1. Theory of Democratic Government
Chapter 2

2. The Theory of Democratic Government
Ancient Greeks classified governments by the number of citizens involved in the process
A. The classifications run as a continuum
Autocracy— Rule by One
Oligarchy- Rule by few
Democracy – Rule by many 2 2

3. Democracy has a symbolic value that overshadows its meaning
a. many of the world’s political parties contain it.
b. example
North Korea is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
c. It is not enough to know that the people
govern one needs to know
WHO the people are and HOW they govern

4. There are 2 Schools of thought about what constitutes a democracy
2) The Procedural View
A. Who should participate?– everyone
universal participation
3) How much should each participant’s vote count?
Equally ---which leads to political equality
4) How many votes needed for a decision?
a. MAJORITY leads to majority rule 4

5. b. The above can only happen in a DIRECT DEMOCRACY
1) INDIRECT Democracy- Representative citizens choose representatives to make
official decisions for them
c. RESPONSIVENESS- states that elected representatives
should respond to public opinion
-they should do what the “majority” want no matter
-this principle is unsettling to some people, who fear the
enactment of “undemocratic” decisions as a response
to majority rule

6. 5. SUBSTANTIVE View evaluates democracy on the basis of the substance of government policies
a. Most Substantive Theorists require
that democratic government must
*****Guarantee CIVIL RIGHTS & Liberties
b. Some would add social and economic
rights to the list

7. Theories of Democracy-----
Procedural vs. Substantive
1. Universal Participation 1. Government Policies should
Guarantee Civil Rights
2. Majority Rule Freedoms of……
Religion, Speech, Press
3. Political Equality Social Rights
4. Responsiveness Economic Rights
a. Direct Democracy =
Participatory democracy
b. Representative Democracy
Republic – Indirect democracy
PROCEDURAL PROBLEMS SUBSTANTIVE PROBLEMS
***Clashes with Minority Rights does not provide precise or
clear criteria to determine
what is democratic

8. II. INSTITUTIONAL DEMOCRATIC MODELS--4 A. REPRESENTATIVE MODEL
Has to have some means to determine what people want.
1) the use of Institutional Mechanisms!!!
establishes procedures to promote government
responsiveness.
Examples:
ELECTIONS, POLITICAL PARTIES, INTEREST GROUPS

9. B. MAJORITARIAN MODEL -Classic theory of Democracy
1. Rule by the People
2. Assumes Mass Participation
3. Assumes the People are well informed!
Encourages citizens to participate through the
Initiatives, Referendum, and Recall

10. C. Pluralist MODEL-. developed to accommodate the reality that
C. Pluralist MODEL- developed to accommodate the reality that people are not well informed about their government
1) based on the idea of pluralism, that people form groups along ECONOMIC, religious, ethnic or cultural lines. 2) INTEREST GROUPS are created to influence policy makers 3) pluralists interpret democracy as government by the people operating through competing interest groups. 4) this model also favors a DECENTRALIZATION and organizationally complex gov’t. It also gives people OPEN ACCESS to public officials who consider their views. 10

11. through competing interest groups
MODELS OF DEMOCRACY
MAJORITARIAN PLURALIST
Government by the majority of the people Government by the people operating
through competing interest groups
Institutional mechanisms used- Pluralism: groups share economic,
example- Elections religious, ethnic or cultural interests
21 states allow for Decentralized Government
*Initiatives Multiple centers of power
*Referendums
*Recalls Responsiveness to ORGANIZED
Groups not mass public opinion
Citizens can control their government
If they have adequate mechanisms **Allows minority groups to rule
for popular participation However not all groups have
equal influence on
government decisions
Also assumes citizens are knowledgeable
about government and want to participate

12. D. Elite Theory --An Undemocratic Model:
1) assumes that important government decisions are made by a
SMALL but powerful group of people who have great WEALTH and extensive business connections
Elite theory holds that ONE small group RULES rather than
MANY different groups who win on different issues.
3) Research suggests that an identifiable elite does NOT regularly win
on government issues.
(however ALEC- The American Legislative Exchange Council,
counts among its members some 2,000 state legislators and
corporate executives is becoming questionable) 12

13. Controversial theory that important government decisions made by small group of wealthy businesspeople
Control key financial, communications, industrial, and government institutions
Define issues and effect outcomes to serve their interests
According to elite theory, U.S. is an oligarchy
***U.S. Gov’t can better be described as Pluralistic rather than elitist, however all groups are NOT EQUALLY REPRESENTED in the political system.

14. Elite Theory vs. Pluralist Theory
Key difference is durability of ruling minority
Pluralist theory involves struggle between competing interest groups
Wealthy groups do not always win, but
do have an advantage
Poorer groups usually not organized well 14

15. III. Establishing Democracies
Democratization is occurring in numerous countries today A. Countries have to now take into account MARKET economies and the COMMUNICATION revolution B. Emerging Democracies are FRAGILE b/c 1) ethnic and religious conflicts (Iraq) 2) political and economic instability (Russia) 3) this instability often leads to attack by opponents of democracy thus leading to the question of legitimacy of the new democratic government. (Egypt)

16. American Democracy: More Pluralist Than Majoritarian
American pluralism flawed because poor less likely to join interest groups
U.S. political system not very majoritarian, but becoming more so because of increasing partisanship
Some argue that ideological activists have “hijacked” the two parties 16

18. Public Support for U.S. Policy of Promoting Democracy Abroad
Americans believe in democracy, but are unsure if promoting democracy should be foreign policy goal 18