1. Who governs?
To what ends?

2. Four theories of governance
Pluralist
Power Elite
Marxist
Bureaucratic

3. 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.

4. 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’

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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