Government Essay 1 research paper

Government Essay 1

Introduction: Currently, the legislative branch of the government vastly exercises its powers on the formulation of laws and policies that affect the growth of social, economic and political aspects of the American society. The powers conferred to it have long been a major focus of many politicalscientists keen to determine their utilization which would benefit the American society. America is one of the world’smajor role models of representative democracy, being looked upon as a key determiner of the structure and role of representativelegislative bodies in other countries all over the world. However, such title requires constant alertness in determining the efficiency of democratic representation and coming up with recommendations on how this efficiency can be enhanced. This paper will examine the links that exist between representation and legislation in regard to the congress, it being the major legislative power in the US with amendment and formulation of laws vested upon this institution. Arising from the background of the legislative process in the US, the paper will refer to the corresponding terms, which are listed below.

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The process of legislation in the US is characterized by vast pluralism,meaning that the decisions on laws and policies are usually influencedby the government exclusively, but by clusters of individuals as well (they include trade unions, movements, civil rights activists)(Ginsberg at al. 93). It is from these groups that the parliamentarians are drawn. Once an individual receives support from their group and they become elected members of the congress, they are likely to concentrate on pushing for the interests of the groups instead of those of the general population (Ginsberg et al. 79). Pluralism in the society has resulted in majoritarianism.Majoritarianism refers to a condition where a certain segment within the society considered a majority has an elevated ability to influence the outcome of decision-making processes on the formulation of laws and policies within an organization or the society. Intense manifestation of pluralism and majoritarianism usually results in hyper-pluralism where individuals are more likely to focus on their ability to counter and remain separated from others, thus deviatingfrom formulating laws and helping the country solve the problems that may arise from gaps in the legal systems and policy frameworks within the country (Dahl 88). These factors combined,a situation arises where individuals are in absolute or near-absolute pursuance oftheir interest group’s goals(Ginsberg et al. 97). This is called interest group liberalism, where the concept of democracy has been diluted by special interest groups’ expectations. This has worked towards compromising the whole process of law formation, and nowadays new ways should be found to return to the principles of the-then representative democracy as described by Dahl and Ginsberg.

Body: Before the expansion of societies in terms of demography and population distribution, most of the regimes implied that each individual played an active role in decision-making. This began to change as societies became larger and people spread over large areas of land meaning that giving and considering separate opinions in the decision-making process was inconvenient and time-consuming. This is what gave riseto the representation system where the population has to be divided into convenient sectors (regions) that can choose one person to present their common ideas (Ginsberget al. 3, 234). Individuals elected to the congress represent regions where people have different views and opinions on issues affecting, for instance, gun control. Though it may not be possible for a representative to learn the views of all the people regarding the issue, it is easy to discern the general outlook on the issue. However, many elected representatives may ignore these views and instead focus on those held by individuals within special groups where they belong.

Efforts have been made to ensure that the proceedings of the congress are well aligned with the interests of the people and the endeavors of other powerswithineither federal or state governments. However, more emphasis seems to have been placed on the ability of the government to convince the congress towards supporting their views and readiness to perceive different issues (Ginsberg et al. 238). This is evident from the fact that in many regimesthe scheme for bills and proposals on policies to successfully pass through the congress is complicated if most members of the congress do not share a political party with an incumbent president (as the head of the executive branch). This means thatensuring that the congress has a relevant number of their party members to pass bills and approve policiesisamong initial efforts put in place by the executive to establish a link with the congress at any time.This means that suchdiscrimination is likely to act as a threat to the concept of federalism and the trias politica principle, with three branches co-existing alongsideeach other. However, the US constitution has been very instrumental in preventing it. Departments within the federal and state governments have been functioning independently according to the powers conferred to them by the US constitution. Therefore, the constitution has promoted sanity in the government by providing guidance on the separation of powers. Dahl notes that despite the existence of the constitution, political institutions still taint their image in regard to democracy and upholding the rule of law (85). This often makes experts question the necessity of these institutions. However, it should be noted that fair elections and officials elected in this way form the basis of the democratic system.

In the contemporary governments, politicians are keen to ensure that they appeal to the general population by promoting collaboration between branches. This has gone a long way in improving the quality of services and representation of the people (Dahl 8). However, special interest groups still hold an elevated position and have an enhanced voice on laws and policies drawn within the congress. The fact that positions within the legislature are elective can have worked towards ensuring that the individuals remain committed to their work and produce positive outcome in the economic and social aspects of the society through active participation in the proceedings of the congress(Ginsberg et al. 138).

Conclusion: Now, a strong link exists between legislation and representation. However, this might be caused by the major interestsofelected individuals, including remaining appealing tovoters. This link can only exist if thelegislature has the ability to collaborate with otherbranches of governments at different levels. Though the congress strives to exhibit that their endeavors are based on the wishes and views of the citizens, special group interests still occupy a central position in determining the sides that these individual take on different matters. To try and solve the problem that might arise from the existing situation, one should return to the notions of majoritarism and pluralism unspoiled, as that would contribute to re-establishing of representative democracy as understood by the experts. Taking into account the readiness of individuals to participate in the decision-making process according to Ginsberg, this seems relevant.