Political Science: An Introduction Chapter 6 Regimes 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Landov)

Regime Types

Democracy Democracy comes from Greek demokratia  Demos = “the people”  Kratia = “government” Distrusted until the 19 th century. Direct democracy  All citizens could vote on government policies May occur through referendums Difficult to achieve given the size of the U.S. Representative democracy is where people elect representatives to make laws and govern Constitutional means that the government is limited and can wield its authority only in specific ways Illiberal democracies are regimes elected to power but lack democratic qualities such as civil rights and limits on government

Characteristics of Representative Democracy Popular Accountability of Government Political Competition Alternation in Power Uncertain Electoral Outcomes Popular Representation Majority Decisions Right of Dissent and Disobedience Political Equality Popular Consultation Free Press

Freedom House Rankings on Relative Freedom 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Democracy in Practice: Elitism or Pluralism? Elite theory argues that the key policy decisions are made by a tiny minority Gaetano Mosca argued that government always falls into the hands of a few Robert Michels argued that any organization, no matter how democratic its intent, will be run by a small elite (Iron Law of Oligarchy) Robert Dahl felt government too large, issues too complex, for any other option

Democracy in Practice: Elitism or Pluralism? Pluralism argues that political decisions are largely driven by interest groups According to pluralists, interest groups are the great avenues of democracy, making sure government listens to the people Many argue that only a pluralist society can be democratic

Democracy in Practice: Elitism or Pluralism? Polyarchy is the synthesis that interest groups compete (pluralism), but that each group is run by elites (elitism) Arend Lijphart calls this “consociational democracy” – elites agree among themselves on rules of the game, and get their followers to abide by the rules When elite accommodation breaks down, conflict results 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Models of Elitism, Pluralism, and Polyarchy

Totalitarianism Totalitarianism – a political system where the state attempts total control of its citizens Elites almost totally unaccountable  Led by a single individual who fosters a “cult of personality”  Locked into power = hard to remove  One party state Membership = 10% of pop. Hierarchically organized Ideology is all-encompassing  Official theory of history, economics, future political & social development  all required to believe this version any dissenters are enemies of the people Employs terror against citizens to keep them “in line”  Physical & psychological

Totalitarianism Monopoly on …  Communications Mass media sells ideology of the state Depicts systems as positive and working well  Weapons Eliminates armed resistance Controlled Economy  Communism = state ownership  Fascism = party influence Party “coordinates” private industry Use of incentives

Authoritarianism Authoritarian regimes governed by small group that minimizes popular input Not usually ideological Do not try to control everything  Many cultural, social, economic and other matters left up to individuals provided they do not threaten regime Individual freedoms limited in favor of hierarchical organization of command, obedience, and order Some democratic tendencies may exist  courts and legislatures BUT…controlled by regime

Authoritarianism and the Developing Nations After World War II, many new states created calling themselves democracies  No experience with democracy though Political leadership typically believed that political and economic survival and growth need centralized power Political leaders think they know what the people need and rig elections

Types of Authoritarianism 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Democratization of Authoritarian Regimes Democratization seems to happen in:  Authoritarian countries with rapid economic growth or;  Collapsed Communist states with slow economic growth When authoritarian regimes permit relatively free markets, they become ripe for some form of democracy  Driven by growth of a middle class Gradually regimes tend to ease up and permit democratic reforms This scenario does not apply to petrostates  Wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a few, retard democracy

Why Democracies Fail Apart from outside conquest, democracies usually fail because they come too soon  2004 UN Survey of Latin America = preferred a dictator who puts food on the table to an elected leader who does not  Transition to democracy is delicate and best when happenes gradually Stable democracies require large, educated middle class  “No bourgeoisie, no democracy”  Bring moderation, tolerance & realization that not everything can be fixed at once Newly enfranchised and unsophisticated voters often fall for the extravagant or extremist promises of demagogues--who offer simple solutions to get the votes of the gullible

Why Democracies Fail Several characteristics tend to block democracy:  Poverty  Major inequality  No middle class  Low education levels  Oil  Tribalism  Little civil society  No earlier democratic experience  No democratic countries nearby