Essay On Elitism And Pluralism

Texas politics can be interpreted as a very difficult and complicated institution. Its political democracy can be construed to fall under the mixture of two very distinct theoretical approaches. These models include elitism and pluralism. Elitism is the belief that individuals who derive power from leadership positions from large organizations and have great financial wealth can monopolize and influence important policy decisions. Pluralism is the theory that democracy can be achieved through competition among multiple interest groups. While many can argue that these two theories do not coincide with another, it can be noted otherwise. In this essay, elitism and pluralism will be discussed on how they are both visible in Texas democracy.

Pluralism and Elitism go hand in hand because pluralism argue that interest groups are good for American and Texas democracy. Dominant interest groups in Texas influence many public policies as well as act as an avenue for democratic political participation. Dominant interest groups include the Texas Association of Business (TAB), Texas Medical Association (TMA), Texas Taxpayers and Research Association (TARA), National Rifle Association (NRA) and so forth. These interest groups work to influence policymakers and policy implementers. Pluralism is

visible in Texas because there are thousands of groups organized at the statewide and community level, hundreds of lobbyists are registered in Austin to represent a wide variety of economic, social, civic, and cultural organizations, and an increase in growing state population has led to a diversifying increase in interest groups (Gibson, Robinson, 2013).
Elitism, also referred to as an inevitable and technical necessity to government as stated under Michel’s Iron Rule of Oligarchy, works with the theory of pluralism because the very same elites who populate government also control most interest groups. Elitism can be seen in Texas through the wealthy upper class. Currently, Texas is headquarters for 54 Fortune 500 companies and these companies tend to influence policies that benefit their political ideologies and reflect the interest of the dominant institutions. These elitists emphasize the degree to which interlocking corporate and foundation directorates, old school ties and frequent social interaction tend to link together and facilitate coordination between the top leaders in business, government, civic organizations, educational and cultural establishments and the mass media. This "power elite" can effectively dictate their main goals (Johnson, 1994-2005). As a result, these group of elites have the political resources and wealth to translate their interests or demands into public policy. Another example of Elitism in Texas can be dated back to the early 1930s when Texas was governed by conservatives collectively dubbed the “Establishment”. The Establishment was a coalition of Anglo businessmen, oilmen, bankers, and lawyers that controlled policymaking (Gibson, Robinson, 2013).
Furthermore, a good example of elitism and pluralism in Texas can be seen through Greg Abbott which is the 48th governor of Texas.

Governor Abbott released the following statement to President Obama on gun control. He stated, Texas will take every action to protect the second amendment rights of law-abiding citizens (Abbott, 2016). It reassures he follows the ideal principles of interest groups such as the NRA. However, he also falls under the elitist approach because he accepts donations from private organizations. The matter of the fact is Texas does not fall under one approach more than the other. It is a complex institution that is influenced by both of these theoretical

approaches.