Global Ethics Corner: In America, Does Pluralist Democracy Still Work?

Aug 19, 2011

Has pluralism in America emphasized private interest over public good? Does the market for ideas need more supervision, or should the market rule?

America is a representative republic. We can't all participate in public decisions, but we can choose representatives.

These legislators face a dilemma. Should they: 1) transmit the ideas of their constituents, or 2) rely on their own background? Most find a compromise, but how do they know constituents' views?

Personal contact is arbitrary. Politicians' intuitions are unreliable. Polls give a sense of opinion, but little guidance on specific legislation. The media often have an agenda, including selling advertising, and the publics' views are not constant.

Pluralism offers an elegant solution.

America is described as a country of joiners. People join together, in sports leagues, investment clubs, interest groups, et cetera.

If something matters, people seek and join others who share their views. In politics, any idea that attracts significant attention is represented by a group.

So, interest groups compete for legislators' attention, and the clash of plural views becomes a surrogate for democracy. The unseen-hand of group competition produces the highest public good.

Today, however, competition often takes the form of money and insider influence. With 13,000+ lobbyists and billions spent, has this competition become dysfunctional? Has pluralism emphasized private interest over public good, and clogged the ideas' marketplace to the point of paralysis?

What do you think? Can we rely on interest groups, especially ones we personally support? Does the market for ideas need more supervision, or should the market rule?

Adapted from Joel Rosenthal by William Vocke

First published on January 29, 2010.

You may also like

U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tanks

FEB 6, 2023 Article

Ethics, Escalation, and Engagement in Ukraine and Beyond

Now that HIMAR and Patriot missiles as well as Leopard and Abrams tanks are on the way to Ukraine, NATO unity is at a high ...

MAY 6, 2022 Podcast

For Companies, Could China Be the Next Russia? with Perth Tolle

Isaac Stone Fish and finance expert Perth Tolle discuss the global economic backlash to Russia after the Ukraine invasion, China, and much more.

MAY 3, 2022 Article

Why Democracy vs. Autocracy Misses the Point

Today, the world seems to be laser-focused on the struggle of "democracy vs. autocracy," but what if this ideological debate is missing the point? Columbia ...

未翻译

此内容尚未翻译成您的语言。您可以点击下面的按钮申请翻译。

要求翻译