Graduate
School of American Studies
Doshisha University
Fall 1997
AO 316 Selected Themes 16
POLITICAL PARTIES AND INTEREST GROUPS IN AMERICA (2 units)
In the early 19th century, the United States pioneered in the development of
the world's first political parties. The Democratic party actually claims to
be the world's oldest political party, with origins in the Jeffersonian faction
(known then as the Jeffersonian "Republicans") that first appeared during the
presidency of George Washington. Consequently, it is ironic that today the United
States probably has the weakest political parties of any major democracy. In
terms of controlling nominations, defining the criteria for membership, or disciplining
elected officeholders, American parties can only be viewed as remarkably anemic.
At the same time, the United States is unusual in the number and the scope of
interest groups organized, even if the set of organized interests is not representative
of society as a whole. Especially since the 1960s, there has been a proliferation
of new interest groups, almost all of which have headquarters in Washington,
D.C. and actively seek to affect policy outcomes at the federal level. In short,
as the government has grown larger, so has the community of groups seeking to
affect what government does. Thus, America today is marked by strong interest
groups and relatively weak parties.
The purpose of this course will be to address the origins and consequences of
this state of affairs, especially its effects on the quality of democracy and
the effectiveness of public policy. We will begin by identifying some of the
problems that, according to political scientists, strong interest groups and
weak parties pose for American democracy, and will then critically evaluate
some of the reform proposals currently on offer.
Course Requirements: All students must copy and read the assigned texts, and
attend class regularly. Grades will be based on a mid-term paper, a paper due
at the end of the course, and occasional short quizzes and other brief assignments.
The two major papers will be between five and ten pages in length and on topics
suggested by the professor. Each paper will be worth about 50% of the course
grade, but participation in class discussion can also have a positive impact
on the final evaluation.
Textbooks:
William E. Hudson, American Democracy in Peril Revised Edition (Chatham, NJ:
Chatham House, 1996)
Jonathan Rauch, Demosclerosis: The Silent Killer of American Government (New
York: Times Books, 1995).
Students should also copy the assigned readings from other sources as the course
proceeds.
Reference Works:
Dan Clawson, Alan Neustadtl, and Denise Scott, Money Talks: Corporate PACs and
Political Influence (New York: Basic Books, 1992).
Morris Fiorina, Divided Government (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company,
1992).
Robert A. Goldwin, ed. Political Parties in the Eighties (Washington, D.C.:
American Enterprise Institute, 1980).
William Greider, Who Will Tell the People? The Betrayal of American Democracy
(New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992).
John S. Jackson II and William Crotty, The Politics of Presidential Selection
(New York: Harper Collins, 1996).
Herbert M. Levine, ed. Point-Counterpoint: Readings in American Government,
Fifth Edition (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995).
Karen O'Connor, American Government: Readings and Cases (Boston: Allyn and Bacon,
1995).
Mark Petracca, ed. The Politics of Interests: Interest Groups Transformed (Boulder,
CO: Westview, 1992).
A. James Reichley, The Life of the Parties (New York: The Free Press, 1992).
A. James Reichley, Elections American Style (Washington, D.C.: The Brookings
Institution, 1987).
John R. Wright, Interest Groups and Congress: Lobbying, Contributions, and Influence
(Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996).
COURSE SCHEDULE
DEFINING THE PROBLEM
Week 1: An Initial Diagnosis: The Wrong Kind of Democracy?
Anthony King, "Running Scared," The Atlantic Monthly (January 1997) or Anthony
King, "The Vulnerable American Politician," British Journal of Political Science
(1997), 1-22.
Week 2: The Logic of Collective Action and the Rise of Hyperpluralism
Rauch, 3-62: Mancur Olson, Jr., "The Logic of Collective Action," and Phil Mundo,
"A Sympathetic View of the Role of Interest Groups," in Karen O'Connor, American
Government, 333-342.
Week 3: The Parasite Economy
Rauch, 63-117.
Week 4: The Concept of "Demosclerosis"
Rauch, 118-154; *John Wright, Interest Groups & Congress, Chapter 6.
Week 5: Divided Government and Gridlock
Hudson, 33-67.
Week 6: Declining Citizen Participation
Hudson, 111-139.
Week 7: Trivialized Elections
Hudson, 145-179.
Week 8: The Problematic Role of Business in Politics
Hudson, 185-214.
IN SEARCH OF SOLUTIONS
Week 9: Dealing with "Demosclerosis"
Rauch, 155-218.
Week 10: Does America Need Stronger Political Parties? The Case In Favor
A. James Reichley, "Rebuilding the Parties" in Reichley, The Life of the Parties,
411-433 and James L. Sundquist, "Strengthening the National Parties" in Reichley,
Elections American Style, 195-221.
Week 11: Does America Need Stronger Political Parties? The Case Against
Everett Carl Ladd, "Party Reform and the Public Interest" in Reichley, Elections
American Style, 222-239 and Edward C. Banfield, "In Defense of the American
Party System" in Goldwin, ed. Political Parties in the Eighties, 133-149.
Week 12: Reforming the Presidential Nominating Process
James W. Ceaser, "Improving the Nominating Process" in Reichley, Elections American
Style, 29-51 and John S. Jackson II and William Crotty, The Politics of Presidential
Selection, 91-97.
Week 13: Campaign Finance Reform
Dan Clawson, Alan Neustadtl, and Denise Scott, Money Talks: Corporate PACs and
Political Influence, 191-219.
Week 14: The Case for Constitutional Reform
Committee on the Constitutional System, "A Bicentennial Analysis of the American
Political Structure" and Thomas O. Sargentich, "The Limits of the Parliamentary
Critique of the Separation of Power" in Herbert M. Levine, ed. Point-Counterpoint:
Readings in American Government, Fifth Edition, 17-50