Collective Action

Being under the oppressive authority of the English govt., they acted collectively

Under the new leadership, it would be a more democratic way in which the people would decide the
rules under which they’d be led

U.S. constitution- those representatives had to collectively agree on which system this budding nation
would operate under

Representing the majority, the greater number, creating enough will to make collective action

“Democracy is a collective act.” It’s not guided by one person, not the president even. It requires
collective voices.

Political pluralism- plurality, multiple people engaged in a tug of war over where the nation will go and
the policies adopted, governing the law. Collective actors here. Who do elected officials get their
information about policies from? The people they are representing.

Groups have specific interests, some may be individual, some may be common, collective, therefore
they join groups of same interests, representing group interest that are much more likely to be realized
that individual interests when organized

Government officials are faced with the task of balancing out all of these competing group interests

Robert Dahl- well known political scientist. He does a fair amount of writings on democracy and
different types of leadership. He proposed that democracy, our way of running things is a “polygarchy,”
ruled by a large number of groups, is group oriented, small group s working in a well organized fashion
to pursue their interests. Claimed that the groups were more important in fulfilling goals, action, it’s
groups that shake policy though the individual votes. There is no elite here, no hierarchy really because
it’s not elite people pursuing their elite interests like in an oligarchy full of CEOs. Though it may be led by
elite individuals.

Like minded individuals will naturally or automatically form groups. However, many be like minded, but
ar unable to organize their interests and really have it take off.

Collective action- is coordinated effort(s) by people with shared interests or common interests to
produce public goods as well as private goods.

Some road blocks in achieving interests:

Defection

Free-riding

Small groups tend to overcome the collective action problem more so than large groups
 -If you have less people, there’s a higher chance that people have shared interests,
commonalities

-It is easier to organize a small group and communication is better

-Monitoring of individuals is much easier in small groups

-in group pressure

Large groups are frustrated with a free-rider problem

Solution: select benefits/ incentives to keep people in the group

Mancur Olson- The Logic of Collective Action

Unless the number of individuals of the group is quite small, or unless there is coercion—arm
twisting of some sort—or if there is some special device (or incentive) to make individuals act in the
common interest, rational, self-interested individuals will not act to achieve their common or group
interest.

Even small groups have trouble being organized; one defective can destroy the entire group. But the one
way around it is the coercion aspect.

Larger groups can have greater success because they can afford to have a few defectors

A reasonable person is much more practical or pragmatic than someone who’s rational, who would be
more self-interested

Social capitol-

-networks- day to day connections

-norms- normal, natural behavior, values that we have

-trust- belief that someone will act in a way that is consistent with the normative
practice or someone’s interests

-makes group stronger, decreases defection

Non-excludability- not being able to exclude one from the benefits of collective responsibility or
collective action because it is voluntary responsibility or action, can’t prevent others from access to the
group

One way to deal with defection and free-riding in collective action: altruism- compromise, and ultimately
sacrifice. Regardless of one’s self-interest, they choose to solve the collective action problem

The most selfish position you could take is to say, “I don’t want it at all, to hell with the group”
Another solution to the collective action problem: the one willing provider. One person wants this so
badly and sees the necessity of it that others cannot, they sacrifice and go to any lengths to aggressively
pursue what might be beneficial to the community. In this case, there isn’t so much collective action

Ex. NATO: though made up of 19 groups, the U.S., in its own self interest and for the security of
the whole, take on a greater role and responsibility. The benefit of securing the region is much greater
than the cost to have military presence in other countries and providing military support for those
nations

Political culture

Charles Tilly- culture = a repertoire of techniques, strategies, ideas, and standard operating behaviors,
considered as “normal” by the identifying group. Shorthand for modern beliefs, norms and values, in a
society which then is galvanized/ solidified by a common or distinctive religion, geography, language,
class, and ethnicity.

Alexis De Tocqueville- French aristocrat who was here May 1831 to March 1832 to observe America’s
early penitentiary system, traveled in 24 states of the union to gather information for his book,
Democracy in America. His work had the most significance in defining American democracy in its early
years. Not just about what America produced, but what it’d continue to produce

Does culture come first? Or institution?

Congress= institution—is it congress and the rule of law that is shaping the way that we think and
behave? Or does culture shape the law?

In Democracy in America, ADT looked at geography and what were the norms as far as people’s way of
thinking, it varied, he looked at it from the Anglo-American social condition, and looked at different
dimensions and found some overarching themes. Sees democracy as an experiment. The success of the
American democratic experiment rested in three things: 1) federalism, 2) race relations, and 3) political
culture

Political culture- refers to beliefs, values, and attitudes, that help shape a society’s political behavior (ex.
Women should be in control of their bodies) , political institutions (the Supreme court), and political
outcomes (Roe. V. Wade). Political culture is about the values that the majority thinks the government
should deal with.

Institutions => Agents

Saw that there were four agents that would foster democratic stability

1) Pragmatism
2) Individualism
3) Spiritualism
4) Groupism
Pragmatism- Americans accepted this view of themselves that they were more pragmatic, practical, saw
a real-world view, and saw the limits and realities of democracy. Recognized that there were certain
sacrifices and compromises that had to be made to achieve their goals

Individualism- sense of strong opinion of self, strong accomplishment, strong identity. Hard efforts will
achieve great outcomes for you. Nothing can hold you down but yourself. The individual at the core
hiere. Was concerned that this would be threatening to American security

Robert Putnam- view on individualism could be disadvantageous to American society. Said that
Americans had become very disconnected with other members of the society, social capitol, trust, etc.
declined and impoverished our lives in some way

Spiritualism- Americans are very spiritual people regardless of their nationality, etc.

Groupism: we like to form groups, regardless of the outcome

ADT saw the spirit of America as being the land of opportunity. Also, Americans had this confidence
about westward expansion, possessing their own lands; their only obstacle would be themselves

Pessimism and cynicism in America too- steeped in the paranoid style of American politics

Richard Hofstadter- identifies in The Paranoid Style of American Politics the ideas that people created
about the government and about institutions, skepticism

Paranoia can be a good thing in this sense, calms some anxiety that we might have when we are led to
investigate something, perhaps an institution that might be corrupt, based on an opinion or theory