Types of Types of GovernmentGovernment Autocracy:Autocracy: power to govern is

concentrated in the hands of one individual.

Oligarchy:Oligarchy: power is concentrated in the hands of a few people.

Democracy:Democracy: in theory, the people rule, either directly or indirectly.

Types of Types of DemocracyDemocracy-Direct Democracy or -Direct Democracy or Participatory Democracy Participatory Democracy

as described by Aristotle in Greece (4th century BC) or the New England Town

Meetings in colonial US (17th century)

-Indirect Democracy or -Indirect Democracy or Representative DemocracyRepresentative Democracy

Models of Representative Models of Representative DemocracyDemocracy 1) The majoritarian model of democracymajoritarian model of democracy is the classical

theory of democracy in which government by the people is interpreted as government by the majority of the peoplemajority of the people. Assumes that people are knowledgeable and want to

participate in government (go to the polls and vote). 2) The pluralist model of democracypluralist model of democracy is an interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean government by people operating through competingthrough competing interest groupsinterest groups. Emerged during the 1950’s.3) The political elite model, political elite model, where a small group of people actually makes most of the important government decisions and not the many groups as pluralists believe (anti-democratic theory).

Majoritarian Model of Majoritarian Model of DemocracyDemocracy

Government by the majoritymajority of the people… Elections, Recall, Referendum, Initiative are the tools

used by the people Recall = the process of removing an elected official

from office by a special election (Gov. Gray Davis-CA 2003) Referendum = citizens vote on a policy issue (vote a

law into effect) Initiative = voters can propose (initiate) an issue to be

decided by the legislature or by referendum; requires a petition to be submitted for it’s support

*State and local governments only use recall, referendum and State and local governments only use recall, referendum and initiative. Not at national level!!!initiative. Not at national level!!!

Majoritarian Model of Majoritarian Model of DemocracyDemocracy

Critics argue that this model does not correspond to American political reality US citizens are not well informed US voter turn out is low

Refer to National Voter Turnout in Federal Elections 1960-2008 hand out

Pluralist Model of Pluralist Model of DemocracyDemocracy The pluralist model of democracy was developed

to explain how a democracy could still continue to function, given the realities of limitedlimited mass political interest or participation. •Based on the idea of pluralism, which assumes that people in modern society often form groupings along economic, religious, ethnic, or cultural lines. Policy is then created by an identifiable interest group that press their claims on multiple centers of governmental power (Congress, State Legislatures, Government Bureaucracies, i.e., EPA, FDA, FEMA, etc.)

Pluralist ModelPluralist Model - shifts democracy from mass electorate to organizedorganized groups competing for their own interestsgroups competing for their own interests

- for this to work the government structure needs to be decentralized so the groups can be heard

- in the USA with 3 branches of government it can in the USA with 3 branches of government it can work; it is easy to approach the different brancheswork; it is easy to approach the different branches whether it be through a lobby effort or through a court case (NAACP in the 1950’s on the issue of civil rights)

Hyperpluralist Hyperpluralist TheoryTheory-recent view of pluralism model (1980’s)

-an explosion of groups resulting in almost nothing getting done and the government ends up moving at a very slow pace

-Hyperpluralism is "pluralism gone sour." The existence of too many influential groups actually makes it impossible for government to act. When politicians try to placate every group, the result is confusing, contradictory, and muddled policy (or no policy at all).

- media, think tanks, interest groups all pulling the government in different directions and gridlockgridlock occurs

- on a positive note:on a positive note: that means that no single group dominates the attention of government

Political Elite TheoryPolitical Elite Theory aa small group of peoplesmall group of people, oror a political elitea political elite, actually

makes most of the important government decisions (like an oligarchy)(like an oligarchy) and not the many groups as pluralists believe

Believe decisions are made in the interest of the financial, communications, industrial, and government institutions rather than in the interest of the populace as a whole

Elitists believe that there is an identifiable and Elitists believe that there is an identifiable and stable minority group with the powerstable minority group with the power

Groups could be the wealthy, business leaders or government bureaucrats who make up the small group and influence policy

It maintains that democracy is a sham since power is in the hands of a small number of individuals

Political Elite TheoristsPolitical Elite Theorists

MarxistMarxist View - the govt is merely a reflection of

underlying economic forceseconomic forces - Karl Marx (1848) saw a 2 class society

(bourgeoisie and the proletariat) who compete for power. The wealthy capitalists control all factors of production for their own benefit of profit.

- in the US, Marxists maintain that big business and multi-national corporations dominate the economy and the government for their own best interests and not for the whole of the nation

Max WeberMax Weber and Bureaucracyand Bureaucracy Governmental power is under the control of

large bureaucraciesbureaucracies (appointed officials) whose expertise and competence are essential to the day to day operations of society

Politicians come and go but the bureaucrats remain in the administration year after year

The bureaucrats do not merely implement public policies, they “make” policy in how they translate the laws in the operation of govt.

C. Wright MillsC. Wright Mills a coalition of 3 groups-coalition of 3 groups- top military

officers, corporate leaders, and a handful of elected officials dominate politics and government

the triumviratetriumvirate governs according to Mills and not the majority of people

In USA today, some may add the media moguls and top labor unions officials to the group as well

A comparisoncomparison of the majoritarian and pluralist models of democracy reveals: Majoritarian modelMajoritarian model:

- Conclusive elections

- Centralized structure of government

- Cohesive political parties with well-defined programs

Pluralist modelPluralist model: -Does not demand much knowledge from citizens in general but requires specialized knowledge by groups of citizens -Limits majority action; allows minor viewpoints to be heard and to impact law

What about the What about the design of the US design of the US governmentgovernment?? The framers of the Constitution were

convinced that participatory democracy on the national levelnational level was undesirableundesirable and instead instituted representativerepresentative democracydemocracy, a system of government where citizens elect public officials to govern on their behalf.

The Preamble to The Preamble to the U.S. the U.S. ConstitutionConstitutionIn order to form a more perfect unionEstablish justiceInsure domestic tranquilityProvide for the common defensePromote the general welfareSecure the blessings of liberty

Key Principles of the Key Principles of the U.S. Representative U.S. Representative DemocracyDemocracyRepublican Form of GovernmentLimited GovernmentSeparation of Powers / Checks and

BalancesFederalismIndividual RightsPopular Sovereignty

““In framing a government In framing a government which is to be which is to be administered by men over administered by men over men, the great difficulty men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first lies in this: You must first enable the government to enable the government to control the governed; and control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it in the next place, oblige it to control itself.”to control itself.”

-Madison Madison Federalist No. 51Federalist No. 51

PoliticsPolitics- The conflict and battle over the distribution of wealth, control of public policy, and the making of decisions based on a set of morals.

ConflictConflict is the basis of politics!