The Political Elite and Special Interests

The Political Elite and Special Interests PDF Author: Rachel Bozek
Publisher: Greenhaven Publishing LLC
ISBN: 1534501053
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 138

Get Book Here

Book Description
There is a growing sense that government is no longer of the people, by the people, and for the people. Many believe that society is manipulated by a handful of political elites and special interests. But why does each party feel that it is the elites and special interests of the other party who are in control of things? Does “one person one vote” still hold sway? Is this still a citizen democracy, or has it evolved into an oligarchy? Whose voice and vote really count? These and other questions and debates concerning power, influence, and who wields it are at the center of this fascinating collection of articles drawn from across the political spectrum.

The Political Elite and Special Interests

The Political Elite and Special Interests PDF Author: Rachel Bozek
Publisher: Greenhaven Publishing LLC
ISBN: 1534501053
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 138

Get Book Here

Book Description
There is a growing sense that government is no longer of the people, by the people, and for the people. Many believe that society is manipulated by a handful of political elites and special interests. But why does each party feel that it is the elites and special interests of the other party who are in control of things? Does “one person one vote” still hold sway? Is this still a citizen democracy, or has it evolved into an oligarchy? Whose voice and vote really count? These and other questions and debates concerning power, influence, and who wields it are at the center of this fascinating collection of articles drawn from across the political spectrum.

The Paradox of American Democracy

The Paradox of American Democracy PDF Author: John B. Judis
Publisher: Pantheon
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 328

Get Book Here

Book Description
John B. Judis, one of our most insightful political commentators, most rational and careful thinkers, and most engaged witnesses in Washington, has taken on a challenge that even the most concerned American citizens shrink from: forecasting the American political climate at the turn of the century. The Paradox of American Democracy is a penetrating examination of our democracy that illuminates the forces and institutions that once enlivened it and now threaten to undermine it. It is the well-reasoned discussion we need in this era of unrestrained expert opinions and ideologically biased testimony. The disenchantment with our political system can be seen in decreasing voter turnout, political parties co-opted by consultants and large contributors, the corrupting influence of "soft money," and concern for national welfare subverted by lobbying organizations and special-interest groups. Judis revisits particular moments -- the Progressive Era, the New Deal, the 1960s -- to discover what makes democracy the most efficacious and, consequently, most inefficacious. What has worked in the past is a balancing act between groups of elites --- trade commissions, labor relations boards, policy groups -- whose mandates are to act in the national interest and whose actions are governed by a disinterested pursuit of the common good. Judis explains how the displacment of such elites by a new lobbying community in Whashington has given rise to the cynicism that corrodes the current political system. The Paradox of American Democracy goes straight to the heart of every political debate in this country.

The Not-So-Special Interests

The Not-So-Special Interests PDF Author: Matt Grossmann
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 0804781346
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 250

Get Book Here

Book Description
"Lobbyist" tends to be used as a dirty word in politics. Indeed, during the 2008 presidential primary campaign, Hillary Clinton was derided for even suggesting that some lobbyists represent "real Americans." But although many popular commentators position interest groups as representatives of special—not "public"—interests, much organized advocacy is designed to advance public interests and ideas. Advocacy organizations—more than 1,600 of them—are now an important component of national political institutions. This book uses original data to explain why certain public groups, such as Jews, lawyers, and gun-owners, develop substantially more representation than others, and why certain organizations become the presumed spokespersons for these groups in government and media. In contrast to established theory and conventional wisdom, this book demonstrates that groups of all sizes and types generate advocates to speak on their behalf, though with varying levels of success. Matt Grossmann finds that the advantages of organized representation accrue to those public groups that are the most politically motivated and involved in their communities. Organizations that mobilize members and create a long-lasting presence in Washington become, in the minds of policymakers and reporters, the taken-for-granted surrogates for these public groups. In the face of perennial debates about the relative power of the people and the special interests, Grossmann offers an informed and nuanced view of the role of organizations in public representation and American governance.

Who Rules America Now?

Who Rules America Now? PDF Author: G. William Domhoff
Publisher: Touchstone
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 244

Get Book Here

Book Description
The author is convinced that there is a ruling class in America today. He examines the American power structure as it has developed in the 1980s. He presents systematic, empirical evidence that a fixed group of privileged people dominates the American economy and government. The book demonstrates that an upper class comprising only one-half of one percent of the population occupies key positions within the corporate community. It shows how leaders within this "power elite" reach government and dominate it through processes of special-interest lobbying, policy planning and candidate selection. It is written not to promote any political ideology, but to analyze our society with accuracy.

Political Capitalism

Political Capitalism PDF Author: Randall G. Holcombe
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108596126
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 305

Get Book Here

Book Description
Problems associated with cronyism, corporatism, and policies that favor the elite over the masses have received increasing attention in recent years. Political Capitalism explains that what people often view as the result of corruption and unethical behavior are symptoms of a distinct system of political economy. The symptoms of political capitalism are often viewed as the result of government intervention in a market economy, or as attributes of a capitalist economy itself. Randall G. Holcombe combines well-established theories in economics and the social sciences to show that political capitalism is not a mixed economy, or government intervention in a market economy, or some intermediate step between capitalism and socialism. After developing the economic theory of political capitalism, Holcombe goes on to explain how changes in political ideology have facilitated the growth of political capitalism, and what can be done to redirect public policy back toward the public interest.

Elite Capture

Elite Capture PDF Author: Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò
Publisher: Haymarket Books
ISBN: 1642597147
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 111

Get Book Here

Book Description
“Identity politics” is everywhere, polarizing discourse from the campaign trail to the classroom and amplifying antagonisms in the media, both online and off. But the compulsively referenced phrase bears little resemblance to the concept as first introduced by the radical Black feminist Combahee River Collective. While the Collective articulated a political viewpoint grounded in their own position as Black lesbians with the explicit aim of building solidarity across lines of difference, identity politics is now frequently weaponized as a means of closing ranks around ever-narrower conceptions of group interests. But the trouble, Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò deftly argues, is not with identity politics itself. Through a substantive engagement with the global Black radical tradition and a critical understanding of racial capitalism, Táíwò identifies the process by which a radical concept can be stripped of its political substance and liberatory potential by becoming the victim of elite capture—deployed by political, social, and economic elites in the service of their own interests. Táíwò’s crucial intervention both elucidates this complex process and helps us move beyond a binary of “class” vs. “race.” By rejecting elitist identity politics in favor of a constructive politics of radical solidarity, he advances the possibility of organizing across our differences in the urgent struggle for a better world.

Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democracy

Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democracy PDF Author: Michael Albertus
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110819642X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 326

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book argues that - in terms of institutional design, the allocation of power and privilege, and the lived experiences of citizens - democracy often does not restart the political game after displacing authoritarianism. Democratic institutions are frequently designed by the outgoing authoritarian regime to shield incumbent elites from the rule of law and give them an unfair advantage over politics and the economy after democratization. Authoritarianism and the Elite Origins of Democracy systematically documents and analyzes the constitutional tools that outgoing authoritarian elites use to accomplish these ends, such as electoral system design, legislative appointments, federalism, legal immunities, constitutional tribunal design, and supermajority thresholds for change. The study provides wide-ranging evidence for these claims using data that spans the globe and dates from 1800 to the present. Albertus and Menaldo also conduct detailed case studies of Chile and Sweden. In doing so, they explain why some democracies successfully overhaul their elite-biased constitutions for more egalitarian social contracts.

Twilight of the Elites

Twilight of the Elites PDF Author: Christopher Hayes
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307720454
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Get Book Here

Book Description
Analyzes scandals in high-profile institutions, from Wall Street and the Catholic Church to corporate America and Major League Baseball, while evaluating how an elite American meritocracy rose throughout the past half-century before succumbing to unprecedented levels of corruption and failure. 75,000 first printing.

THE POWER ELITE

THE POWER ELITE PDF Author: C.WRIGHT MILLS
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 442

Get Book Here

Book Description


Private Wealth and Public Revenue

Private Wealth and Public Revenue PDF Author: Tasha Fairfield
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107088372
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 365

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book identifies sources of power that help business and economic elites influence policy decisions.