Dilemmas of Democracy

Pure or Direct Democracy

a government where citizens assemble and administer the government in person

Republic or Representative democracy

citizens elect representatives officials to govern on their behalf

What are the purposes of Government?

Maintain order, provide public goods, and promote equality

Maintain order

using the rule of law to preserve life and protect property

Who were two people who had important ideas with maintaining order

Thomas Hobbes and John Locke

What did Thomas Hobbes believe?

preserving life was the most important function of government

What did John Locke believe?

protection of life, liberty, and property was the basic objective of government

Freedom of

an absence of constraints on behavior (freedom of speech, freedom of religion)

Freedom from

suggests immunity from something undesirable such as exploitation

Order

when it refers to social order it deals with established patterns of authority in society and to traditional modes of behavior

Police Power

governments authority to safeguard resident’s safety, health, welfare, and morals

Equality

exactly what is meant by ‘quality’ is debatable to some

Political Equality

one vote per person, with all votes counted equally

Social Equality

equality in wealth, education, and status

Equality of opportunity

each person has the same chance to succeed in life

Quality of Outcome

society must see to it that people are equal. Government must design policies to redistribute wealth and status to ensure equality

What are the two dilemmas of Government

Freedom vs Order, Freedom vs Equality

Political Ideology

a constant set of values and beliefs about the proper purpose and scope of government

Totalitarianism

Belief that government should have unlimited power to control all sectors of society (Hitler, Stalin, etc.)

Socialism

a form of rule in which the central government plays a strong role in regulating industry and directing the economy

Democratic Socialism

socialist form of government that guarantees civil liberties (Britain, Sweden, Germany)

Capitalism

system of government that favors free enterprise

Libertarianism

Political ideology that is opposed to all government action except as necessary to protect life and property

Anarchism

opposes all government, in any form and values freedom above all else

Liberals

favor generous government support for education, wildlife protection, other social programs

Conservatives

want smaller government budgets and fewer government programs

Libertarians

total personal freedom, protect individual rights

Communitarians

strong moral communities, favors government activities that promote equality, favor government actions that impose social order

Democracy

a system of government in which, in theory, the people rule, either directly or indirectly

Procedural Democratic Theory

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

Substantive Democratic Theory

the view that democracy is embodied in the substance of government policies rather than in the policymaking procedure

Participatory democracy

a system of government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf (direct democracy), incompatible with minority rights

Representative Democracy

system of government where citizens elect public officials to govern on their behalf

Minority Rights

the idea that all citizens are entitled to certain rights that cannot be denied by the majority (2/3 majority requirement)

Interest Groups

an organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public party

Majoritarian

government action controlled by the mass public; citizenry must be knowledgeable about government and policies; electoral participation required

Pluralist

not much knowledge required from citizens in general'; seeks to limit majority action, some say to the point where minorities rule

Oligarchy

a system of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of a few people

Pathways of Action

the activities, institutions, and decisions in politics and government that affect public policy