Pluralistic Political Ideology

A Pluralistic Political Ideology is a political ideology which recognizes the need for shifting of power to facilitate the continuous bargaining process between competing groups.

• Context:
  • It can range from being a Populist Pluralistic Political Ideology to being a Technocratic Pluralistic Political Ideology.
  • It can range from being a Left-Wing Pluralistic Political Ideology to being a Centrist Pluralistic Political Ideology to being a Right-Wing Pluralistic Political Ideology.
  • …
• Example(s):
  • Canada's Liberal Political Party's ideology in the 2000s.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Authoritarianism.
• See: Non-Governmental Organization, Social Equilibrium, Polyarchy, Freedom of Expression.

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References

2021

• (Wikipedia, 2021) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluralism_(political_theory) Retrieved:2021-6-28.
  • Classical pluralism is the view that politics and decision making are located mostly in the framework of government, but that many non-governmental groups use their resources to exert influence. The central question for classical pluralism is how power and influence are distributed in a political process. Groups of individuals try to maximize their interests. Lines of conflict are multiple and shifting as power is a continuous bargaining process between competing groups. There may be inequalities but they tend to be distributed and evened out by the various forms and distributions of resources throughout a population. Any change under this view will be slow and incremental, as groups have different interests and may act as "veto groups" to destroy legislation. The existence of diverse and competing interests is the basis for a democratic equilibrium, and is crucial for the obtaining of goals by individuals. A polyarchy—a situation of open competition for electoral support within a significant part of the adult population—ensures competition of group interests and relative equality. Pluralists stress civil rights, such as freedom of expression and organization, and an electoral system with at least two parties. On the other hand, since the participants in this process constitute only a tiny fraction of the populace, the public acts mainly as bystanders. This is not necessarily undesirable for two reasons: (1) it may be representative of a population content with the political happenings, or (2) political issues require continuous and expert attention, which the average citizen may not have. Important theorists of pluralism include Robert A. Dahl (who wrote the seminal pluralist work, Who Governs?), David Truman, and Seymour Martin Lipset.

2002

• (Galston & Galston, 2002) ⇒ William A. Galston, and William Arthur Galston. (2002). “Liberal Pluralism: The Implications of Value Pluralism for Political Theory and Practice.” Cambridge University Press,
  • BOOK OVERVIEW: ... Isaiah Berlin first advanced the moral theory of value pluralism in the 1950s and it subsequently was developed by a number of distinguisthed scholars, including Galston. In Liberal Pluralism, Galston defends a version of value pluralism for political theory and practice. Against the contentions of John Gray and others, Galston argues that value pluralism undergirds a kind of liberal politics that gives great weight to the ability of individuals and groups to live their lives in accordance with their deepest beliefs about what gives meaning and purpose to life. This account of liberal pluralism is shown to have important implications for political deliberation and decision-making, for the design of public institutions, and for the division of legitimate authority among government, religious institutions, civil society, parents and families, and individuals. Liberal pluralism leads to a vision of a good society in which political institutions are active in a limited sphere and in which, within broad limits, families and civil associations may organize and conduct themselves in ways that are not congruent with the principles that govern the public sphere. ...

1991

• Berlin, Isaiah (1991). “The Crooked Timber of Humanity." London: Fontana Press. ISBN 0-00-686221-7.

1969

• Berlin, Isaiah (1969). “Four Essays on Liberty." Oxford Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-500272-5.

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