Thompson 1

Malik Thompson

Trishia Briones

ENGL 1302-261

1 March 2023

Government

Government

Acemoglu, Daron, et al. “Democracy Does Cause Growth.” Journal of Political Economy, vol.

127, no. 1, Feb. 2019, pp. 47–100. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1086/700936.

Democratic institutions have a positive impact on a country's GDP. the view that

democratic institutions are at best irrelevant and at worst a hindrance for economic

growth has become increasingly popular in both academia and policy discourse with the

rise of economic powerhouses such as China which represents itself as a communist state.

This article states the advantages of the one-party state when it comes to decision

making. Chinese leadership has been able to make rough decisions in a shorter span of

time and more unity in comparison with the multi-party state that The United States is.

This paper argues that democracy does well in states with an educated populace with an

already functioning economy.

Adam Przeworski. Democracy and the Limits of Self-Government. Cambridge University Press,

2010. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e000xna&AN=32937

7&authtype=sso&custid=s9609537&scope=site.
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The limits of self governance. Contemporary democracies are not always the utopia that

they are described to be. There have been many negatives as their are with any other

system of government. limits of democracy in promoting equality, effective participation,

control of governments by citizens, and liberty. This article points out the negatives of

democracy mostly being the lack of understanding of basic democracy amongst many,

but also offers possible reforms.

Betzig, Laura. “But What Is Government Itself but the Greatest of All Reflections on Human

Nature?” Politics and the Life Sciences, vol. 28, no. 2, 2009, pp. 102–05. JSTOR,

http://www.jstor.org/stable/40588007. Accessed 24 Feb. 2023.

In this journal the other discusses the effects of human nature on government. What is the

government? James Madison believed that it is a reflection of human nature. There is a

natural lean to despotic behavior, like any other species, like wolves for example. We

fight for the alpha status amongst ourselves. The new world avoided despotism for the

most part, with the creation of semi autonomous colonies where ideas and voices could

spread far away from the gaze of monarchy. This reignited a democratic fire that was

absent for centuries in the western world, and now these ideas have spread across the

globe. Is despotism human nature or is it a geographic consequence? What influences the

creation of government and what other species are pressured by the same influences.

Breyel, Corinna, and Theocharis N. Grigoriadis. “Civil Society, Natural Resources and

Dictatorship.” Eurasian Geography and Economics, vol. 62, no. 2, 2020, pp. 131–155.,

https://doi.org/10.1080/15387216.2020.1759438.
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In totalitarian regimes, the stability and likelihood of revolution are often based on the

economy. Most importantly how the price of natural resources are. If the price has a

negative shock then a revolution is likely. These examples are pulled from Iran and

Russia, both of which have gone through multiple extreme regime changes that includes

totalitarianism.

Garmann, Sebastian. “God Save the Queen, God Save Us All? Monarchies and Institutional

Quality.” Scottish Journal of Political Economy, vol. 65, no. 2, May 2018, pp. 186–204.

EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1111/sjpe.12154.

Explores the effects of monarchy as there is insufficient research in the field. Provides evidence

that monarchy leads to better institutions and has a positive effect on economic

institutions. Until the 20th century, monarchy was the dominant form of government in

europe and in many modern nations a form of royalty still stands.Monarchies often fare

remarkably well in terms of economic performance and human development

Hans W. Blom, et al. Monarchisms in the Age of Enlightenment : Liberty, Patriotism, and the

Common Good. University of Toronto Press, 2007. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=e000xna&AN=68251

2&authtype=sso&custid=s9609537&scope=site.

Oftentimes monarchies are viewed as static and unwilling to change. The contrary has

been shown throughout history. Monarchy is often constantly changing, and as chaotic as

democracy. This is evident when viewing the era of kings, during the middle ages when
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lifespans were considerably shorter than they are in the modern day, and questions of

legitimacy and succession were far more turbulent than are today as they often led to

conflict such as civil wars. This fluid nature can also be seen within the policies of the

government and its territories.

Joscelyne, Sophie. “Norman Mailer and American Totalitarianism in the 1960s.” Modern

Intellectual History, vol. 19, no. 1, 2022, pp. 241–267.,

doi:10.1017/S1479244320000323.

American culture in the 60s was global and the world was watching. The understanding

among the general American populace of totalitarianism during the 1960s was focused on

the external threats and the ever watching state control over everything. This

understanding came from the propaganda and red fear of the Soviet Union. The antithesis

of everything America expressed itself as. America was a democracy in the hands of the

people for the people, and the Soviet union was controlled by the state for the people. The

concept of totalitarianism was americanized and this article gives a new perspective on

the idea. His theory of cultural totalitarianism focused on internal psychological

manipulation rather than external political coercion.

Democracy

Pei, Minxin. "China: Totalitarianism's Long Shadow." Journal of Democracy, vol. 32, no. 2,

2021, pp. 5-21. ProQuest,

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/tamiu.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-j

ournals/china-totalitarianisms-long-shadow/docview/2520226924/se-2.
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China has gone against the common notion throughout history that economic

modernization creates favorable conditions for stable democracy is one of the most

influential, robust, and time-tested theories in social science. China has managed through

centuries of regime change, civil wars, and occupation. Borders have changed and

governments toppled, but unlike the Mongols, Rome etc, China continues to exist and in

the modern day stands as a semi-totalitarian economic powerhouse that resists

contemporary democracy and shows no signs of change. The country sustains a

Population of 1 billion, and has influenced many other countries around the world.

Puckett, Kent. “Democracy.” Victorian Literature and Culture, vol. 46, no. 3-4, 2018, pp.

640–645., doi:10.1017/S1060150318000451.

Speaks on the property of the vote in representative democracy. Asks if all votes should

be equal or should the outcome of elections be based on voter intensity. If 5 beats 4 does

that mean that the 4 who lost are no longer important? What if they are more passionate

about their vote compared to the 5 who may have randomly selected an option. Voter

ambiguity and the lack of personal representation in the vote can be seen as an issue.

Which part of the individual is represented by the vote.

Monarchy

Tridimas, George. "Constitutional Monarchy as Power Sharing." Constitutional Political

Economy, vol. 32, no. 4, 2021, pp. 431-461. ProQuest,

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/tamiu.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-j

ournals/constitutional-monarchy-as-power-sharing/docview/2585232586/se-2,

doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10602-021-09336-8
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Monarchy has evolved into the modern era. The tolerance for monarchies, and centralized

governments has waned after the age of enlightenment, where ideas of individualism and

self-actualization are championed, and now the world is dominated by democracy. The

paper goes over the coexistence between the hereditary kings and queens and liberal

challengers of the institution. The constitutional monarchy is an outcome where there is

no constant tug of war over which ideal for governance is better. The two powers share

office rents and policy making responsibilities. The degree by which power is shared all

depends on the attitude of the people. Many contemporary European constitutional

monarchies simply keep the royalty as ceremonial heads of state.