Chapter 2: Industrialized Democracies

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Chapter 2 Industrialized Democracies
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• Industrialized Democracy the richest countries
  with advanced economies and liberal states.

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Four Elections

• United States 2004
• Great Britain 2001
• France 2002
• Germany 2002

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Common and Not So Common Themes

• Elections determine who governs
• Elections are not about basic principles
• Dissimilarities
• Electoral systems direct, indirect,
  proportional, plurality
• Separation of powers fusion of powers

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Thinking About Democracy

• The Basics
• What is democracy?
• Basic Rights
• Competitive Elections
• Rule of Law
• Civil society and Civic Culture
• Capitalism and Affluence
• Which countries are democracies?

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Thinking About Democracy

• Key Questions
• Why did democracy emerge?
• Why has it become durable recently?
• Why is there so much debate about public policy
  in industrialized democracies now?
• Why has that debate not led many people to
  question their regimes or democracy itself?

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The Origins of the Democratic State

• Origins of democratic thought
• The early democracies individualism, capitalism,
  Protestantism, scientific revolution, and
  exploration
• Hobbes
• Laissez-faire
• Locke
• Suffrage

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The Origins of the Democratic State

• Building Democracies
• In Europe and, to a lesser degree, North America,
  the way democracy developed was largely a result
  of the way countries and their rulers handled
  four great transformations over the last five
  hundred years
• The creation of the nation and state itself
• The role of religion in society and government
• The development of pressures for democracy
• The industrial revolution
• Cleavages
• Authoritarian Leaders, Fascism, and WWII
• The Cold War

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Political Culture and Participation

• The Civic Culture?
• Political Parties and Elections
• Catch-all Parties
• New Divisions
• Gender
• Post-industrial
• Post-materialist
• Realignment?
• Interest Groups
• Political Protest

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The Democratic State

• Presidential and parliamentary systems
• Only one presidential system the U.S.
• Presidential compromise the norm and rapid
  decision making difficult to prevent abuse of
  power
• Parliamentary secure majority party or
  coalition, the prime minister rarely has to
  compromise as much as U.S. President, which
  allows their government to act more quickly and
  decisively. Fused, not separated.
• Cabinet responsibility principle that requires
  a prime minister and government to retain the
  support of a parliamentary majority.
• Votes of confidence a vote in which the members
  express their support for (or opposition to) the
  governments policies. If it loses, the
  government must resign.

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The Rest of the State

• High-level civil servants in the bureaucracy
• Leading interest group representatives
• Iron Triangle A variety of close relationships
  between business leaders, politicians, and civil
  servants.
• Those states with the most integrated elite, like
  France, Germany, and Japan, have been among the
  most successful economically.

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Public Policy

• The interventionist state governments in
  industrialized democracies that pursue an active
  economic policy.
• Basic health care and education
• Subsidized and/or free education at all levels
  including universities
• Unemployment compensation
• Pensions and other programs for seniors
• Foreign policy

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Feedback

• Telecommunications revolution It is getting ever
  easier for people to find out about politics at
  home and abroad.
• People view the world in their own terms, which
  may be different from those of either the
  politicians or the media. Declining interest and
  cynicism and skepticism toward the media,
  politics, and politicians.

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Conclusion

• In uneven and imperfect ways, democratic regimes
  achieve a series of balances better than any
  other type of government
• Between the governors and the governed
• Between the political world and the rest of
  society
• Between unbridled capitalism and the interests of
  those who do not benefit (much) from it
• Between personal freedoms and the need to
  maintain order and forge coherent public policy