THEORIES OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT

Defining Democracy

Aristotle – “rule of the many” Citizens participate in either making

policy or holding office Majority consissted of the clsses with

greatest number of people Accountable to the people Problem: no clear way to determine

whether a government, decision, or policy is truly democratic

Democracy NOT in the Constitution Framers used term “republican form

of government” Meant a representative democracy

In republics, citizens and the government work together to attain common good instead of personal interest

Two Types of Democracy

Direct Democracy – all or most citizens participate directly Small town meeting Not compatible with large populations Referendum votes are direct democracy Decisions depend on the votes of the people, not the votes of representatives

Issues with Direct Democracy Will of the people isn’t same as common interest or public good Factions would make it difficult to govern need to form coalitions (Madison) Larger republics would foster more moderate views The people don’t have everyone’s common interest in mind An enlightened minority could be trusted to make educated decisions with

everyone’s best interest in mind Representative Democracy – elected representatives make decisions

on behalf of the people Chosen through a competitive struggle for a popular vote Leaders must compromise to connect to a majority of voters, which can

balance out radical candidates Sometimes called the “elitist theory”

Theories of Democratic Government Marxist View Struggle for power between the

bourgeoisie and proletariat Whichever class dominates the

economy also controls the government

Believe the US government represents eh rich since it is “a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole bourgeoisie” (Wilson)

Theories – Power Elite View Government dominated by a few top leaders,

most of whom are outside of government Elites: have disproportionate share of some

valued resource Enjoy advantages in wealth, status, or organizational

position High political leaders (president, cabinet, & advisers) Major corporate owners & executives High ranking military officers Tend to be more polarized than the average citizen

Developed by sociologist Charles Wright Mills but was shaped by Max Weber

Theories – Bureaucratic View Government officials & workers are the ones

who exercise power by helping write policies into existence (not the elected representatives)

Appointed officials are mostly invisible to the average person

Implement & make policies to suit their interests and ideas

Theory created by Max Weber Institutions allow bureaucrats to control them, as to

maintain & control the government more easily Desirable to some extent, as expertise &

specialization allow bureaucrats to make better decisions

Theories – Pluralist View

Policies are passed due to which interest is more representative of the views of Americans

Large spectrum of input from competing interests

Onse that are fought for most tend to be the ones most represented

Enough political resources available that big business cannot lock out every single issue

No one group controls a majority of the political process (state, local, & federal levels)