TYPES OF GOVERNMENT * Government by one person * Government by the few Aristocracy Oligarchy * Government by the Many = DEMOCRACY (Us)

What do democracies do? Maintain national defense Preserve domestic order Provide public goods and services such as highways, hospitals, libraries (collective goods--can’t be denied to anyone—e.g. clean air) Socialize the young (through education) Collect taxes to pay for goods&services

TYPES OF DEMOCRACY 1. Direct 2. Representative

Direct democracy People make law/policy themselves Example: Initiative: Citizen petition places proposed law/constitutional amendment on ballot, people vote yes or no (state level – Florida)

Representative government – We elect people to make decisions for us, trust they will make decisions we support. Do they truly represent the citizens who elect them? Which citizens get the “most” representation? What do we expect out of our representatives? Should they mirror their constituents’ views (be delegates) or be allowed leeway to exercise their own judgment (trustees)?

How is representative democracy in US different from other countries? US is unique in 1. how its electoral system works, 2. how elections affect the winners and the governed “Politics in US driven by electoral influences”

How are US elections unique? Number Frequency Length of campaigns “Permanent Campaign” – why does this exist?

Why is there a permanent campaign? Separation of elections Decline of parties (nominations) Rise of interest groups Growth of polling Technological advances Cost of campaigns – constant fundraising by individual candidates, national campaign committees,

Where does policy come from? “The people?” Transmit preferences to policymakers in government through “linkage institutions” (parties, elections, interest groups, media) Citizens shape the government’s POLICY AGENDA Main policymaking institutions: Congress, presidency, courts (& bureaucracy)

What does democracy mean? Traditional democratic theory emphasizes certain principles: MAJORITY RULE, but also MINORITY RIGHTS (e.g. to freedom of speech, assembly) REPRESENTATION (Wishes of “the people” should be “made present again”/honored/carried out by elected officials)