Lecture 2: What is government? What is politics?
GOVT 2306: US and Texas Constitution and Politics
2026-08-26
Today
- What is government? What is politics?
- Top Hat: experiences with government
- Canvas, Inquizitives, and Top Hat overview
- Questions
Why This Matters
Why This Matters
By the end of today you will be able to explain why government is different from every other organization in the way it gets things done.
The Core Question
What makes government different from every other group of people who try to get things done?
Before You Walked Onto Campus
Before stepping on the campus today, what was the last time that politics made a difference in your life?
A Word on Words
Government
- The specific group of people in charge right now
- The enduring institution or organization we call government
State
- International: State = independent country
- United States: State = one of the 50 states (including Texas)
- Political Science: State = government
Politics
The process of making collective decisions in the context of the state or government
What Do Most People Think Politics Is?
What Do Most People Think Politics Is?
- 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
Houston Public Works
What Is Politics: Federal, State and Local
Metro rail
What Is Politics: Federal, State and Local
UH / PGH Hall
What Politics Actually Is
- Not distant
- Immediate, right here
- Touches everything
- Direct impacts are constant
- Involves all of us
- It can be expensive, but it is not always about money
Politics Is Powerful
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?
Politics Is Powerful
George Washington
Politics Is Powerful
Frederick Douglass
Power
Power
Collective Action
What Does Government Do?
These are all examples of collective action — organized action by a group of people to achieve a common goal.
What Makes Government Different?
What makes government or The State different from other organizations? Is collective action unique to government?
Other Organizations
Other Organizations - Group 1
- Family
- Church
- Community organizations (voluntary)
- Charities
- Businesses — The Market
Other Organizations — Group 2
- Organized crime
- Vigilantes
- Terrorists
Key Questions
For Group 1 organizations: How can they enforce their rules?
For Group 2 organizations: Who are they responsible to, and how do we view their use of force?
The State / Government
What Is Government?
The organized coercive use of physical (violent) force that is commonly accepted as legitimate
Organized
Organized
Coercive
Coercive
Physical Force
Physical Force
Legitimate
Legitimate
Putting it together
Government = organized + coercive + physical force + legitimacy
What Is Politics?
Politics is the process of making collective decisions in the context of…
What Is Politics?
Politics is the process of making collective decisions in the context of the State or government.
The Difference
These organizations all engage in collective action, but lack one thing the state has:
- Family
- Church
- Community organizations (voluntary)
- Charities
- Businesses — The Market
Coercive use of physical force treated as legitimate
Two Spheres
Voluntary Sphere
Family, church, market, charities…
Coercive Sphere
The State / government
Politics Is About
Making collective decisions in the Coercive Sphere
Canvas, Inquizitives, and Top Hat
Systems overview (live walkthrough)
- Canvas Modules (especially Module 0)
- Textbook / Inquizitives access
- Top Hat: always enter through the Canvas course link
This is a placeholder slide — open the live systems and walk through.
Next Lecture & Reminders
Next class (August 31 / September 1): Basic Ethics
Come ready to answer your own versions of these questions. We will start with them. Legal answers are not what we are after.
- What are ethically appropriate uses of physical force (violence)?
- How do you (or how should you) make ethical decisions?
- If you must decide something that affects others’ lives or property, how do you tell right from wrong when the law is silent?
Upcoming due dates
- Module 0 due September 9, 2026 (ORD) — book + Top Hat registration included; avoid drop
- Keep Inquizitives moving; do not wait until Module deadlines
Authorship and License
Do not submit to Quizlet, Chegg, Coursehero, or similar commercial sites.
- Author: Tom Hanna
- Website: tomhanna.me
- License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
UH GOVT 2306, Fall 2026 | Tom Hanna