Chapter 2
MAJORITARIAN
OR PLURALIST
DEMOCRACY?
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Distinguish between the two theories of
democratic government used in political
science: procedural and substantive.
2.2 Compare and contrast the majoritarian and
pluralist models of democracy.
2.3 Evaluate the challenges facing countries
trying to move toward a democratic form of
government.
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
2
The Theory of
Democratic Government


Ancient Greeks Classified Governments
by Number of Citizens Involved in Process
Classifications Run as Continuum:
 Autocracy
 Oligarchy
 Democracy
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
3
The Theory of
Democratic Government

The Meaning and Symbolism of Democracy
 Democracy: ancient Greek
 Demos = common people and kratos = power
 What constitutes democracy: two views
 Democracy is a form of government
 Democracy is in the substance of government
policies
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
4
Time to Vote
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
5
The Theory of
Democratic Government

The Procedural View of Democracy
 How government should make decisions:
 Who should participate?
 How much should each vote count?
 How many votes needed for a decision?
 Universal participation
 Political equality
 Majority rule
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
6
The Theory of
Democratic Government

A Complication: Direct Versus Indirect
Democracy




Participatory democracy – rare in U.S.
E-government
Representative democracy
Responsiveness
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
7
Let the People Decide
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
8
The Theory of
Democratic Government

A Complication: Direct Versus Indirect
Democracy
 Four principles of procedural democracy:




Universal participation
Political equality
Majority rule
Government responsiveness to public opinion
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
9
The Theory of
Democratic Government

Substantive View of Democracy
 Substantive democratic theory
 Substance of government policies, not procedures
 Government policies should guarantee civil
liberties
 Disagreement: social vs. civil rights
 Conservatives – narrow view
 Liberals – broader spectrum
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
10
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
11
The Theory of
Democratic Government

Procedural Democracy Versus
Substantive Democracy
 Substantive: no criteria for determining if
country is democratic
 Procedural: criteria can produce social policies
that clash with minority rights
 Choose to focus on either procedures or
policies
 Compromise: balance legitimate minority and
majority interests
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
12
Institutional Models
of Democracy

Institutional Mechanisms Necessary for
Democratic Government
 Establishing procedures and organizations to
translate public opinion into policy
 Elections
 Political parties
 Legislatures
 Interest groups
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
13
Institutional Models
of Democracy

Majoritarian Model of Democracy
 “Government by the people”: majority rule
 Popular election of government officials
 Deciding government policy - initiative, referendum,
and recall
 Assumes citizens are knowledgeable, want to
participate, and make rational decisions in
voting
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
14
Now That’s a Town Meeting
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
15
Institutional Models
of Democracy

Alternative Model: Pluralist Democracy
 Pluralism – innumerable groups that share
economic, religious, ethnic, or cultural interest.
 “Government by the people”: people operating
via competing interest groups
 Two mechanisms:
 Interest groups
 Decentralized structure of government
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
16
My Moms Got Married!
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
17
Institutional Models
of Democracy

Majoritarian Model Versus the Pluralist
Model
 Majoritarian model: mass public control
 Conclusive elections
 Centralized government
 Cohesive Political Parties with well-defined
programs
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
18
Institutional Models
of Democracy

Majoritarian Model Versus the Pluralist
Model
 Pluralist model: interest groups control
 Strong interest groups
 Decentralized government
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
19
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
20
Institutional Models
of Democracy

Undemocratic Model: Elite Theory
 Identified and stable minority makes most
important government decisions
 Control key financial, communications, industrial, and
government institutions
 Power derived from wealth
 Define issues and affect outcomes
 According to elite theory, U.S. is an oligarchy
 Powerful few manage issues and constrain outcomes
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
21
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
22
Institutional Models
of Democracy

Elite Theory Versus Pluralist Theory
 Difference: durability of ruling minority
 Pluralist: struggle between competing interest
groups
 Wealthy groups have an advantage over poorer,
inadequately organized groups
 Critical weakness in pluralism: appears to justify
disparities
 Levels or political organization
 Resources among different segments of society
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
23
On Tonight’s Menu,
Lots of Green
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
24
The Global Trend Toward
Democracy

Two Models of Democratic Government
 Majoritarian – no government achieves high
degree of responsiveness demanded by model
 Pluralist – no government offers complete and
equal access to all competing groups
 Some nations approach ideals closely enough
to be practicing democracies
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
25
The Global Trend Toward
Democracy

Establishing Democracies
 Governments meet some criteria for
procedural democracy and not others
 Global Trend toward democratization since
1975
 Slight drop in recent years
 “Arab Spring”
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
26
The Global Trend Toward
Democracy

American Democracy: More Pluralist Than
Majoritarian
 U.S. political system low according to
majoritarian model, but fits pluralist model well
 American people’s trust in government has
fallen
 Would Americans be more satisfied with
another form of democracy?
Copyright © 2014 Cengage Learning
27