AP Government Majoritarian or Pluralist Democracy?

Number of Citizens Involved in the Process of Governing Autocracy Oligarchy Democracy Demagogue

2 Schools of Thought on What Constitutes a Democracy (1) Procedural Democratic theory 4 Attributes of Procedural Democracy: Universal participation Political equity Majority rule Responsiveness Plurality rule

Direct vs. Indirect Democracy Participatory democracy Representative democracy Is participatory democracy possible in the US today? What guides how representatives vote?

2 Schools of Thought on What Constitutes a Democracy (2) Substantive Democratic theory Civil liberties Civil rights Social rights Examples? Economic rights Minority rights

Majoritarian Model of Democracy government by the majority of the people mass participation in politics is required people are well-informed on political issues and make thoughtful voting decisions citizens to participate directly in decision-making Referendum, initiative, recall

Pluralistic Model of Democracy people group along economic, religious, ethnic or cultural lines People with similar interests form INTEREST GROUPS government by people operating through competing interest groups The plural model favors a decentralized and organizationally complex structure to provides groups open access to public officials who consider their views

Institutional Mechanisms Majoritarian democracy counts individuals through elections referenda initiatives Pluralist democracy relies on numerous points of access partitioned authority decentralization open access

Majoritarian vs. Pluralist Case Study A classic case: the Spotted Owl in the Pacific Northwest loggers v. environmental groups How can a conflict between intense minorities be settled "democratically"

Elite Theory Model of Democracy Important government decisions are made by a small but powerful group of people with great wealth They make decisions in the interest of the financial, communications, industrial, and government institutions Differs from pluralist theory in identifying the ruling minority. Elite theory: a small, distinct, and durable group Pluralist theory: different minorities win on different issues Research does not tend to support elite theory

Which Model of Democracy is Best? Decentralized gov’t fits pluralist democracy minorities rule, but many minorities in conflict They are organized into competing interest groups Does not stress gov’t responsiveness to majority demands but gov’t for the public interest Democracy comes about through the openness of the system to group interests Centralized gov’t fits majoritarian democracy Elected representatives are expected to respond quickly to the wishes of the people No place for partitioned authority -- the gov’t should be structured to provide for immediate expression of public opinion Emphasizes MAJORITY RULE over MINORITY RIGHTS

Difficulties for New Democracies Ethnic and religious conflict Fraud by those in power (to stay in power) Vulnerability to military overthrow Economic instability Economic prosperity = democracy Tend to protect political freedoms if protecting economic freedoms

Which Model of Democracy is US? U.S. citizens do not participate regularly in politics U.S. government sometimes does not do what the majority wants Its decentralized and open structure fits the pluralist model very well So U.S. looks democratic by pluralist model

The Theory of Democratic Government Theories of a democratic government include consideration of: Autocracy: a system of government in which the power to govern is concentrated in the hands of one individual Oligarchy: a system of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of a few people Democracy: a system of government in which, in theory, the people rule, either directly or indirectly

The Meaning and Symbolism of Democracy The first major school of thought about what constitutes democracy believes that democracy is a form of government that emphasizes the procedures that enable the people to govern or how decisions are made. The second major school of thought about what constitutes democracy sees democracy in the substance of government policies, in freedom of religion and the provision for human needs, or what government does.

The Procedural View of Democracy Procedural democratic theory: a view of democracy as being embodied in a decision-making process that involves universal participation, political equality, majority rule, and responsiveness. These principles address three questions: Who should participate in decision-making? How Much should each participant’s vote count? How many votes are needed to reach a decision?

The Procedural View of Democracy Universal participation: the concept that everyone in a democratic society should participate in governmental decision-making Political equality: provides for one vote per person, with all votes counted equally Majority rule: the decision of a group must reflect the preference of more than half of those participating

A Complication: Direct Versus Indirect Democracy Societies can fulfill principles with a direct or participatory democracy: a system of government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf The framers of the Constitution were convinced that participatory democracy on the national level was undesirable They created a representative democracy: a system of government where citizens elect public officials to govern on their behalf A fourth principle is necessary -- responsiveness: a decision-making principle necessitated by representative government, that implies that elected representatives should do what the majority of people wants

The Substantive View of Democracy Substantive democratic theory: the view that democracy is embodied in the substance of government policies rather than in the policymaking procedure Government policies should guarantee civil liberties (freedom of behavior, such as freedom of religion and freedom of expression) Government policies should guarantee civil rights (powers or privileges that government may not arbitrarily deny to individuals, such as protection against discrimination in employment and housing)

Procedural Democracy Versus Substantive Democracy The substantive view of democracy does not provide clear, precise criteria that allow a determination of whether or not government is democratic The procedural view can produce undesirable social policies because of those criteria, such as those that prey on minorities

Institutional Models of Democracy The majoritarian model of democracy: the classical theory of democracy in which government by the people is interpreted as government by the majority of the people The pluralist model of democracy: an interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean government by people operating through competing interest groups

The Majoritarian Model vs. the Pluralist Model Conclusive elections Centralized structure of government Cohesive political parties with well-defined programs Pluralist model: Does not demand much knowledge from citizens in general but requires specialized knowledge of groups of citizens Limits majority action - allows minorities to rule

Institutional Models of Democracy An alternative - but undemocratic - model is elite theory: the view that a small group of people actually makes most of the important government decisions. Elite Theory vs. Pluralist Theory Pluralist theory see many different groups vying with each other in each policy arena Elite theory sees a durable ruling minority

Democracies and Globalization Democratization: a process of transition as a country attempts to move from an authoritarian form of government to a democratic one American Democracy: More Pluralist than Majoritarian

Tests for Democratic Gov’t in Countries Powell's five criteria for democratic government: Bases legitimacy desires of its citizens. Leaders are chosen in free elections, contested by at least two viable political parties. Most adults can participate in the electoral process. Citizens' votes are secret and are not coerced. Citizens, leaders, and party officials enjoy basic freedoms of speech, press, assembly, relgion, and organization. Only about 20 of the world's 100 largest nations qualify as democracies in all five ratings.