1. POSC 2201
American Politics

2. Six Theories of American Politics 1
Six Theories of American Politics 1. Popular Democracy “Rule of the many” (meaning “of the many” rather than “the few”)

3. 1. Popular Democracy Variations: A
1. Popular Democracy Variations: A. Rule by public opinion / majority rules

4. Race: Change in Public Opinion Preceded Civil Right Legislation in the 60s
“In general, do you think Negroes are as intelligent as white people--that is , can they learn just as well if they are given the same education?”
1942 / 42% of Whites Agreed
1956 / 78% Agreed
“Do you think white students and Negro students should go to the same schools or to separate schools?”
1942 / 30% “Same schools”
1956 / 49% “Same schools”
1960s / 60%+ “Same schools”

5. 1964 Civil Rights Act 1965 Voting Rights Act 1968 Fair Housing Act
Race: Change in Public Opinion Preceded Civil Right Legislation in the 60s
1964 Civil Rights Act
1965 Voting Rights Act
1968 Fair Housing Act

7. 1. Popular Democracy Opinion May Be Too Vague to Guide Policy
Americans think “too much” is being spent on “welfare”
Americans think “too little” is being spent on “helping the poor”

8. 1. Popular Democracy B. Need to Take Intensity into Account
Person 1 / Strongly opposed to single payer health insurance
Opposes Affirmative Action
Favors Gun Control
Person 2 / Strongly opposed to Gun Control
Favors Single Payer Health Care
Person 3 / Strongly Supports Affirmative Action
Favors Single Payer Health Insurance

9. Need to Take Intensity into Account
Two Options:
“Minimum Winning Coalition” / two players gang up to screw over the third
“Universalism” / everybody gets what he or she wants most

10. 1. Popular Democracy C. “Elitist theory of democracy”
Elites Rule / But the public gets to choose between competing elites.
Joseph Aloïs Schumpeter

11. 2. Power Elite Dominance There is a single elite Relatively Unified
Rules in its Own Interests
Rules Over All Policy Areas

12. 2. Power Elite Dominance Vulgar Version: Conspiracy Theory
Classic One: Jews Rule
the World – Anti-Semitic

13. 2. Power Elite Dominance Less Vulgar: Sociological Version
“Derived from the work of sociologist C. Wright Mills, this power elite view argues that American democracy is dominated by a few top leaders, many of them wealthy or privately powerful, who do not hold elective office.”
Wilson, James Q.; DiIulio, Jr., John J.; Bose, Meena. American Government: Institutions and Policies (Page 8). Cengage Learning. Kindle Edition.

14. 2. Power Elite Dominance
Sociological view: Holds that a group with similar backgrounds, similar interests and similar viewpoints has power, and rule in their own interest, even if they don’t conspire. They don’t need to conspire, since they believe in and seek the same things.

16. 3. Interest Group Pluralism
Groups Have Power
Multiple Groups, With Competing Interests
Each Group Has Some Power Over a Single Policy Area

17. Financial Regulation: Interest Group Plurality in the Design of Financial Regulatory Policies, Stefano Pagliari, Kevin Young

18. 3. Interest Group Pluralism
Ask About Issues? Are their Powerful Interests on Both Sides, Or Only on One Side? Immigration Single Payer Health Care Abortion Obamacare Contraceptive Mandate

19. Rich Fat Cats / Where Do They Fit In?
Charles Koch
and David 
Koch

20. Rich Fat Cats / Where Do They Fit In?
Sheldon Adelson

21. Rich Fat Cats / Where Do They Fit In?
George Soros

22. Rich Fat Cats / Where Do They Fit In?
Michael Bloomberg
Tom Steyer

23. 4. Bureaucratic Politics

24. 4. Bureaucratic Politics
There are multiple, sometimes contradictory, ideas about how bureaucracies operate.
Seek to maximize their budgets
Seek to maintain their autonomy
That they have a well-defined “essence,” and “distinctive competence” and seek to operate within that
That they are arrogant and overbearing, and seek to impose their agenda on the nation.
That they are often “captured” and serve the interests of private interest groups.

25. 4. Bureaucratic Politics
Maintaining Your Budget:
You are the mayor, and the city counsel demands that you reduce your budget.
You have two choices:
Lay off several bureaucrats in City Hall, or
Close two fire stations
Which do you do?

26. 4. Bureaucratic Politics
Propose Closing the Fire Stations

27. 4. Bureaucratic Politics Organizational “Essence”
Air Force Wants to get Rid of the A-10 “Warthog”

28. 4. Bureaucratic Politics Organizational “Essence”
F-16
F-15

29. 4. Bureaucratic Politics Organizational “Essence”
Su-35 / Flanker

30. 4. Bureaucratic Politics Organizational “Essence”
“Real” vs. “Official” Plane Nicknames – tell a lot about what the pilots think about the plane.
Official
Unofficial
F-16 “Fighting Falcon”
Viper
B-52 “Stratofortress”
BUFF
A-10 “Thunderbolt II”
Warthog

31. 5. Leadership Personality
Holds that the Character and Personality of the Leader Matters
In History, the “Great Man” Theory of History

32. 5. Leadership Personality
Read My Lips: No New Taxes!

33. 6. Rational Decision Making
Rationality: weighing costs and benefits / preferring policy with large benefits relative to costs, low costs relative to benefits.
Can’t apply where there is a fundamental moral conflict, such as abortion.

34. 6. Rational Decision Making
Example: Reform of Social Welfare Policy in the 1990s
The welfare rolls had been growing
The costs of welfare had been rapidly increasing
Many women on welfare had been on the rolls for many years
Yet poverty was not decreasing
That was done?
A work requirement was imposed
A limit to the time a person could be on welfare was imposed.
The “means testing” of programs was changed to reward work, even for low wage workers.
Generous provisions for child care for women required to work were instituted

35. 6. Rational Decision Making

36. 6. Rational Decision Making