Chapter 2 Government: Majoritarian or Pluralist Democracy. (Study Guide).

Emphasizes the importance of public opinion.

Majoritarian Model.

Assumes people are interested in politics.

Majoritarian Model.

Assumes people are knowledgeable about politics.

Majoritarian Model.

Assumes people have consistent opinions about politics.

Majoritarian Model.

Democracy

A system of government in which, in theory, the people rule either directly or indirectly. "Having a voice".

Indirect (Representative) Democracy.

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

Direct (participatory) Democracy.

A system of government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf.

A system of government where voters elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf, and where those representatives respond to public opinion, would best be characterized by the terms: ?

An in-direct democracy and majoritarianism.

Believes government should be responsive to the general public.

Majoritarian Model.

Believes elections are important.

Majoritarian Model and Pluralist Model.

If a majority of members of Congress voted in favor of increasing individuals' subsidies for health insurance and the majority of the public supported this idea, would this example support the majoritarian or pluralist model of democracy? Why?

Majoritarian, because the majority of public supported it, NOT special interest groups.

Believes decentralized, group participation is important.

Pluralist Model.

Believes government should be responsive to interest groups.

Pluralist Model.

Explain how Elite Theory differs from the Majoritarian and Pluralist models.

The view that a small group of people actually makes most of the important government decisions. Government is responsive to the wealthy.

Mentor Note

There are different views of what actually makes up a democracy. For some, democracy is defined by the procedures and methods of decision-making being used; for others, democracy is defined by the actual policies that result. We focus on two types of democracy that emphasize procedures, such as citizen decision-making and elections. We then discuss two models that explain how democracy may actually work in the real world.

Mentor Note.

There are two models, or blueprints, of democracy: the majoritarian model (majoritarianism) and the pluralist model (pluralism). To explain, imagine going to the doctor with a cough, a fever, and a sore throat. The doctor questions you about your symptoms to diagnose what is making you sick. Majoritarianism and pluralism are like different sets of questions we can ask to 'diagnose' a government as democratic or not.

If the interest groups representing major hospitals and insurance companies opposed increasing individuals' subsidies for health insurance, but the public supported it, what action(s) of Congress would support the pluralist model of democracy?

VOTING to NOT increase individual subsidies for health insurance.