Which
Theory of Power in a Democracy Describes American Democracy?
Pluralism
refers to a political system where there is more than one area of power. By definition,
a democracy is a “form of government in which the supreme power is vested in
the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a
free electoral system”. People being plural describes more than a few people. A
democracy is administered by several groups of people, all with different
opinions and cultures. Each one of these categories exercises their unequal share
of power. They operate as if they are all systems of government. The groups
work together, compromise, bargain, and form policies. Since each group has
different beliefs, they are often competing with each other for the highest
amount of power, as well as influencing their ideas on as many individuals and
groups as possible. The U.S. is a jar packed full with different cultures, beliefs,
religions, occupations, and opinions. Each individual has a different history,
which forms their unique opinions. Similar opinions find their way to each
other to form their “groups”. Examples of these groups are “business people,
politicians, union leaders, journalists, bureaucrats, professors,
environmentalists, and lawyers”. It is clear how the people in each group would
own similar opinions because “relevant interests have a chance to affect the
outcome of decisions” (American
Government: Institutions and Policies, 9th ed. 39). As the groups practice their power by
participating in decision making, they have the opportunity to change a piece of
the law or country that they do not support.
Recently, people have been
questioning whether pluralism still defines our system of government, the
democracy. The 80-year-old
Aga Khan, in Ottowa believes that in places like the U.S. that have
leaders similar to Trump mocking the laws, need to be closely watched, to
ensure that pluralism remains as the word to describe our democracy.
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