Important Information!

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Important Information!

• http//www.arts.uwaterloo/gboychuk/psci365/psci36
  5.html
• gboychuk_at_uwaterloo.ca

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A. The basic American ideals seem like a good
basis for a democratic system.
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B. The practice of democracy in the United States
comes reasonably close to living up to its ideals.
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C. The American system of government is a good
example for countries like Canada to follow.
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D. I would ________ living in the United States.
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E. I have lived in the United States.
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F. I have visited the US.
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G. I have family who live in the US.
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H. I have friends who live in the US.
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Correlation -0.26
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The American Dilemma

• What is a dilemma?
• What might the American dilemma refer to?
• What is democracy?
• What does American democracy look like?

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DEMOCRACY??

• WHAT EXACTLY IS IT??
• May 7, 2002

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CLASSIFYING DEMOCRACIES

• within a range of models incorporating some
  minimum amount of meaningful citizen input and
  some minimuim protection of basic rights, there
  are different models of democracy
• choice of models is completely normative
• there is no right model
• the best model of democracy is contestable

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Democracy -- A Process
Opportunities for Mass Participation
LOW
HIGH
Representative (Delegate) Democracy
Direct Democracy
Participatory Democracy
Representative (Trustee) Democracy
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Democracy -- The Outcomes
Protection of Individual Rights
Low (Emphasis on General Welfare)
High (Emphasis on Limited Govt)

Libertarianism
Communitarianism
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Models of Democracy
Individual Rights/Limited Govt
Liberal Democracy I
Liberal Democracy II
High Mass Participation
Low Mass Participation
Marjoritarian Democracy
Elite Democracy
General Welfare
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Models of Democracy
Individual Rights/Limited Govt
Liberal Democracy I
Liberal Democracy II
High Mass Participation
Low Mass Participation
Majoritarian Democracy
Elite Democracy
General Welfare
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Models of Democracy

• majoritarian democracy
• most important goal is maximizing mass
  participation
• high mass participation will result in decisions
  being made that maximize the general welfare

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Models of Democracy
Individual Rights/Limited Govt
Liberal Democracy I
Liberal Democracy II
High Mass Participation
Low Mass Participation
Majoritarian Democracy
Elite Democracy
General Welfare
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Models of Democracy

• elite democracy
• most important goal is the general welfare
• requires an elite capable of pursuing the
  long-term interests of society
• actually values low mass participation

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Models of Democracy
Individual Rights/Limited Govt
Liberal Democracy
High Mass Participation
Low Mass Participation
Marjoritarian Democracy
Elite Democracy
General Welfare
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Models of Democracy

• liberal democracy
• most important goal is protecting individual
  rights
• does not prefer low mass participation but may be
  willing to accept it

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Models of Democracy
Individual Rights/Limited Govt
Liberal Democracy I
Liberal Democracy II
High Mass Participation
Low Mass Participation
Marjoritarian Democracy
Elite Democracy
General Welfare
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Models of Democracy
Individual Rights/Limited Govt
Liberal Democracy I
Liberal Democracy II
United States
High Mass Participation
Low Mass Participation
Marjoritarian Democracy
Elite Democracy
General Welfare
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ASSESSING DEMOCRACY...

• the democratic model
• completely normative
• difficult to apply label of undemocratic to the
  different models
• internal logic
• are some models of democracy more difficult to
  achieve than others?

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Models of Democracy
Individual Rights/Limited Govt
Liberal Democracy I
Liberal Democracy II
United States
High Mass Participation
Low Mass Participation
Marjoritarian Democracy
Elite Democracy
General Welfare
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THE CHALLENGE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY...

• combining...
• high levels of opportunity for mass political
  participation
• strong emphasis on rights of the individual
• why might these be difficult to combine??
• citizens who participate in the political process
  are limited in what they can use government for
• citizens who view themselves primarily as
  rights-bearing individuals have little incentive
  to participate in collective decision-making

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ASSESSING DEMOCRACY...

• the model of democracy
• the practice of democracy
• does the practice meet the ideals of the model?

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The American Dilemma

• democratic ideals are in tension
• difficult to maximize the achievement of one set
  of values without compromising the other
• mass participation vs. individual rights
• democratic ideals are in tension with democratic
  practice
• difficult to change democratic practice without
  sacrificing democratic ideals
• the politics of race in the US
• understanding American politics today requires
  recognizing the on-going significance of these
  two sets of tensions

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Things to Think About...

• is it better to strive for unrealistic goals and
  not achieve them or to aim for more modest goals
  but achieve them?
• did the democratic system in the US contribute to
  ameliorating the problems of race in the US or
  did it contribute to the persistence of the
  problems of race?

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