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1: Introduction

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    176674

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    • 1.1: Welcome to the Study of California Politics
      This page outlines an introduction to California politics by focusing on key components including political values, ideologies, and systems. It discusses the importance of politics in deciding what actions to take and who makes those decisions, emphasizing three dimensions: values, constitutional engineering, and policy.
    • 1.2: Political Values
      This section discusses three key political values: liberty, equality, and order, and explores how they influence societal choices.
    • 1.3: From Political Values to Political Ideologies and Parties
      This section discusses developing a personal political ideology by evaluating one's stance on issues of liberty, equality, and governmental roles in society. Our political viewponts are often categorized into liberal, conservative, libertarian, and socialist ideologies, with moderates seeking a balance among them. It also explains party affiliation in the U.S.
    • 1.4: Debating Who Governs
      This section explores the debate on who should decide public policies, contrasting representative and direct democracy and reflecting on historical and modern perspectives. It highlights the debate about the balance between direct and representative democracy.
    • 1.5: Organizing the Study of California Politics
      This section explores systems theory in political science as a method to organize the study of political phenomena, characterized by inputs, exchange mechanisms, and outputs. It applies this theory to California politics, discussing the role of political culture, linkage institutions, and policymaking institutions.
    • 1.6: Works Cited
      This section is composed of the works cited for this chapter.


    This page titled 1: Introduction is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Steven Reti.

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