Week 6 Wednesday Lecture

Democracy and the Administrative State

I. The "Progressive Solution:' Independent Regulatory Commissions

II. 19th Century Participatory Politics

III. The Decline in Voter Participation after 1896

• Unprecedented
• Gradual, Cumulative, and Enduring
• The South and the North
• Decline of the Core Electorate
• Emergence of Economic Bias in the Electorate
• Pervasiveness of the Decline
• A New Generation for a New Century

IV. Narrowing of the Social and Cultural Role of Electoral Politics

V. The Party System of 1896 and the Decline in Competitiveness

VI. Political Reforms

• To Restructure Participation (Literacy Tests, Poll Taxes, Voter Registration,
  and Residency Requirements)
• To Limit and Control Political Parties (Direct Primary Legislation, Campaign
  Reform Laws)
• To Restructure the Political Environment to the Detriment of the Political
  Parties (Ballot Reform, Reduction in the Frequency of Elections, Initiative,
  Referendum, Recall, Non-partisan Local Govt, Civil Service Reform)

VII: Is Voting a Privilege or a Right?

VIII. The Role of Parties in a Democracy

IX. The Importance of Voting

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created: February 10, 2000
last updated: February 7, 2001

Copyright 2000, Mark Kornbluh