Education and manipulation of public opinion

The central role of media — (report) statements and actions - in (influence) public opinion casts a particular light on our earlier (find) that public opinion has substantial proximate effects on policy (make). It means that public opinion cannot (take) as an entirely autonomous force (determine) what governments do. Instead, public opinion may in part simply (serve) as a transmission belt for groups and institutions and interests that (influence) the public.

If this is so, the populistic democratic ideal, that governments should (do) what their citizens (want), (not realize) necessarily in any meaningful sense by a congruence between policies and the public's expressed desires. In particular, if the public systematically (manipulate), or (deceive) or (mislead), one should (draw) little normative satisfaction from the translation of its mistaken wishes into a policy.

As we see it, the crucial question (concern) what quality of information (to convey) to the citizenry. To the extent that the public (receive) correct and helpful information — information that helps it (arrive) at the policy choices it would make when fully (inform) -policy preferences can (consider) 'authentic', well (adapt) to achieve people's basic values and goals. Individuals or institutions that (influence) public opinion by (provide) correct, helpful political information can (say) to educate the public.

On the other hand, to the extent that the public (give) false or inconect or biased information, or (deprive) of important relevant information, people may (make) mistaken evaluations of policy alternatives and may (express) support for policies harmful to their own or society's interests, or in conflict with values they (cherish).

Ex. 10. Use 'to rise', 'to give rise', 'to raise', 'to arise' and their derivatives

1. The number of problems to address is constantly ... .

2. The tension between the individual and society not only ... major practical difficulties, but also highlights the center issue in the political theory.

3. There is evidence of what has been called 'antipolitics', that is the ... of political movements and organisations the only common feature of which appears to be antipathy towards conventional centers of power.

1 Parties may be declining because the social identities and traditional loyalties that gave ... to them in the first place have started to fade.

\ As legal-rational form of authority is attached to an office rather

than a person, it is far less likely to be abused or to to

injustice.

<>. Not only does this ... serious difficulties related to the incorporation of former communist states, but also ... questions about how far the EU can be 'deepened' at the same time as it is 'widened'.

⁷ The ... of new social movements such as the women's movement, peace movement and environmental movement, is also part of the same phenomenon — 'crisis of party polities'.

N. Initiation of policy can ... 'from below', through pressure from public opinion.

Those who formulate policy may view 'the problem' very differently from those who ... the issue in the first place.

10. As new forms of unrest and instability ... to the surface the early promise of international harmony and cooperation quickly proved to be illusory.

11. This approach suggests that decisions ... from an arena of contest.

12. The free-market view holds that ... social budgets lead to a growing tax burden which hampers the process of wealth generation.

13. An unexpectedly sharp ... in the March price index put officials on heightened inflation alert.

14 Prices for finished goods have ... two months in a row after

falling for eight straight months. 1 \ The ... cost of funds will eventually persuade consumers and

companies to stop borrowing so much to buy homes, cars,

capital equipment and the like. Id. From ... prices for drinks to higher mortgage is but a short

journey.

l\. 11. The 'wig-forms': explain the functional usage in each sentence. Translate them into Russian

V

1 The making of decisions is clearly central to the policy process. ¹ Initiation of the policy process sets the political agenda by both

defining certain problems as issues and by determining how

those issues are to be addressed.

3. The difficulty of studying policy initiation is the difficulty of determining its origin.

4. Formulation stage entails the filtering out of proposals and even the fundamental recasting of the issue under consideration.

5. The analysis and review of the policy options, leading to the selection of a preferred one, are made at the formulation stage.

6. To achieve 'perfect' implementation, in the sense of ensuring that policy is delivered exactly as intended, the following conditions are required.

7. In view of the difficulty of achieving any of these conditions, let alone all of them, it is not surprising that the gap between decisions and delivery is often a gulf.

8. Local government officers may have their own 'street level' understanding of what will work and what won't.

9. Civil servants and public-sector professionals may reinterpret aspects of public policy that seem to be threatening their career or professional interests.

10. As well as addressing substantive issues, evaluation may shed light on procedural issues.

11. For the policy process to work effectively on translating 'inputs' into appropriate 'outputs' it must be open to scrutiny and criticism.

12. All too frequently, a culture of secrecy provides scope for arbitrary and self-s^rying behaviour.

13. The final decision may be a little more than a mere formality, decisive argument and debate having happened at a much earlier stage.

B. Look though the text again and find similar examples of 'ing-forms'.

Ex. 12. Translate into Russian sentences with the elliptical constructions

1. This is not the place to enter into the complex and hotly contested argument about to what extend, if at all, authoritarian¹ rule has been responsible for Asian economic development. ,

2. Few, if any, aspects of the trade union movement have received as much attention as the strike. For of all trade union actions the strike is the most spectacular.

3. When a hearing is finished, the committee decides what report;, iLany, it will make to Parliament on the measure. \

4. Today few illiberal democracies have matured into libera^ democracies; if anything, they are moving toward heightened illiberal ism.

v If anything, it would be to the advantage of this country to pursue an independent policy.

o Only a steady adherence to the principles of the Charter, if anything, can maintain peace,

/. Whatever the merits or feasibility of the idea ('international community' intervention in cases of 'failed states'), the fiasco of the U.S. attempt at political intervention in Somalia quickly made it clear that the political will for that kind of policy was lacking.

x Constitutional liberalism refers to the tradition, deep in Western history, that seeks to protect an individual's autonomy and dignity against coercion, whatever the source — state, church, or society.

'). Whatever the particular ideological basis, every 'developed country' believed in the acceptability of higher civilization ruling lower ones.

ID. In the case of monopolistic parties, the propagation of 'official ideology' is consciously acknowledged to be central, if not its supreme, function.

11 Even in presidential systems the chief executive can wield some influence, if not controlled, through an appeal to party unity.

Text 2: System performance PRE-READING activity:

♦ Learn the topical vocabulary and word combination VOCABULARY:

1 to perpetuate v — увековечивать; perpetuity n — вечность, phr - in perpetuity - навсегда; perpetual a - вечный, посто­янный, пожизненный.

' to heighten v — повышать, усиливать; phr - to heighten prestige — повысить престиж; height n — высота, вершина, кысшая степень, phr— the height of a career - пик карьеры.

* to accommodate v — размещать, предоставлять жилье, вме­тать; оказать услугу; accommodation n — жилье; ссуда (кре­дит); приспособление; соглашение; удобство; accommodating а - покладистый, сговорчивый, уживчивый.

4. to prosper v — преуспевать, процветать; prosperity n — про­цветание; prosperous a — процветающий, зажиточный.

5. to contribute v — содействовать, способствовать; phr - to contribute some money — сделать взнос, to contribute information — сообщить новые сведения; phr — to contribute to a magazine — писать для журнала; contribution n — взнос, вклад, phr - to make a contribution to sth. — внести вклад; contributor n - сотрудник (журнала), вкладчик; contributory a — содействующий, способствующий.

6. to apportion v — распределять, делить соразмерно; apportionment n — пропорциональное распределение.

7. to invest v — инвестировать, вкладывать деньга, phr — to invest people with rights - обеспечить людей правами; investment n - инвестирование, капиталовложение, phr - a wise investment — разумное инвестирование/использование денег; investor n — вкладчик, инвестор.

to lie at the heart of politics to keep at bay

from this perspective to fall into categories in this respect insofar as

to underpin sth

recession

universal suffrage

since long

to take up an issue

WORDS AND WORD COMBINATIONS

быть сутью политики

не подпускать, держать на

расстоянии

с этой точки зрения

делиться на категории

в этом отношении

(постольку) поскольку;

в той мере, в какой

поддерживать что-либо

экономический спад

всеобщее избирательное право

с давних времен

затронуть, поднять вопрос

SKIM reading: Work in pairs: look though the text and bring out topical sentences conveying the main ideas of the text.