POLSCI 1AA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Underconsumption, Free Market, Steven Lukes

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLSCI 1AA3
• Professor: Todd Alway

Document Summary

Elite theory: (argues no to both of these questions and yet elite theory tells us very little about the character of social life) an inescapable element of human society. Historically, society has been divided into two - those who rule and those who are ruled. Elite theory asks the question of why this has been the case and whether this inequality is. To sum: for classical elite theorists, the divide between the two is an inevitability in any. Argues that equality is impossible; elie rule is an inevitability, regardless of the type of society political institutions in place. Two root cause explanations in elite theory: natural differences. Certain physiological and psychological characteristics confer a political advantage and thereby lead to elite domination: it"s the effect of structures. In a functioning democracy, interest groups (elite and non-elite) compete for. Social power is fragmented access to political power.