Democratic Theory B H POLS 249A:

Transcription

1 1 B H POLS 249A: Democratic Theory Jan Feldman Old Mill Jan.feldman@uvm.edu OFFICE HOURS ON Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 11:45-12:45 or by appointment Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of G-d, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. I Samuel 24 They assembled against Moses and Aaron and said to them, You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are holy, and G-d is in their midst. So why do you raise yourselves above G-d s assembly? Is it not enough that you have brought us out of a land of milk and honey to kill us in the desert, that you should also exercise authority over us? The Spartan Pedarates presented himself for admission to the council of the Three Hundred and was rejected. He went away rejoicing that there were three hundred Spartans better than himself. The fall of the Soviet Union brought a dramatic upsurge in the number of people worldwide living under avowedly democratic regimes. The democratic ideal is currently so pervasive and persistent that even the most authoritarian rulers worldwide rarely reject it outright. Tyrannical governments ranging from the former Soviet Union to the Iranian Islamic Republic pay lip service and have adopted the rhetoric of democracy. It is understood that democracy is the requirement for legitimacy, popular validation and stability. It is also the declared goal and aspiration of almost every contemporary political reform movement. This course is organized around major points of conflict in democratic theory. What is democracy? Does its justification rest on the outcomes it produces or is it a good in itself? Is it desirable even when it arguably does not produce good governance? If democracy is about managing power relations and preventing oppression and domination, how do we recognize domination? If, as the Framers of the US Constitution noted, power is inevitable, how do we prevent those who exercise it from using it for illegitimate ends? Can we trust our fellow citizens to be rational voters or even to know their own best

2 2 interests? Should leaders to do what is best or what their constituents want? When we demand that our elected officials show leadership, what are we actually asking for? Can democracy mean just anything? Assessing the various definitions and claims requires three yardsticks: The first is normative (seeking to justify democracy in terms of social justice, fairness, human dignity and autonomy); Does democracy s legitimacy derive from its normative claims that it is the most just system because humans are innately constituted to live according to democratic rules, whatever their culture and history, or is democracy simply one among many just regimes? The second justifies democracy based on procedures and performance (do democratic procedures that aggregate individual interests in order to carry out collective decisions produce superior policy outcomes? The third is explanatory, historical, and descriptive, seeking to pinpoint evolution, stages and preconditions for democracy. In terms of historical evolution, how does contemporary democracy differ from the classical version? How does liberal democracy differ from nonliberal variants? Does liberalism, with its emphasis on rights-based individualism, civil, political and social rights, undermine both community and democracy? Does our public philosophy of liberalism produce citizens who possess the commitment and competence to keep democratic institutions afloat? Do the associations and institutions of civil society (a.k.a. the constituent elements or building blocks) of democracy have to be democratic themselves? Does democracy have a recipe or a blueprint? Can it take root in any soil? What about political culture? Does democracy require democrats in order to get started, or will democratic institutions gradually accustom citizens to the rules and virtues of democratic practice? What about hybrid versions of democracy that are juxtaposed upon traditional and religious societies? Does democracy require the separation of Church and State or religion and politics? Is democracy uniquely suited to secular, western or modern societies? Should we (the US) push other countries to adopt democracy, or is it possible that democracy could be prematurely imposed on countries that are not yet (and may never be) ready? Would this be another form of imperialism and Western conceit? We will also examine a few of the warts and paradoxes of democracy created by its relationship with liberalism and capitalism: majority rule and minority rights, judicial

3 3 review, elitism, irrationality in voting, authority and power. The common linking of neoliberal economics with democratic politics raises the question of whether economic inequality undermines political equality. What is the connection between capitalism and democracy? Is the connection a causal one, or merely an historical accident? Finally, how democratic is our polity? Is there a disconnect between our ideals and aspirations on the one hand, and our performance on the other? Course Requirements I will provide an introduction to each reading and help guide you through the central points. It is your responsibility to complete the assigned readings before the class to which they pertain. The ratio of discussion to lecture depends on your thoughtful participation, which in turn, depends on your having read and thought carefully about the assignments for a given class. The more time I must spend reconstructing the arguments, the less time there will be for discussion and debate. If you prefer to skim readings and take a passive role in a lecture class, this is probably not the course for you. Each week students will be expected to read between pages and to hand in three typed questions that relate to the central concerns of the authors assigned that week before the class meets. You should state the question and then elaborate on why this question is of importance to the author, how he or she attempts to answer it and how satisfied you are with the author s effort. These questions should be about one page in length each, producing a total of about three pages double-spaced. Papers must be typed and in hard copy. The completion of the essays is a prerequisite for passing the course. No late papers will be accepted without a medical justification. These short essays will constitute 60 % of your final grade. There will be a research paper on a topic of your choice, approved by me, and five minute oral presentation to the class that will constitute 30% of your grade. Attendance and participation will be duly noted and factored in to your grade at 10 %. Readings and Course Materials All books required for the course can be found at the UVM Bookstore. Alternatively, feel free to search for copies online at sites like textbooks.com. You may find better deals on the internet. Some materials are posted on Blackboard (Bb) under our course name and number. You will also find an array of supplemental, recommended materials on Blackboard. News, messages, and current events articles will be placed on Bb as well, so male sure you check in often. If you are not familiar with how to access Blackboard, get help ASAP!

4 4 Required books: Democracy, ed. Phillip Green Democratic Theory Today, Carter and Stokes, eds. This book is unavailable through the UVM Bookstore but is available, both new and used through Amazon and several other online sources. Please order asap! A. The state of Democratic Theory: Contested Definitions and Typologies 1. The State of Democratic Theory, Ian Shapiro, Introduction (Bb) 2. Democracy as a Contested Idea, Green, Democracy (Introduction) 3. Keywords, (Green ch 2.) From Raymond Williams 4. Introduction, Carter and Stokes, Democratic Theory Today B. Historical Overview of Democracy from Greece to the present: Canonical Works Of Classical Theory: 1. Pericles: Funeral Oration (Bb) 2. Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Book V and excerpt from Politics (Bb) C. Representative Government, Liberalism, Checks and balances: disbursing power and preventing tyranny 1. Federalist Papers # 10 Madisonian insights: how factions can be used to preserve freedom (Green ch. 5) 2. John Stuart Mill from Considerations on Representative Government (Green ch. 6) 3. John Stuart Mill from On Liberty (Green ch. 33) 4. Alexis detocqueville, from Democracy in America (Green ch. 4) D. Agency: Forming and registering the Collective Will: Majorities and Minorities: Or, how can we reconcile collective rule and individual autonomy? 1. JJ Rousseau, The Social Contract, (Green ch. 32) 2. JJ Rousseau, The Social Contract (Green ch. 2) 3. Deliberative democracy, Mark Warren, Democratic Theory Today, ch.7 4. Civil Society and Democracy Baogang He Democratic Theory Today ch.8 E. Democratic Procedures: Mechanisms for Achieving the Best Outcomes: Democratic Deliberation, Majority Rule and the Aggregation of Preferences

5 5 1. Friedrich Hayek, on Majority Rule Democracy: Theory and Practice, pp Peter Jones, Political Equality and majority Rule Bb pp Charles Beitz, Complex Proceduralism Bb pp Elster, The Market and the Forum Bb pp II Critiques of Democracy A. How Democratic is the American Polity? Pathologies of liberal democracy: 1. Elitism and Hierarchy a. Robert Michels from Political Parties (Green ch. 8) b. Max Weber on Bureaucracy (Green ch. 9) c. Joseph Schumpeter, form Capitalism, Socialism, and democracy, (Green ch. 10) d. Robert Dahl, Who Governs?, (Green ch. 13) 2. Democracy and Inequality a. Harry Brighouse Democracy and Inequality, in Democratic Theory Today ch. 2 b. Michael Parenti, Power and the Powerless (Green ch.23) c. C.B. MacPherson, Democratic Theory (Green ch. 18) d. Bowles and Gintis, Democracy and Capitalism, (Green ch. 21) 3. Power and Powerlessness: The problem of chronically underrepresented minorities a. Iris Marion Young, from Justice and the Politics of Difference (Green ch. 36) b. Anne Phillips from Engendering Democracy (Green ch. 24) c. Elizabeth Frazer, Democracy, Citizenship, and gender, in Democratic Theory Today Ch.3 d. Representation and Group rights: cases: City of Mobile v Bolder, Reynolds v Sims, Lucas v Forty-fourth General Assembly Democracy: Theory and Practice, ch. 6 Bb 3. Democracy and Group Rights a. Democracy and Group Rights, John Cane, Democratic theory Today ch.4 b. Democracy and nationalism, Margaret Canovan, Democratic Theory Today, ch.6

6 6 Reviving Democracy: Civic Virtue, Civility, Democratic Citizenship and Public Space. Liberty, licentiousness and the erosion of solidarity, and community 1. Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone: America s Declining Social Capital (Bb) 2. John Dewey, from the Public and its Problems (Green ch. 14) 3. Philip Green, Retrieving Democracy, (Green ch. 30) 4. Benjamin Barber, Strong Democracy, (Green. Ch. 31) The Global Scene: Transitions to Democracy: Are there prerequisites from democracy? Does cultural frame matter? Is secularism a must? Is liberalism a must? Is development a must? Is separation of religion and politics a must? Is democracy good for women? 1. Parekh, The Cultural Particularity of Liberal Democracy: Prospects for Democracy (Bb) 2. Thomas Bridges, Salvaging Liberalism from the Wreck of the Enlightenment (Bb) The Arab Spring (Bb) 3. The short story: Wikipedia (I am so ashamed for using this as a source but this is a decent synopsis), Islam and Democracy 4. Muqtedar Khan, Islamic Democratic Theory: Between Political Philosophy and Jurisprudence 5. John Esposito and John Voll, Islam and Democracy 6. Khaled Abou el Fadl, Islam and the Challenge of Democracy: Can Individual Rights and Popular Sovereignty Take Root in faith? 7. R.K. Ramazani, Democracy, Not Islam, is the Solution? 8. Rand Conference Proceedings: Democracy and Islam in the New Constitution of Afghanistan 9. Jihad Watch: Fatwa against democracy article and blogs 10. Islamic Cleric Misunderstands Islam, issues Fatwa against Democracy 11. The Religion of Peace.com, Democracy 12. Pew Research Center Publications: Egypt, democracy and Islam, January 31, Gallup World Poll, Islam and Democracy, 14. Center for the Study of Islam and democracy, Conference proceedings, Tunisia s and Egypt s Revolutions and Transitions to democracy, April, 2011 Term Paper presentations: Research on the Arab Spring country of your choice

7 7 CLASSROOM PROTOCOL The Department of Political Science requires that this classroom protocol, defining minimum standards of conduct, be included in all syllabi. 1. Students are expected to attend and be prepared for ALL regularly scheduled classes. 2. Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period ends. If a student knows in advance that he/she will need to leave early, he/she should notify the instructor before the class period begins. 3. Students are expected to treat faculty and fellow students with respect. For example, students must not disrupt class by leaving and reentering during class, must not distract class by making noise, and must be attentive to comments being made by the instructors and by peers.