Ch. 1 notes.

Vocabulary Power: The ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first persons intentions Authority: The right to use power Legitimacy: Political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution Democracy: The rule of many Direct or participatory democracy: A government in which all or most citizens participate directly. Representative democracy: A government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote Elite: Persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource, like money or power Marxist view: View that the government is dominated by capitalists Power elite view: View that the government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside of government Bureaucratic view: View that the government is dominated by appointed officials Pluralist view: The belief that completion among all affected interests shapes public policy

What is Power?

Power is found in all human relationships. People who exercise political power may or may not have the authority to do so. Formal authority is the right to exercise power is vested in a government office. In the US today, the constitution is accepted as the source of legitimate authority.

What is democracy? As towns have become larger and issues more complicated, many town governments have abandoned the pure town meeting in favor of either the representative town meeting or representative government. Joseph Schumpeter stated: The democratic method is that institutional arrangement for arriving at political decisions in which individuals acquire the power to decide by means of a competitive struggle for the peoples vote. Is Representative Democracy Best? For representative government to work there must be an opportunity for genuine leadership competition. This requires: Individuals and parties run for office Communication be free

Voters perceive that a meaningful choice exists In the US many offices (Executive, judicial, legislative) are elected and most of the money the candidates use comes from industry, labor unions, and private individuals. To reclaim the virtues of direct or participatory democracy can be done either by allowing individual neighborhoods in big cities to govern themselves (Community Control) or by requiring those affected by some government program to participate in its formulation (Citizen Participation). The Framers of the Constitution favored representative democracy over direct democracy. They believed that government should mediate popular views and that elected officials should represent majority sentiments. They saw representative democracy as a way of minimizing the chances that power would be abused.

How is Political Power Distributed? Representative democracy is defined as any system of government in which leaders are authorized to make decisions. Majoritarian politics: Leaders constrained to follow wishes of the people very closely Applies when issues are simple, clear, and feasible Elitism: Someone who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource, like money or power.

Four theories of Elite Influence: Marxism: government merely a reflection of underlying economic forces C. Wright Mills: power elite composed of corporate leaders, generals, and politicians Max Weber: bureaucracies based on expertise, specialized competence Pluralist view: no single elite has a monopoly on power; hence must bargain and compromise

Is Democracy Driven by Self-Interest A policy may be good or bad independent of the motives of the person who decided it. The self-interest of individuals is often an incomplete guide to their actions Some act against long odds and without the certainty of benefit

What Explains Political Change? Necessary to refer frequently to history because no single theory is adequate Government today influenced by yesterday Government today still evolving and responds to changing beliefs Politics about the public interest, not just who gets what