Who Governs? Elitism, Pluralism, and Tradeoffs (Links to an external site.) by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Links to an external site.)

This assignment is due in Module 3.

This assignment aligns with Learning Outcomes 2, 3 and 5.

Directions

Review module 1 readings & resources

Who Governs? Elitism, Pluralism, and Tradeoffs (Links to an external site.) by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Links to an external site.)

Engagement in a Democracy (Links to an external site.) by OpenStax is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Links to an external site.)

Next, take note of the list of countries below:

China (Links to an external site.)

Iran (Links to an external site.)

Russia (Links to an external site.)

Venezuela (Links to an external site.)

Further, I would like to also point you in the direction of The CIA World FactBook (Links to an external site.) for additional information on these countries and others. Remember, any information pulled from this report should be properly cited in APA 6th edition style and formatting.

The structure and function of the countries above reflect the definition of an oligarchy; that is, the rule of the elite, be it few or through one individual. This elite system of rulership can take place independently (authoritarian, dictatorship) or coexist with other forms of government such as democracy — including hybrid forms of democracy — theocracy, or, even communism. In terms of democracy, rhetoric in recent years suggests that the U.S. (Links to an external site.) is not wholly democratic; that it is, in fact, an oligarchy. The ever-increasing role of money in campaigning champions this idea, especially in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Elections 2010 (Links to an external site.) Committee. With this in mind, complete the following:

Identify the government structure of the United States; that is, its organization. For example, the three branches of government and where these branches derive their power.

Identify the government structure of one of the countries above; that it, its organization. For example, its branches of government and where these branches, if any, derive their power.

Next, evaluate citizen engagement in American politics; that is, voter participation and/or citizen efforts at lobbying the government. Are their factors that advance or restrain citizen engagement?

Then, evaluate citizen engagement in one of the countries above; that is, voter participation and/or citizen efforts at lobbying the government. Are their factors that advance or restrain citizen engagement?

Finally, evaluate American politics in comparison to the country of your choice. Does America reflect an elite theory of government (oligarchy) or does it reflect a pluralist theory (democracy) of government?

Your paper should be five pages in length, excluding title and reference pages. Four scholarly sources should be used, including two from the FSCJ online library.(1)

Submission

This assignment requires a file upload submission. After you have reviewed the assignment instructions and rubric, as applicable, complete your submission by selecting the Submit Assignment button next to the assignment title. Browse for your file and remember to select the Submit Assignment button below the file to complete your submission. Review the confirmation annotation that presents after submission.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

https://openstax.org/books/american-government/pages/1-3-engagement-in-a-democracy

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

https://openstax.org/books/american-government/pages/1-2-who-governs-elitism-pluralism-and-tradeoffs

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ve.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/docs/profileguide.html