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

2. 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

3. TYPES OF DEMOCRACY
1. Direct
2. Representative

4. 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)

5. 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)?

6. 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”

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

8. 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,

9. 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)

10. 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)