Chapter 2: Majoritarian or Pluralist Democracy

Republic

political system not ruled by a hereditary monarch, where government derives sovereignty

Autocracy

power to govern is in the hands of one individual

Oligarchy

power to govern is in the hands of a few people

Democracy

people rule, directly or indirectly

Procedural approach

democracy, focuses on how decisions are made, processes that enable the decision to govern

Substantive approach

democracy, is concerned with what government does, policies regarding individual liberty and rights, doesn't provide precise criteria to determine whether or not government is democratic

Procedural democratic theory

being embodied in a decision-making process that involves universal participation, political equality, majority rule, and responsiveness

Universal participation

concept that everyone in a democracy should participate in governmental decision making

Majority rule

decision of a group must reflect the presence of more than half of those participating - majority

Participatory democracy

rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf

E-government

online communication channels that enable citizens to easily obtain information from government and facilitate the expression of opinions to government officials

Representative democracy

citizens elect public officials to govern on their behalf

Responsiveness

a decision-making principle, necessitated by representative government, implies that elected representatives should do what the majority of people wants

Peaceful transition of power

requires candidates that lose elections to accept election outcomes and allow their political opponents to govern, try to regain powers through subsequent elections

Substantive democratic theory

focuses on the substance of government policies, not on procedures followed in making those policies

Majoritarian model of democracy

government by the people is interpreted as government by the majority of the people

Pluralism

modern society consists of innumerable groups that share economic, religious, racial, ethnic, or cultural interests

Interest group

an organization that seeks to influence government policy

Pluralist model of democracy

"government by the people," democracy exists when many organizations operate separately from or challenge government

pluralist theory

power is widely dispersed, conflict is group vs. group

Elite theory

view that a small group makes most important government decisions, which are made by minority that shares certain characteristics

Democratization

process of transition as a country attempts to move from an authoritarian form of government to a democratic one

"First-past-the-post"

the candidate or party with the most votes wins, favors majoritarianism

Proportional representation

awards legislative seats to parties in proportion to the votes they win, encourages multiple parties to enter into elections

loser's consent

The willingness of parties and party supporters to accept the outcome of democratic elections when they have lost the election, thus contributing to the peaceful transfer of power that is an essential of democratic government.