2 Why Government?

1
2Why Government?
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Why Government?

• People generally complain about government
• So why do we have it?
• Because anarchy (i.e. Mad Max) is even worse

3
Freedom v. Order

• We want the freedom to do our own thing
• But we cant provide everything for ourselves
• We need to coordinate actions with others to
  achieve collective goals
• We need a certain degree of order to solve the
  problem of collective action

4
Collective Action

• Collective action is defined in your text as
• Coordinated group action designed to achieve a
  common goal that individuals acting on their own
  could not otherwise obtain
• What types of things can we do through government
  that we cant do on our own?
• Do people do these things spontaneously out of
  the goodness of our heart?

5
Collective Action and Security

• The primary role of Collective Action is to
  provide Security
• What is security?
• The ability to protect something of value

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The Problem

• The problem is that there is a mismatch between
  the rewards for the individual and the
  collectivity
• If we rely on the individual, we will not achieve
  our collective result
• This is one type of a Free Rider Problem
• Need to move the decision from the individual to
  the collectivity

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The Solution

• 1. Governmental action with enforcement
• 2. Exhortation, social/moral pressure
• Which is likely to work better?

8
Structural Problem

• Relying on exhortation is only likely to work in
  a small collectivity with a small cost
  differential
• Typically these are structural problems which
  require structural solutions

9
Morality

• But we cant ignore morality completely
• Capitalism only works as long as the values
  taught by capitalism dont catch on (Fred
  Hirsch, British Banker Socialist)
• What did Hirsch mean?
• We may be individually self-interested but we
  cant ignore the demands of the community of
  which we are a part

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Examples

• If people know the potential result and would
  rather forego the benefit, is no longer a
  collective action problem
• What other CAP examples can you think of?
• Road system, unionization, dumping of wastes,
  building levees, religious tolerance taxation,
  boycotts, conservation problems, worker
  protections, public TV, population growth
• How are these collective action problems?

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Why Government?

• We need government, on behalf of the people, to
  force people to act collectively
• Necessary to overcome our individualistic nature
  and culture
• Government provides the rules by which citizens
  must play
• Policy reflects the interests of those who
  participate

12
Anarchy

• Anarchy refers to an absence of any kind of
  overarching authority or hierarchy
• This can lead to chaos and violence but need not
  necessarily do so
• Many anarchists (i.e. Thoreau/Rousseau) believe
  that humans are capable of peacefully
  intermingling without formalized governmental
  structures
• In a hierarchical situation, the freedom and the
  power of the individual is constrained

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Anarchy and Power

• Generally, anarchy is depicted (i.e. Mad Max) as
  something horrific that never persists for long
• In an anarchical environment, power is the
  ultimate resource
• Anarchy can be thought of as the source of
  government
• The collective pursuit of security provides an
  escape from the threat of anarchy

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An Impetus for Government

• Many (i.e. Hobbes) believe that rational
  individuals would prefer even an unpleasant
  government than none at all
• Others (i.e. Locke) believe rational individuals
  should only surrender those rights that are
  absolutely necessary for government to protect
  peoples natural rights
• Still others (i.e. Rousseau) believe it is
  society and its hierarchy that leads to
  individual self-interest, inequality and a lack
  of compassion
• Rather, we should reject social inequality by
  placing the common good or the general will above
  our own personal interests and then we can be
  forced to be free
• Which model do you endorse?

15
Context of Hierarchy

• When societies form governments, they form
  institutionalized hierarchies
• In a hierarchical situation, the coercive power
  of the authority structure can protect the weak
  from the strong
• Different contexts employ different hierarchies
  sometimes youre the pigeon, other times youre
  the statue.

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Alliances

• Individuals or groups combine resources and
  abilities in alliances that benefit the
  individual members of the alliance
• The basics of alliance formation can illuminate
  how governmental structures emerge.
• The alliance that is ultimately successful will
  form a group
• Government results from the groups need to
  institutionalize its power  

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Group Identities

• The degree to which members identify with a group
  and identify who is not part of that group can
  affect the groups strength, cohesiveness, and
  survival
• Group membership can often be amorphous
• However, you can absolutely define who is not in
  your group by instigating a conflict with them
  (the other or enemy)
• The degree to which people consider themselves
  part of a group increases when that group is
  engaged in conflict with another group
• Can lead to the Rally Round the Flag effect

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Leadership Interests

• Groups usually form for a specific purpose, but
  they also tend to continue even after they have
  accomplished the purpose
• Leaders of such groups have made tremendous
  investments building the group and derive
  benefits from the group
• They subsequently have an interest in the
  continued existence of the group
• Much of what groups or governments do is
  determined by the interest of the leaders
• To understand politics, simply ask who benefits?