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A Presentation in Political Science 004
By Jeremiah Carlos
Y
 
 
   

 þ
 is pluralism?
 þ  ounded the theories o pluralism?
 þ  did pluralism start and develop?
 ^ does pluralism work?
 þ  is pluralism being applied today?
 þ  choose pluralism?

 Y

 
 |n its broader sense, pluralism is a belie
in, or a commitment to, diversity or multiplicity.
More narrowly, it is a theory o the distribution o
political power, that is widely and evenly dispersed in
society rather than concentrated in the hands o an
elite or a ruling class. |t is usually seen as a theory o
'group politics' in which individuals are represented
largely through their membership o organized
groups, and all such groups have access to the policy
process.
 
 ‘iterally ͞rule by the many͟, it reers to a
political system in which numerous competing
interest groups* exert strong inluence over a
responsive government. However, each o these
groups concentrates on its own area so no single
elite dominates all sectors. New groups can emerge
easily, bringing urther competition to the political
marketplace.

*|

  are associations that pressure

government or policies they avor.
Simply put:

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 !"  

# ! 
 
$Citizenship
$Citizenship rights, including one-
one-person
person--one
one--vote,
reedom o expression, reedom o organization
%System
%System o checks and balances between the
legislature, executive, judiciary and bureaucracy
&Competitive
&Competitive electoral system with at least two
parties
 ' ( 
 ! 
$Êesources
$Êesources and hence potential power are
widely scattered throughout society
%At
%At least some resources are available to nearly
everyone
&At
&At any time the amount o potential power
exceeds the amount o actual power
)No
)No one is all-
all-powerul
 !  
 
   !  

èhere are two widely-

widely-recognized pluralist schools o
thought namely, *  and
and +
+ ,,
 

*  was

was ounded by -   .
the ͞Father o the American Constitution.͟

+ ,  
+ , was
was developed by  / 
.
 / 
.an
an
American political scientist and Yale University
proessor.
-   0$12$,$3&45was an American
politician and political philosopher.
- the ourth President o the United States
- one o the Founding Fathers o the United States
- the principal author o the US Constitution, and is
oten called the "Father o the Constitution"
- wrote over a third o the 
 
 , an
inluential commentary on the US Constitution.
|n 
 
(1787) James Madison addresses
the question o "actions." He states that:
- source o action is the diversity o opinion in
political lie which leads to dispute over undamental
issues
- it is impossible to remove causes o action because
a) it will destroy ‘iberty and b) create a society
homogeneous in opinions and interests
- damage caused by actions can be limited only by
controlling its eects through separation o powers
and system o checks and balances
#   *  
1. Diverse range o overlapping interest groups
seeking political inluence
2. Governments mediate and adjudicate between
demands
3. Constitutional rules embedded in a supportive
political culture
4. Power is shared and bartered by numerous groups
in society
5. Dierent types o resource dispersed throughout
population
#   *  0 
 5
[. Value consensus on political procedures, range o
policy alternatives and legitimate scope o politics
7. Balance between active and passive citizenry
suicient or political stability
8. |nternational ramework upholding the rules o
pluralist and ree-market societies
 / 
0$6$2,   
5is the Sterling
Proessor emeritus o political science at Yale
University.
- ormer president o the American Political Science
Association
- one o the most distinguished political scientists
writing today
- "èhe Dean" o American political scientists
|n þ  
    

 (19[1) Êobert Dahl developed a radicalized orm o
pluralism, called neo-
neo-pluralism. He urther stated that:
- Group politics is the very stu o the democratic
process
- Group and organized interests had replaced political
parties as principal link between government and
governed
- Coined the term 'polyarchy' to mean ͞rule by many͟
- èhere is an increasing concern with the power o
major capitalist corporations
#   + , 
1. Multiple pressure groups but political agenda
biased towards corporate power
2. èhe state and its departments orge their own
sectional interests
3. Constitutional rules unction in context o diverse
political culture and system o radically unequal
economic resources
4. Power is contested by numerous groups
5. Poor resource base o many groups prevents their
ull political participation
#   + , 0 
 5
[. Uneven distribution o socioeconomic power
provides opportunities or and limits to political
options
7. Unequal involvement in politics; insuiciently
open government
8. |nternational order compromised by powerul
multinational economic interests and dominant
states
     

 7  

Pluralist ideas can be traced back to early liberal

political philosophy:
- -  8 (èè
 
1[89)
proposed representative government o a parliament
elected by citizens who owned property.
- *  
9  (è  

  1748)
advocated the separation o state powers into three
branches, namely the executive, legislative and
judicial branches.
èhe irst systematic development o pluralist ideas is
ound in the contributions o -    to è 
(1787--1789). He pointed out that:

 
 (1787

 
 
- èhere is a problem o ͞actions͟ in a democracy
- Unchecked democratic rule might simply lead to
majoritarianism
- èhere should be multiplicity o interests and groups
with political voice in a society or stability and order
- èhere must be a system o divided government
based on separation o powers, bicameralism and
ederalism
 / 
(þ  
 
 / 
(
   
 19[1) carried out an empirical
study o the distribution o power in New Haven,
Connecticut, USA. He concluded that:
- No ruling or permanent elite was able to dominate
the political process
- Modern democracy is a rule by many, not by all
citizens
- Pluralist democracy eatures competition between
parties at election time and the ability o interest or
pressure groups to articulate their view reely
: ;   ; 8

|n pluralism, politics is a competition between a

multitude o reely organized interest groups. èhese
compete or inluence over a government that is
willing to listen to all the voices it can distinguish in
the political din. èhe state becomes little more than
an arena or competition between interest groups.
èhe governing party is an arbitrator, not an initiator
o change. Groups compete on a level playing ield,
with the government showing little bias to all groups.

  

a) Same-
Same-sex marriage issue arises.
b) Only a small number o groups take interest in it.
c) Church and conservative organizations oppose it.
‘GBè groups and civil libertarian organizations
avor it.
d) èhese interest groups use their power to inluence
legislation.
e) èhe victorious side o this issue will be the one
with greatest power, not the one with the most
͞body count.͟
 ; Y   !
 
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1. Money
2. Charismatic leaders
3. Eicient organizational apparatus
4. Associating issues with dominant values o society
5. Knowledge

 // ",
", is a orm o advocacy with the intention o
inluencing decisions made by legislators and oicials
in the government by individuals, other legislators,
constituents, or interest groups
*     !  
   
  
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|n the late 1980s, President Gorbachev replaced the
docile Supreme Soviet with a two-
two-tier parliament
called the Congress o People's Deputies (CPSU).
CPSU abandoned its monopoly o power in 1990 and
similar parliaments were elected in the 15 Soviet
republics, under the conditions o 
  


  ( 
Y

 !  

|n the US, interest groups patterns come closer to the

pluralist model than anywhere else. èens o
thousands o groups, ranging rom Happiness o
Motherhood Eternal to the United Autoworkers o
America, seek to inluence policy at ederal, state and
local levels. | one interest seems to be gaining the
upper hand, others will orm to counter its inluence.
Vigorous, independent and competitive media are
always willing to listen to new groups with a story to
tell.
    
1. |t secures government by minorities and hence,
political liberty.
2. |t is a crucial obstacle to the development o
excessively powerul actions and an
unresponsive state.
3. |t relects the constitutional right to assembly,
and to petition the government or redress o
grievances.
4. |t ensures that the government is too ragmented
to be anything more than an unbiased umpire o
group demands.