1. Why Do We Have Government?  Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and the state of nature (war of all against all)  John Locke (1632-1704) and protection of life, liberty and property  U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776) protection of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (Jefferson)

2. Modern Rendition  Harold Laswell: Politics determines “who gets what, when, and how”  David Easton: Politics is the “authoritative allocation of values”  Government institutions provide a means for resolving conflict or disputes  Other ways?

3. Forms of Government  Autocracy: Authority is vested in a single individual (monarchy)  Oligarchy: Authority is vested in a small group of persons  Democracy: Authority resides ultimately in the people (demos) through their vote (sovereignty)

4. Core Democratic Values  Popular Sovereignty –Voting; expressing political preferences –Right to participate in the process  Political Freedom –Freedom to express political views  Political Equality  Majority Rule

5. Political Equality  Equality under the law  Equal opportunity to participate  Not social equality  Not economic equality  Can political equality be achieved when social and economic inequality are extreme?

6. Majority Rule  Absolute majority (50% + 1)  Plurality (largest segment among 3 or more groups)  Assumes people are rational about their self-interest  Assumes that minority rights are protected

7. Balancing Interests & Groups

8. FREEDOM or EQUALITY

9. Different Forms of Democracy  Procedural Democracy (means; “rules of the game;” how we participate) –Direct democracy –Representative democracy  Majoritarian  Pluralist  Substantive Democracy (outcomes) –Civil liberties & civil rights  Balance freedom & needs of society

10. Direct Democracy  Origins in the Greek city state (demos) although only educated males comprised the demos  Repeated with Rousseau in Switzerland, but still city states with males only  Decision by majority (50% + 1) or plurality (largest group among 3 or more)  Now is limited to New England towns, Minnesota, civil society experiments, or State Initiatives (e.g., Proposition 13 in California)

11. Representative Democracy  Representatives identified through free elections  Opportunity for universal participation in elections and secret ballots  Frequent elections ensure responsiveness to the people (accountability)  Voting (political) equality--one person, one vote  Republican form of government Susan H. MacDonald:

12. Institutions of Representative Democracy  Elections –Hold those elected accountable  Political Parties –Sponsor candidates for public office –Organize issues broadly; simplify choices  Interest Groups –Organize interests more narrowly; provide medium for communication on issues

13. Values of Representative Democracy  Majority rule; Minority rights –Avoid tyranny of the majority or minority  Integrity of the Individual –“endowed...with...unalienable Rights…”  Liberty (negative & positive; not absolute)  Privacy (not absolute)  Equality (of opportunity)

14. Pluralist Model  Evolved since 1950s  Citizens work through organized groups  Interests determine political action  Power in numbers (grass roots initiatives)  Power in money (PACs) and lobbyists  Decentralized; divided authority with multiple access points works best

15. Ideals of Pluralist Model  Citizens free to form political organiza- tions or interest groups -1st Amendment  Interest groups have “free” access to policy makers  Interest groups represent interests of constituency  Public policy reflects balance of power among interest groups

16. Consequences of Pluralism  Public policy may favor status quo  Majority rule may be thwarted by interest group influence  Coalitions of minorities may have more power than majority of citizens  Meaning of democracy may be distorted  Power elite may conceal their influence

17. Criticisms of Pluralist Model  Most citizens are not members of interest groups; favors the educated and those with money  Group members have little influence over group positions  Leaders of interest groups have differ- ent interests than followers (members)  Interest group influence linked to money

18. Fallacies of Democracy  Democracy produces the best policies –Permanent imperfection; always approximate; based on compromise  The majority always gets what it wants –Constitution also protects minority rights  Conflict produced by government and its officials –Public conflict reflects conflict in society

19. Political Characteristics