Political Science: An Introduction

Chapter 6

Regimes

Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

(Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Landov)

Regime TypesRegime Types

DemocracyDemocracy Democracy comes from Greek demokratia

Demos = “the people” Kratia = “government”

Distrusted until the 19th century. Direct democracy

All citizens could vote on government policies May occur through referendums Difficult to achieve given the size of the U.S.

Representative democracy is where people elect representatives to make laws and govern

Constitutional means that the government is limited and can wield its authority only in specific ways

Illiberal democracies are regimes elected to power but lack democratic qualities such as civil rights and limits on government

Characteristics of Characteristics of Representative DemocracyRepresentative Democracy Popular Accountability of Government Political Competition Alternation in Power Uncertain Electoral Outcomes Popular Representation Majority Decisions Right of Dissent and Disobedience Political Equality Popular Consultation Free Press

Freedom House Rankings on Relative Freedom

Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Democracy in Practice: Elitism Democracy in Practice: Elitism or Pluralism?or Pluralism?

Elite theory argues that the key policy decisions are made by a tiny minority

Gaetano Mosca argued that government always falls into the hands of a few

Robert Michels argued that any organization, no matter how democratic its intent, will be run by a small elite (Iron Law of Oligarchy)

Robert Dahl felt government too large, issues too complex, for any other option

Democracy in Practice: Elitism Democracy in Practice: Elitism or Pluralism?or Pluralism? Pluralism argues that political decisions are

largely driven by interest groups According to pluralists, interest groups are the

great avenues of democracy, making sure government listens to the people

Many argue that only a pluralist society can be democratic

Democracy in Practice: Elitism or Pluralism? Polyarchy is the synthesis that interest groups compete

(pluralism), but that each group is run by elites (elitism)

Arend Lijphart calls this “consociational democracy” – elites agree among themselves on rules of the game, and get their followers to abide by the rules

When elite accommodation breaks down, conflict results

Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Models of Elitism, Pluralism, Models of Elitism, Pluralism, and Polyarchyand Polyarchy

TotalitarianismTotalitarianism Totalitarianism – a political system where the state attempts

total control of its citizens Elites almost totally unaccountable

Led by a single individual who fosters a “cult of personality” Locked into power = hard to remove One party state

Membership = 10% of pop. Hierarchically organized

Ideology is all-encompassing Official theory of history, economics, future political & social development all required to believe this version

any dissenters are enemies of the people

Employs terror against citizens to keep them “in line” Physical & psychological

TotalitarianismTotalitarianism Monopoly on …

Communications Mass media sells ideology of the state Depicts systems as positive and working well

Weapons Eliminates armed resistance

Controlled Economy Communism = state ownership Fascism = party influence

Party “coordinates” private industry Use of incentives

AuthoritarianismAuthoritarianism Authoritarian regimes governed by small group that

minimizes popular input Not usually ideological Do not try to control everything

Many cultural, social, economic and other matters left up to individuals provided they do not threaten regime

Individual freedoms limited in favor of hierarchical organization of command, obedience, and order

Some democratic tendencies may exist courts and legislatures BUT…controlled by regime

Types of AuthoritarianismTypes of Authoritarianism

Copyright @ 2012, 2010, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Democratization of The Democratization of Authoritarian RegimesAuthoritarian Regimes Democratization seems to happen in:

Authoritarian countries with rapid economic growth or; Collapsed Communist states with slow economic growth

When authoritarian regimes permit relatively free markets, they become ripe for some form of democracy Driven by growth of a middle class

Gradually regimes tend to ease up and permit democratic reforms

This scenario does not apply to petrostates Wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a few, retard

democracy

Why Democracies Fail Apart from outside conquest, democracies usually fail

because they come too soon 2004 UN Survey of Latin America = preferred a dictator who puts

food on the table to an elected leader who does not Transition to democracy is delicate and best when happenes

gradually

Stable democracies require large, educated middle class “No bourgeoisie, no democracy” Bring moderation, tolerance & realization that not everything can be

fixed at once

Newly enfranchised and unsophisticated voters often fall for the extravagant or extremist promises of demagogues--who offer simple solutions to get the votes of the gullible

Why Democracies FailWhy Democracies Fail

Several characteristics tend to block democracy: Poverty Major inequality No middle class Low education levels Oil Tribalism Little civil society No earlier democratic experience No democratic countries nearby