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PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION 1. What are the basic democratic values that underlie our society? How have they changed in recent years? How have these changes affected public attitudes toward democratic government and public administration?2. What is the importance of "citizen participation" as a basic component of democratic administration? Identify and discuss various forms of citizen participation that have been employed over the past three decades to increase access and representation.3. Could strong citizen pressure on government lead to cutbacks in bureaucratic discretion? Why or why not? What effects would such a cutback have on the government's performance.1. What are the basic democratic values that underlie our society? How have they changed in recent years? How have these changes affected public attitudes toward democratic government and public administration?The basic democratic values in our society can be a very long list. And the list would be different depending on the segment of society who was assembling the list. However, if the writer concentrates on the concept of “basic” values the list can be narrowed by reviewing the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and other basic documents and writings. The ideals that are important to us as a people could be considered our basic democratic values. They are: Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness, the Common Good, Popular Sovereignty, Equality, Justice, Truth, Diversity, and Patriotism. These basic values have not changed in recent years, but through the years and decades, the emphasis on particular values overshadows the others. For instance, during the years of the Civil Rights’ struggles in the 1960’s, equality and diversity might have been considered to be more important or basic in values than the others. In recent years, patriotism has taken a much greater place among the basic democratic values, undoubtedly because of the 9/11 attacks and the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Diversity also has been more and more important in today’s society. But, these recent changes in our core democratic values have made the public’s attitude towards democratic government and public administration come under intense scrutiny, especially because of such developments as the Patriot Act. In a rush to patriotism, and protecting our nation, some think that the government has gone too far. Yet, all of the people must somehow honor the protection of our country knowing, the results when the security of the country is compromised. 2. What is the importance of "citizen participation" as a basic component of democratic administration? Identify and discuss various forms of citizen participation that have been employed over the past three decades to increase access and representation. Citizen participation is important as a basic component of democratic administration because the “citizens”—the people—make up the building blocks of a democratic society. Citizens are the ones who elect those who individually and collectively make up the government. The people that are ultimately elected control the legislation and ultimately all branches of government by appointees. Citizens in presidential elections are indirectly, but still ultimately electing the person who heads the entire executive branch of government and who may, during his or her administration, appoint federal judiciary. Without citizen participation, a few would decide for the multitudes and it would not truly be a democracy. Over the past three decades, many groups have been employed to increase access and participation. Each group with an individual agenda has some effect on the government, however small, and whether negative or positive. Lobbyists for interest groups have always had, and recently with greater emphasis, have had a huge effect on government. Lobbyists work for interest groups to influence legislators on which way to vote on issues. The tobacco lobby formerly was very strong and effectively fended off most legislation which would have served to harm the tobacco industry. As the citizens became more informed about the dangers of tobacco and made their voices heard, there have been huge changes in the laws and the regulation of smoking, selling tobacco products, and also the public’s perception of the tobacco industry as a whole. 3. Could strong citizen pressure on government lead to cutbacks in bureaucratic discretion? Why or why not? What effects would such a cutback have on the government's performance.Strong citizen pressure on government could easily lead to cutbacks in bureaucratic discretion. While we speak of “government” as an entity, it is actually made up of individuals, many of whom are elected or depend on other elected officials. Pressure from citizens and citizen groups, if influential enough, has a huge impact on how these individuals see their role. If these elected officials see their position as dependent upon the views of these various groups, their effectiveness or strength as a member of government would clearly be cut back. The government, especially the legislature, could be somewhat controlled by these small, but highly effective groups that exert undue influence on the government, but do not necessarily represent the constituency. The people who are not actively and vociferously involved in the day-to-day operation of government would actually be in danger of losing their voice. This could make the government’s performance becoming dependent on which group of people or interest group has the “loudest” voice or the most publicity. The real needs of the people could become a thing of the past. Small groups with particular interests have only their own agenda in mind. The other people across the country may have their needs ignored. For instance, if a group of conservationists with certain beliefs have too strong of an influence on the government, the rights of farmers and hunters might easily be ignored if theirs is the view the government adopts. If a small group of individuals exert enough influence, the workings of the government, in the best interest of ALL the people could be negatively affected. ................
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