Classification
- Typology: classification system for claiming broad similarities or differences
- Aristotle’s typology based on two questions:
- who rules?
- in whose interest?
| Who Rules | Lawful (common good) | Lawless (private interest) |
| One | Monarchy | Tyranny |
| Few | Aristocracy | Oligarchy |
| Many | Polity | Democracy |
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- modern concept of “democracy” = polity — constitutional democracy
- Dickerson and Flanagan’s modern typology
- Political System:
- Liberal Democracy
- Transitional Democracies
- Autocratic (authoritarian & totalitarian)
- Institutions — relationship between legislative (make laws) & executive (enforce laws & enforce laws)
- Parliamentary / Presidential / Hybrid
- Unitary / Devolution / Federalism / Confederation
- Political System:
Liberal democracies
- form of political system which emerged in Northern & Western Europe, and European North America
- “a system of government in which people rule themselves, either directly or indirectly (through chosen officials) but in either case subject to constitutional restraints on the power of the majority” (D&F, 269)
- Robert Dahl argues historic sources include:
- Greek city-state: assemblies, officials elected by lottery
- Roman Empire & Italian city-states: election of important officials
- Northern Europe: Ting (local assemblies) and Althing (national assembly); elected king responsible to Ting and limits on his power; equality among citizens
- commonality: limited to ‘free men’; oppressive of ‘others’, esp. women; often popular rule gave way to one-person or one-group rule; only few participated or believed in the underlying ‘logic’
- four operating principles:
- 1. equality of political rights: right to vote and right to engage in civic duties & public offices
- 2. majority rule: each vote counts equally, so majority vote wins
- majority = 50%+1
- plurality = the most
- qualified majority = certain number above 50%+1
- unanimity = everyone agrees / votes for the same option
- 3. political partication: representative democracy
- population votes for leaders who rule
- leaders rule (laws & policy & expenditures) within the constraints of the law
- vs. direct democracy: everyone takes part and votes on all laws & policy & expenditures
- some other options: referendum, initiative & recall (D&F 274-275)
- 4. political freedom: rights to engage in political activities (speech, writing, organizing, election, etc.)
Autocracies
-
- means ‘self-rule’, but refers to absolute rule by one person or group without limits imposed by law, political institutions, etc.
- various types of autocracy:
- despotism: one person rule through fear
- authoritarianism: “authority that may or may not rest on wide popular support but that is not put to the test of free eletions” (D&F 309)
- most are statist:
- state is final controller of politics, economics, and society is engage in engineering all three directly or indirectly (right-wing and left-wing)
- do what they think works for the state (regardless of ideology)
| Right Wing | Left Wing | |
| no to limited political pluralism | no to limited political pluralism | |
| no ideology, but anti-communist | official ideology, anti-captalist & anti-liberal | |
| limited political mobilization | massive political moblilization | |
| no pre-existing plan for social transformation | pre-existing plan for social transformation | |
| favourable to capitalism | favourable to socialism |
-
- Totalitarianism is different from both because:
- focussed on personality of one person — ‘cult of personality’
- reduces the problem or solution to one factor
- one party state, loyalty to party from all social institutions & people
- monopolize ideas
- widespread use of terror
- state overrides laws & not bound by them
- planned & controlled economy
- Totalitarianism is different from both because:
- Problems of all systems:
- elite rule: unnecesary evil or necessary evil?
- majority v minorty rights
- public interest (common good) v private interest (individual or group interest): what counts as what? eg. private property, national defence, public education
- how much political autonomy? — state, individuals, groups, etc.
- how much state intervention in the economy and society?
- how much political participation of ‘non-state’ actors, eg. business, unions, etc.?
