Constitution, the U.S. Government, and Public Administration
The Constitution as the document that defines the structure of the state, as well as the political choices made by the government, should be recognized as a crucial tool in shaping the framework thereof. For instance, when defining the policies that can be used to encourage the further development of the stated, the U.S. government must take the provisions of the Constitution into account and ensure that every single population group can enjoy the rights and freedoms to which it is entitled by the Constitution.
Similarly, the Constitution determines the structure of the public administration and the decisions that are taken on every level within the specified system. The Consecution solidifies the principles that govern relationships between the state authorities and its citizens, compelling the former to represent the interests of the latter appropriately (Shafritz, Russell, & Borick, 2015). For example, the principles of public administration must meet the needs of ethnic minorities in accordance with the ideas of democracy.
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Federal System of Government
The principles of federalism, by which the United States are governed, provide a plethora of opportunities for improving social standards, promoting the principles of social justice, and keeping the quality of citizens’ life high. Among the advantages of the system, one must mention the fact that it reduces the levels of bureaucracy (Lowi, Ginsberg, Shepsle, & Ansolabehere, 2014). The specified phenomenon can be explained by the fact that the federal system offers more power to local authorities than other frameworks do. As a result, the number of bureaucratic issues is reduced greatly. In addition, the specified approach promotes involvement among citizens, building their political and social identity, and encouraging them to participate in the management of state issues.
However, the Federalist approach toward governing a state also has its problems. For example, the fact that it contributes to a gap between wealthy citizens and poor ones must be acknowledged as a doubtless disadvantage (Lowi et al., 2015). The local distribution of resources does not allow redistributing wealth in a way that could encourage a change in the status quo. Instead, the wealth gap becomes even greater due to the lack of opportunities for the poor. Finally, the process of introducing national policies to a particular area becomes complicated with the adoption of the Federalist system.
How Nonprofit Sector Supplements the Government’s Role in Providing Social Services
Although being independent of state authorities, nonprofit organizations contribute significantly to the enhancement of social service quality. The efforts made by nonprofit organizations lead to an increase in the levels of public safety and health. Furthermore, nonprofit organizations (NOs) raise the standards for healthcare and the provision of the relevant services, therefore, allowing for a steep rise in the quality of people’s lives. NOs also tend to focus on the needs of the groups that have been disadvantaged in a certain way. For instance, people from ethnic backgrounds that fail to integrate into American society successfully and, therefore, have to search for assistance, can be viewed as the target demographic for NOs. Facing the problems associated with social and cultural adjustment, language issues, etc., the specified group requires the support of NOs and similar entities (Anheier, 2014). Therefore, by offering help to the identified members of American society, NOs reinforce the principles of democracy on which the U.S. Constitution is based. In other words, NOs help promotes constitutional principles and values, thus, assisting the American government significantly in one of its major objectives. Thus, the role of NOs in the context of American society must not be underrated.
References
Anheier, H. K. (2014). Nonprofit organizations: Theory, management, policy (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Lowi, T. J., Ginsberg, B., Shepsle, K. A., & Ansolabehere, S. (2014). American government: Power and purpose: Brief 13th edition (13th ed.). New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
Shafritz, J. M., Russell, E. W., & Borick, C. P. (2015). Introducing public administration (8th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.