All: PoliSci 5005: Democracy

Gentlesophonts:

Steve Bonneville [email removed] writes:

> David Johnson [email removed] writes:
>
> >From Thurday night, Alistair Langsford [email removed] writes:
>
> >>     After all, given Traveller's method for
> >>     classifying governments, the same government could be classified
> >>     different ways depending on which aspects of it are seen to be
> >>     most apparent by the typical traveller.
> >
> >Yes, this is true but focusing here doesn't really allow for much discussion
> >does it?
>
> I suppose so.  Alistair is right, though.
>
> >we can see that *all* government types, except those where a *single*
> >individual is able to exert *direct*, personal control over the others
> >(i.e., very small groups), are inherently *democratic* in the source of
> >of authority.  Even the most oppressive totalitiarian theocracy requires
> >*some* degree of consent from the populace in order to function.
>
> "Ah, this is obviously some strange usage of the word *democratic* that
>  I wasn't previously aware of."  :)
> I get the thesis here, that power is ultimately derived from the masses.
> But I don't know that I could possibly call an oppressive authoritarian
> government "democratic".

Sorry for the heavy quoting but I think this provides a great opportunity
to examine just how the Traveller government codes might be improved so
that they are less arbitrary and therefore more useful.

I've mentioned this before but, IMHO, it is uesful when examining a
government type to look at two issues: the *nature* of authority (who
rules) and the *source* of authority (who consents to that rule, or
who *is* ruled).

The keys here from a definition standpoint are the two suffixes *-archy*
and *-cracy*.  These are often used interchangeably to mean "rule".  They
are sometimes used to mean the same thing as in "monarchy" and "autocracy"
which are often seen as meaning "single or self rule".  Generally though,
the suffix *-archy" is used to denote a ruler or a system of rulers
("matriarch", "hierarchy") while the suffix *-cracy* is used to denote
the source of rule ("technocracy", "aristocracy", "theocracy").

It is useful to look at the distinction between the two suffixes when they
are used with the same prefix, say, "demarchy" and "democracy".  Demarchy
is used to distinguish actual, direct rule by the people, or *demos*, (through
referrenda and the like) as opposed to democratic rule based merely upon
the *consent* of the people in which actual authority may be placed in the
hands of some representative group or person.

When viewed in this fashion the *nature* of authority can have only three
manifestations: a single ruler (autarchy), a group of rulers (oligarchy),
or rule by the entire *demos* (demarchy).  Similarly, the *source* of
authority has only two manifestations: either it comes from the ruler(s)
themselves (autocracy) or else it is based upon the consent of the *demos*
(democracy).

This gives the following five government types:

- -Autocractic autarchy: rule by a single individual without *any* consent
  of the governed group.  Obviously this can only occur in *very* small
  groups where the `ruler' is able to exercise direct, personal control
  over the `ruled', say, a parent-child relationship or a captor-prisoner
  relationship.
- -Autocractic oligarchy: rule by a group of individuals without any consent
  of the governed group.  Again, this can only occur in small groups where
  the `rulers' can exercise direct, personal control over the `ruled', say
  bankrobbers holding bank employees hostage.
- -Democractic autarchy: rule by a single individual based upon the consent
  of the governed.  This fits our conceptions of a `traditional' monarchy
  but actually it also can only occur over relatively small groups, say
  a company or a small military organization.  (It's how Jean-Luc Picard
  rules the starship *Enterprise*.)
- -Democractic oligarchy: rule by a group of individuals based upon the
  consent of the governed.  This permits the rule of large groups such as
  modern nation states.  In this case, the rulers are not just the exective
  and legislative figures at the top of the government but the entire system
  or regulators, tax collectors, police enforcers, etc. that exercise
  authority in the `government'.  This form may sometimes be very oppressive
  (the Iranian `theocracy' came to power in a popular revolt and continues
  to enjoy a great deal of consent among a majority of the *demos*) but it
  is unable to continue once the consent of the *demos* is lost (hence
  the collapse of the Soviet Union).
- -Demarchy (democractic demarchy is redundant): direct rule by the *demos*.
  This is very difficult to accomplsh on a large scale but is facilitated
  by the advent of high technology which permits quick and broad disemination
  of information.  (Imagine a instantaneous global communications network
  that would permit `real time' discussion and voting on governmental issues.)

In the Earth Colonies campaign we have developed the following table to
generate UWP government codes using this scheme:

Government (Throw 2D-5 + pop)
Digit   Government
0-  none
1   autocratic autarchy
2   demarchy
3   autocratic oligarchy
4-6 democratic oligarchy
7   no central authority
8-9 democratic oligarchy
A-B democratic autarchy
C+  democratic oligarchy

Higher population worlds almost exclusive have `democractic' governments
because of the inability of any single individual or group of individuals
to directly, personally exercise authority over the rest of the populace.

This system leaves the actual characterization of the populace's consent
to authority up to the referee (or at least independent of population).
A Code C `democractic oligarchy' may be a "theocracy", a "technocracy",
a "plutocracy", or a `representative democracy'.  Which seems to make
sense since there is no clear relationship between these sorts of charcteri-
zations and the *size* of the particular *demos* involved.

Observations, questions and contrary views are solicited and encouraged.

Happy Travelling,

David Johnson
Houston, Texas, USA