POL S101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Westminster System, Polyarchy, Consensus Democracy
3 Mar 2018
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Document Summary
Government by the people; rule by the demos". Different interpretations of how people can choose the rule. Refers to limited government (social contract) and power of government is legitimated by consent (granted by the people to prevent tyranny of the state). Also refers to protection of the rights of the government and the governed. Get it through rule of law: republicanism (separation of powers, constitutional government, consent/ representative democracy) Limited to the act of selecting leaders (voting) Pluralist theories (including critics from the left) such as pateman. Expansive: sees participation through many stages of the policy process. Participation as essential to human development, autonomy, self-determination. Limited to the act of selecting leaders (democratic elitism) Often people are not informed well; procedural. Roussea was not for representative democracy (thought it was too idealistic) but more direct democracy. Concerned about oligarchy and economic interests of the elite influence policy.
