Richard J. Holtz Eakin, An Director Of The White House Council Of Economic Adviser

Though a democratic government is great in theory, without educated and capable voters it’s potentially inefficient and incompetent. However, Athenian democracy thrives due to an informed public. Accordingly, so does the society it governs. “Our public men have, besides politics, their private affairs to attend to, and our ordinary citizens, though occupied with the pursuits of industry, are still fair judges of public matters; for, unlike any other nation, regarding him who takes no part in these duties not as unambitious but as useless, we Athenians are able to judge at all events if we cannot

Arguments against democracy are evident now, more than ever throughout the recent political turmoil that has been seen globally from Brexit to the election of Donald Trump. With this in mind, it can be argued by political theorist and philosophers alike, that public policy should be controlled by skilled experts on the matter at a time when democracy seems to be failing us. This is relevant in Jason Brennan's article: “Can epistocracy, or knowledge-based voting, fix democracy?” where he argues for an epistocracy that resembles a democracy through its checks and balances. The concept of an epistocracy has roots in Plato’s Republic where he argues in favor of the skilled and wise to govern over the common person is too “ignorant” to have a say–which

Despite the many crises that the United States has faced historically, democracy has persisted. However, this is not to say that the system is secure or deeply rooted. In fact, based on the events of recent decades, it has been weakening. In How Democracies Die, Levitsky and Ziblatt provide examples of how American democracy has exemplified the positive and negative aspects of other global democracies of the past and present. Although the US is exceptional in some ways, with its longstanding democratic institutions and diverse population, it is more similar to others than different. Thus, the idea that few parallels can be drawn to other nations is disproven. The process of comparing each state is analogous to that of differentiating between

Although specialization can have its advantages in civilizations by providing a sense of security to the public, the idea halts the opinions and actions of many who feel as if they shouldn’t get involved in an areas in which they don't have significant power. Michael Pollan argues the similar idea when he states, “We can no longer imagine anyone but an expert, or anything but a new technology or law, solving our problems.” Pollan also argues that a main factor that

Given the critical circumstances the United States economy faces today, the current fiscal policy, in addition to the changes that will be made in the future, is under intense scrutiny. During the Obama administration, which will soon come to an end in about six months, a variety of policies were created in attempts to create employment, raise our GDP, and boost the state of the economy, among other ideas. The fiscal policies created by Congress and the President demonstrate success in some areas, while failing in other areas, as many, including myself, would argue. As the 2016 election quickly approaches, it is important to remember previous fiscal mistakes and successes, and the current economy, in order to better grasp what will be necessary for a successful fiscal policy in the future.

Within the hierarchy of Presidential political appointees, White House policy czars are becoming both more prominent and more controversial. The Administration’s policy czar positions are established either by Executive order or by Presidential directive. In some cases, a powerful Governor or the national political committee for the President’s party will convince the President to establish a subject matter czar to emphasize the importance of a particular issue. The czars’ role is to direct Federal policy development and manage interagency requirements associated with implementing the President’s political agenda.

The American public as a whole, however, is wise and acquires political knowledge from more informed sources. James Surowiecki asserts in The Wisdom of Crowds that individuals can be impolitic; however, groups can reach wise decisions. Surowiecki claims, “Even if most people within a group are not especially well-informed or rational, it can still reach a collectively wise decision.” Surowiecki’s argument illustrates that a national referendum would thwart the ill-informed nature of the American voter as a national referendum is a collective decision. American voters can be irrational and ill-informed; nevertheless, most American voters acquire their political knowledge from more educated sources. The acquisition of political knowledge from more well-informed sources undermines the irrational nature of the American voter. Martin Gilens argues in “Two- Thirds Full? Citizen Competence and Democratic Governance” that cue taking enables ill-informed citizens to make a decision on a controversial issue. Gilens contends, “Taking cues from more knowledge elites or acquaintances is a sensible strategy for citizens who lack the ability or inclination to gather the information needed to formulate a preference on a given policy issue.” The collective wisdom of the American public and cue taking enable American voters to overcome their ignorance of politics and past political

The specific role of the White House Chief of Staff is as complex as it is elusive. The WHCS oversees high-level White House staffing, who is allowed to speak with the President directly, handles the President’s schedule, is a confidant and advisor to the President, handles what information the President receives, negotiates with multiple parties to push the political agenda of the President, and is essentially the President’s fixer (Cohen, D. B., Hult, K. M., & Walcott, C. E., 2016).

Democracy is the system of government where an entire population is represented through elected representatives. But there is a significant aspect in the US government that also acts as elected representatives which are in the form of interest groups. Interest groups are essentially a collection of people of organizations that tries to influence public policies. Just like the media and political parties, interest groups are one of the linkage institutions, linking the people to the government. The main role of interest groups in accordance to the government, is to mobilize the people. Ideally, an interest groups’ main goal is to ensure that a wide range of people and opinions are expressed in the democratic process. The significance of the

Over the years, political scientists have expressed their disapproval of American elections. They have openly stated that presidential elections do not matter. The reason being, is that they believe the outcome of elections is a result of forces outside of the campaigner’s influence. For example, the state of the economy, partisan loyalties, and normative, communicative, and symbolic roles are all disconnected from the influence of the campaigner. The latter mentioned aspects (anthropological), according to political scientists, receive little attention from scholars, but their impacts are very substantial. They restore confidence in governing institutions, result in an upsurge in mutual feelings, and give the citizenry hope of a better governing body after elections

This paper will evaluate the health of U.S. democracy by focusing on the on a key element that makes for a healthy democracy: effective representation. By effective representation I refer to communication between both representatives and constituents, through policy enactments and elections, respectively, to serve the people and the interest of the country as a whole. Whether the U.S. is living up to this standard can be evaluated through multiple avenues, in this paper I will only evaluate the health of democratic representation in the U.S. by examining the competence of the public (voters). Numerous scholars and researchers have cast doubt upon how well democracy in the U.S. functions in the United States. Before examining the deficiencies of the public, it must be noted that while no governmental system is perfect by any means, anarchism as an alternative to government is not a practical solution (Dahl, Chapter 3, pp. 50-51).

The President’s Commission Report is considered one of the most influential documents in the history of American Higher Education and its impact on higher education is still present in American society (Reuben & Perkins, 2007). This essay will analyze the six-volume report released by the commission, the criticism received on the report, the impact on higher education, and the changes that were made in higher education subsequent to the release of the report. In addition, this essay will highlight some of the current issues that relate to the original version of the President’s Commission Report in higher education and how some of the recommendations are still needed to influence change. Prior to the President’s Commission Report In 1940,

When we reflect on our own country, I think it good to be "undemocratic". Instead we superficial men make decisions, it is better for country to develop under the decision made by professional and responsible leaders. We don't lack of professional experts, but what is important is having responsible

Throughout history different types of instrumental regimes have been in tact so civilizations remained structured and cohesive. As humanity advanced, governments obligingly followed. Although there have been hiccups from the ancient times to modern day, one type of government, democracy, has proven to be the most effective and adaptive. As quoted by Winston Churchill, democracy is the best form of government that has existed. This is true because the heart of democracy is reliant, dependent, and thrives on the populaces desires; which gives them the ability for maintaining the right to choose, over time it adjusts and fixes itself to engulf the prominent troubling issues, and people have the right of electing the person they

Churchill’s claim that “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried” is deliberately provocative and intended to challenge the reader’s simplistic ideal that democracy is without faults. There are an estimated 114 democracies in the world today (Wong, Oct 3rd lecture). A figure that has increased rapidly in the last century not necessarily because democracy is the best form of government, but primarily for reason that in practice, under stable social, economic and political conditions, it has the least limitations in comparison to other forms of government. Be it the transparency of a democratic government or the prevalence of majority rule, all subdivisions of democracy benefit and hinder its