Question

the vice of the groupist theory is that it conceals the most significant aspects of the system. the flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent. probably about 90 percent of the people cannot get into the pressure notion that the pressure system is automatically representative of the whole community is a myth fostered by the universalizing tendency of modern group theories. pressure politics is a selective process ill designed to serve diffuse interests. the system is skewed, loaded, and unbalanced in favor of a fraction of a minority.e. e. schattschneider, the semisovereign people, 1960questionwhich of the following best captures the author's argument regarding the forms of democracy?responsespluralist democracy, which seeks to shield elites from popular opinion, functions best when individual citizens do not participate in the process.pluralist democracy, which seeks to shield elites from popular opinion, functions best when individual citizens do not participate in the process.participatory democracy, which emphasizes limited participation, marginalizes those who do not have the economic means to participate.participatory democracy, which emphasizes limited participation, marginalizes those who do not have the economic means to participate.pluralist democracy, though it involves groups at different stages of the process of developing policy, excludes a significant portion of the population.pluralist democracy, though it involves groups at different stages of the process of developing policy, excludes a significant portion of the population.participatory democracy, which emphasizes expanded participation, creates too much conflict within the system.

Answer 1

E. E. Schattschneider criticizes pluralist democracy for not being truly representative and being skewed in favor of the upper class, against the more optimistic views of pluralists like Truman and Dahl.

• The author, E. E. Schattschneider, is arguing about the shortcomings of pluralist democracy.
• According to him, the idea that the pressure system is representative of the whole community is a myth.
• He emphasizes that pressure politics is a selective process that is ill-designed to serve diffuse, or widespread, interests and tends to favor a minority, typically those of the upper class or economic elites.
• This critique suggests that while pluralist democracy involves multiple interest groups and claims to be inclusive, it actually disenfranchises a significant portion of the population who lack the means to participate effectively.
• It is not the open and balanced competition of interests that pluralists like David Truman and Robert Dahl describe but rather a system that is skewed to those with resources, thereby marginalizing the poor and less powerful.