Pluralist Democracy

Pluralism = Plural = Many = Money

Definition - Pluralist democracy is a model of democracy in which no one group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy.

Sentence - The most notable example of pluralist democracy in the American political system is the role that interest groups play in political decisions today. Interest groups are groups of people who attempt to influence policymakers to support their position on a particular common interest or concern.

Current Events (scenario) - Reuters Factbox: Potential winners and losers from the new U.S. EV charging standards

Questions

  1. What is the best thing about a pluralist democracy?

  2. The United States is a representative democracy, but what kind? Does it seem more like a pluralist, participatory, or elite democracy (see definition below).

  3. Has the U.S. evolved more towards or away from a pluralist democracy?

  4. What kind of democracy did the Framers want?

AP Studio Art - Now draw Plurlism. Take 10 or 20 seconds. That’s all you need. Nothing fancy. Don’t expect a masterpiece. Draw with symbols or stick figures if you wish or just cut and paste images that work. Now Look at your drawing. Say the name of the term. You’ve got it. That’s all.

Fun Facts - Learn more about Pluralism.

Bonus Knowledge - Representative democracies can take several forms along this scale:
Participatory democracy, which emphasizes
broad participation in politics and civil society
Pluralist democracy, which recognizes
group-based activism by nongovernmental
interests striving for impact on political
decision making
Elite democracy, which emphasizes limited
participation in politics and civil society

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