social justice
Create level playing field through redistribution
6. Protect the weak Children Aged Disabled Animals Environment
Critics of governments
Anarchists Communitarians
Believe governments destroy communities
Libertarians Individualists
Governments violate basic rights of people
Other criticisms of government Creates economic inefficiency---
government has too much involvement in the economy
Government is good for private gain---common in poor societies where politics is the path to wealth
Government protects vested interests---the larger the government, harder to change
Alternatives
Markets Libertarians argue
that less government is more government
Voluntary Coordination Anarchists would
like to see the office holders closer to the people and more opportunities for people to participate in decision making