- societies divided into two classes: few that govern many

- leaders: preserve organization and their position in it

- elites control resources (power, wealth, education); drawn from upper class whites

- "circulation of elites" = lower class people rising to the top

- attempts at altering institutions are punished (unions, schools) --> repressing change (prospective)

- anticipation of change is enough to trigger unemployment

- government systems are inducement systems

pluralism: groups (arising from diversity of interest)

elitism: elites/masses --> "iron law of oligarchy" = rule of the few

all human organizations and societies are ruled by small, unrepresentative elites

i.e. U.S. is controlled by those at the very peak of the government/military/economic and media systems

business has a "privileged position" in policy making in capitalist democracies

- key source of business power = threats of punishment (unemployment)

power is the ability of:

A to get to B to do something they would not otherwise do

ALL ABOUT AGENDA CONTROL:

- A has power over B in the sense that A can prevent B's grievance from being raised in any institutional venue: power as agenda control (As keep Bs concerns silenced)

- A has power over B to the extent that A has resources to dictate the issues that we will be focused on at any given moment

positive: block consideration of issues

negative: dictating issues we are focused on

- A shapes B's conceptions of B's own interests --> accepts status quo (HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!! HAHA)

- no fight back (B is not aware) --> false consciousness

- propoganda

- ideological hegemony: values of dominant social groups pervade whole society

1) Business does not always win: minimum wage laws, anti-discrimination laws, SEC, Enron, environmental laws

2) Business is not monolithic (a rarity in political interests): big business, small business, export business/import, unionized firms, non-union, agriculture, manufacturing 

citizens united by common impulse of passion, adverse to other's rights

- either a majority or minority

- adverse to the interests of the community as well

How to preserve a system of self-gov. while avoiding the tyranny of the majority?

- design a system that will typically frustrate majorities (block majorities from forming)

- 2-layered strategy: societal level checks & institutional level checks

- if it is broken, choose fixer carefully and always get a second opinion (separation of power)

- president has a hard job of convincing others

- problem: potential for split-party government --> The Contract

- necessary partition of power --> each department has its own will

- appt. of positions from same fountain of authority --> divide legislation into different branches

- institutional-level checks under the 2-layered "strategy of checks"

Hudson's critique of why the 

American constitutional system is undemocratic

- accountability --> separate institutions complicate problems for voters of holding elected

- responsiveness --> system insufficiently responsive to the will of the majority: cannot distinguish "tyrannical" from "democratic" majorities and frustrates both

- divided government complicates this further --> hinders the ability of majorities to work their will --> policy gridlock

- accountability: separate institutions complicate problems for voters of holding elected

- responsiveness: system insufficiently responsive to the will of the majority

proposed system that lacks separation of power:

- election of prime minister (parliamentary system)

- ease problem of divided government (accountability) --> party that wins election gets vote

- elections are the main check against the majority

- meeting crisis --> solutions

- need to maintain balance in national programs (public/private, national/individual)