Lecture 2: What is Government? What is Politics?

GOVT2306: Texas Government

Instructor: Tom Hanna, Summer 2026

2026-07-07

Agenda and Announcements

Agenda

  • Today:

      - What is government? What is politics? Where does federalism fit?
  - Discussion: Experiences with Texas government
  - Questions

  • Next class (Monday):

      - Texas Background: History, Geography, People, and Culture
  - State vs. Federal: dividing the responsibilities

  • Tuesday:

      - US vs Texas Constitution
  - Texas culture activity/discussion

Assignments Upcoming

  • Journals and Connect Suggested July 13:

      - Chapter 1 - Intro to Texas History and Politics
  - The American Federal System and the Texas State Constitution

  • Journals and Connect Suggested July 14:

      - Chapter 9: Voting and Political Participation in Texas
  - Chapter 3: The Texas Legislature

  • Journals Due Monday July 20

  • Quiz 1 Monday July 20

  • Study Guide Module 1

      - Due July 17

introduction to Government

Introduction to Government: Short discussion

Before stepping on the campus today, what was the last time that politics made a direct difference in your life?

  • not just a feeling

What is government / politics?

  • Expensive or involves large amounts of money
  • Distant
  • Involves politicians or campaigns
  • involves voting or decision making
  • Involves rights
  • National borders
  • Controversial

What is politics: State and local (mostly)

Houston Public Works

What is politics: Federal, state and local

Metro rail

What is politics: Federal, state and local

HCC Central Campus

What is politics?

  • Not distant
  • immediate,right here
  • touches everything
  • direct impacts are constant
  • involves all of us
  • It can be expensive, but it’s not always about money

Politics is powerful

  • Immense power to achieve good ends

Politics is powerful

  • Immense power to achieve good ends
  • Immense power to do incredible harm

Politics is powerful

  • Immense power to achieve good ends
  • Immense power to do incredible harm

Politics is powerful

Why does politics have such power to cause harm?

Introduction to Government

To really understand government and politics we first need to know what those things are.

What is government?

What is government?

  • Government is what it does
  • Government is something else more fundamental

What does government do?

Collective action: organizing individuals to achieve a common goal

Is government the only group that engages in collective action?

Is government the only group that engages in collective action?

Is government the only group that engages in collective action?

  • Family
  • Churches
  • Charities
  • Businesses!
  • Community organizations

What makes government different?

What makes government different from other organizations?

What makes government different?

Severe Penalties

What makes government different?

  • police force
  • prison system
  • military
  • enforcement backed by violent, armed force

Formal definition of government

Government is the organization that has the exclusive right to use organized coercive force in a given territory that is commonly perceived as legitimate.

Formal definition of government

  • organized
  • coercive
  • violent
  • legitimate

What is politics?

Politics is the process of making collective decisions in the context of government. Making collective decisions about why, how, and when to use coercive force.

Why limit government?

Why limit government?

Because government is violent force!

How do we limit government in the US system?

  • By defining its powers

How do we limit government in the US system?

  • By defining its powers
  • By setting limits to its powers

How do we limit government in the US system?

  • By defining its powers
  • By setting limits to its powers
  • By guaranteeing rights to individuals …

How do we limit government in the US system?

  • By defining its powers
  • By setting limits to its powers
  • By guaranteeing rights to individuals …

But how do those paper guarantees stand up to the reality of violent force?

How do we limit government in the US system?

By dividing the power among competing groups with different agendas

Dividing power

  • Separation of powers
  • Checks and balances

Federal level

Separation of Powers

Federal level

Checks and Balances

State level

We do the same thing at the state level, but with different names

  • President - Executive (more than the Governor)
  • Congress - Legislature
  • Courts - Courts

What is perhaps the biggest separation of powers in the US system?

What is perhaps the biggest separation of powers in the US system?

  • Federal vs 50 states
  • Under the US Constitution, the federal government is limited to only those powers that are explicitly granted to it.
  • All other powers are reserved to the states or the people.

Supremacy

  • The US Constitution is the supreme law of the land
  • The federal government is supreme in areas given to it by the US Constitution
  • Under the state constitutions, the states are supreme in anything not prohibited by US Constitution

Supremacy

  • Under the state constitutions, the states are supreme in anything not prohibited by US Constitution
  • Note: this does not say, “prohibited by Congress” or “prohibited by the President” or even “prohibited by the Supreme Court

State vs Federal Powers

State vs Federal Powers

State vs Federal Powers

One of the least talked about and most important state powers for preventing federal tyranny is the power to…

State vs Federal Powers

One of the least talked about and most important state powers for preventing federal tyranny is the power to…

Conduct elections

Authorship and License

Creative Commons License