1. AP Government Majoritarian or Pluralist Democracy?

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

3. 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

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

5. 2 Schools of Thought on What Constitutes a Democracy
(2) Substantive Democratic theory
Civil liberties
Civil rights
Social rights
Examples?
Economic rights
Minority rights

6. 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

7. 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

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

9. 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"

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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?

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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)

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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.