Who governs? To what ends?

Four theories of governance Pluralist Power Elite Marxist Bureaucratic

Pluralist ‘Government by the People’ operated by competing interest groups Madison wanted to create a political system that would control the impulse of ‘opinion, passion, or interest’ by channeling citizens into relatively small factions focused mainly on material interests.

Power Elite C. Wright Mills’ theory that those who occupy top positions in the dominant military, economic and political institutions constitute a ‘power elite’ whose decisions have enormous consequences, not only for the U.S. population but for, ‘the underlying populations of the world.’ Current theorists have replaced ‘military’ with ‘corporations’

Marxist Theory Karl Marx’s rejection of the idea that private ownership of property should be used in the production of goods and services Theory doesn’t always mean ‘Marxism’: It means that politics primarily serve economic interests

Bureaucratic Theory Max Weber’s theory that bureaucracies offer rational authority coming from a legal order and the laws enacted within it. Bureaucracies, he said, can be identified by six characteristics: Formal hierarchical structure An ‘up-’ or ‘in-’ focused mission Management by rules Purposely impersonal Organization by functional specialty Employment based on technical qualifications

To What Ends? Majoritarian Politics: Pleasing the masses Client Politics: Costs are spread; benefits concentrated Interest Group Politics: One group wins, another loses Entrepreneurial Politics: Getting an issue on the agenda