Wiki Page

I think the best way to organize the Wiki page would be by country. Then under each country there could be photos, videos, and information. I think that would make the wiki page really helpful and easy to use. It would also help us once we begin comparing the different countries.

Wiki pages

I think that on the Wiki page there should be a page for each country we learn about. Additionally, there could be tabs on the major importances in that government that led to additional information about the basic ideas. The tabs could have information on the system, structure and functions of the individual government, but also it could have links to things such as videos or articles that also help to explain the concepts in another way other than just defining what it is.

Wiki Pages

I think the wiki pages will be very useful for helping us compare the systems of different countries. The best way to organize it would be to give every country its own wiki page so that none of the pages get mixed up. I think it would be best if we then divided each wiki page into sections, like having videos on one part, pictures on another, and information on another. I'm very excited to get this going.

Wiki Page Blog

I believe the best way to divide the pages is by using a system, structure, and function approach. It would start out as what systems there are, allowing easy access to jump to the country you need for a specific example of a system without knowing much about it at first. An example would be if a student needed to find an authoritarian ruled country to provide examples, instead of going through every country, the student will be able to primarily categorize it by the system. By doing this, the class will have to memorize the systems for each country. From there you can click on the country, which will state the basic facts (system, function, structure, pop., economy, G.D.P, G.N.P) and from there different categories pertaining to specific ideas such as chapters.

Wiki Page

I like the idea of having the Wiki page divided up by country so that it will be easy to review key aspects of each government as well as be able to compare them. Similarly, I think it might be helpful to have a section that just highlights the most important topics we've learned so far, and which can be edited to add new information whenever we learn it. It would sort of be like the chapter outlines we did but more concise.

Wiki Page

I think that the Wiki page should be organized by country and then put into different subsections per coutnry that would correspond to each chapter. For example, there should be an information section for interest articulation for each country. Also, if we want to do videos, there should a seperate section for that so it doesn't get mixed in with the actual information. The way that it will be effective is if it's organized by country and by different topics. That will help us compare each country with each other much easier when we get to those chapters.

Wiki Format

The Wiki should be similar to the blog in that it is easy and user friendly to post, as well as attach videos, photos, etc to the posts.  It should also have an easy commenting function to make comments on posts easy.  Yay Wiki!

Wiki Page

The best way for the Wiki to be formatted is for each country to have its own wiki page. Thus, information can be uploaded to the Wiki about each country. In each page, there can be subcategories that break the country down even further. Each country should have its own wiki page, which would teach learn the most about each country.

How the Wiki Page Should Be Formatted

I think that the best way to approach the wiki page is by splitting it up by country and each country should have the same sections o its easy to compare. For example if we are doing China then the page should have sections labeled articulation, aggregation, policy making, and so on through all of the major comparable parts of government and their functions. At the end of the page there should be a section that describes what is unique to that country and have a summary of the overall form of government and policy making at the beginning. Diagrams and charts would also be helpful. I think the main thing is to use information that will be on the tests and is from the book.

For the Wiki Pages I think it would be most helpful if there were a "homepage" which showed the country's name (obviously), and then a list of tabs: Political Culture and Socialization, Interest Groups (including aggregation and articulation), Political Parties and electoral process(?), history of the nation (where did their traditions come from ect.), and perhaps a Political Structures tab as well. Then, within each of these tabs it could be somewhat like a blog format where someone can post something and people can comment below it from there- this way everything is organized in a general manner, and people can see how things were discussed chronologically.

Neo-Corporatism

The best interest group system is the Neo-Corporatist Interest system. Although the Pluralist System allows for more diversity in the interest groups and views, the Pluralist system is lacking in efficiency. Because there are many conflicting groups in the Pluralist system, policy making is difficult. And although the Corporatist model is very efficient, it too has a downside. In the Corporatist model the government has too much power over the interests being articulated. There is usually a lack representation of all of the views and opinions. Many time in the Corporatist model the articulation of all of the different interests are sacrificed in return for efficiency. The Neo-Corporatist Interest system is a good halfway point between these two systems. The Neo-Corporatist Interest system balances the need for the representation of many different views and opinions with the need for efficiency. This system is the most fair and effective interest group system.

Neo-Corporatism is the way to go

neo-corporatism i believe is the best kind of interest group system for a nation because of its connection with policy making. Although there may be only one group for each area, the answer to problems are resolved and implemented with precision and speed. With a pluralist interest group system there are numerous groups for each view on an area of expertise. This allows for a more diverse, but more decentralized organizational structure. Because of this policy implementation is harder because of the separation of government and the interest group. With a controlled interest system, the views are separated by social sector, creating an imbalance in interest articulation rendering democracy useless. Without finding a proper balance between interest articulation and government a nation cannot be a liberal democracy.

Interest Group Systems

There needs to be a balance between structure and breathing room. A democratic corporatist group provides that necessary balance. It is focused on each societal interest, not just one. The big problem with pluralists is that multiple groups only focus on one part of society and that is inefficient in bringing out the needs of everyone else. The problem with controlled interest is that there may be too much structure and it's too focused. Usually these interest groups are part of an authoritarian government. There are bound to be these problems. A democratic corporatist group system has the right amount of structure that is needed, but it doesn't have too much structure. It has different focuses that strives to provide benefits to everyone. Unlike pluralists, people get more focused. Pluralists only have one dimension. Controlled interest groups have too much regulation and there is such thing as necessary deregulation. Too much regulation leads to unhappiness of the people. Democratic corporatist groups are in the middle of these and are beneficial to most people. When looking at all of the interest groups from a perspective, balance is the key for happiness of the people. People like balance. These other two interest group systems are completely divided. Both have positive and negative effects. Democratic corporatists have both positive effects from these other interest groups and are most beneficial to these people because of the balance it provides. Balance leads to more positive effects to not only the people, but also the government and its system, structure, and function.

What's the best?

All three interest group systems have the potential to be successful in their own ways, but the one that I think to be most likely is a democratic neo-corporatist system. A pluralist system is good in that it gives every person a voice without fear of government control. However, there are almost too many voices to all be heard or to even be taken seriously. A pluralist system will result in a lot of protests and demonstrations that have no result and there won’t be any progress in this system. A controlled system is good in that there will be progress because the interest groups actually work directly with the government and the government will listen to them. But the downside is that they are by and by controlled by the government so the voices are not entirely what the people might actually be thinking or wanting to say. The reason I believe a democratic neo-corporatist system to be the best is that it’s the middle ground between the two. It will have more progress than the pluralist system, but the people will have more say than in a controlled system. Additionally, having a single peak association in charge will create a sense of order and organization in the system which will increase the legitimacy of the system. Pluralist and controlled systems are extremes in opposite directions, and the democratic neo-corporatist system is a form of compromise in the middle of the two. 

I'm A Friendly Fascist

Contrary to the beliefs of everyone else in the class, I firmly support a controlled interest group system as the best. Here's why:

Mainly, when it comes to policy making a controlled interest group system is much more efficient and effective. Pluralist and neo-corporatist systems have too many voices and the policies made do not support what's important in the long run nor are they effective. Controlled systems are streamlined and direct to be the most efficient and effective at making policy that supports the government and maintains the strength of the government. While some may believe that controlled systems don't help citizens and interests aren't articulated well, but when we look at the big picture the interests of the groups are articulated to the government very well and the government responds well to this articulation.

Furthermore, people are misguided into believing that pluralist or neo-corporatist systems see more success in creating policy that is better for the people. In modern governments lobbyists and corporations control the articulation systems and their interests overshadow those of the people. Due to the nature of these systems the groups that articulate more end up gaining more, and lobbyists take control as a result. The people end up being under represented. In a controlled system the government controls interest groups to facilitate the improvement of the government for the people, not for lobbyists. There's no lobbyist intervention distracting and delaying important policy making.

Because a controlled system is more efficient, effective, and better supports the improvement of the people's and government's interests over the interests of businesses, corporations, and lobbyist, it is quite clear that, though imperfect, a controlled system is best.

Neo Corporalist is the best system

Neo Corporatist is the best form of interest group system. It is the most effective in articulating the needs of the all of the citizens in a society. Pluralist systems are comprised of multiple interest groups. There are  multiple interest groups that represent the same thing. In a Neo Corporatist system there is one group that represents the needs of that group of people, similar to teachers unions. By having single group that represents the needs of that group of people they are more likely to make a difference. In a Neo corporatist system there is more of a relationship between the interest groups and the government.  This makes it easier to make an impact on the government. Business, labor, government are all involved in policy decisions in Neo Corporatist systems.   In a pluralist society there are way to many groups representing the needs of one group of people. They are not going to make as much of a difference because of the amount of groups, in one group there are not going to be as many people as in a corporatist system because there are so many different groups that they can join. They are not going to make as much of an impact.

Illuminati System

I digress...

In terms of interest groups achieving their goals and actually getting policy created upon their interests a democratic corporatist system yields the best results.  The consolidation of interest groups puts more power in the peak interest groups that embody each sector of society.  In pluralist systems too many similar interest groups are competing for similar results and nothing gets done because interest groups are too small and do not carry enough power.  In the corporatist system though, peak interest groups carry enough power and are able to effectively communicate the interests of the group to make an impact on government.

In terms of government control over interest articulation the controlled system is clearly the best.  This is the case because in a controlled system interest groups exist to facilitate government policy whereas in pluralist and corporatist systems, interest groups are often petitioning against the government for legislature in the interests of its members.

NEW WORLD ORDER

Neo-Corporatism!

The pluralist system allows for multiple interest groups to compete for influence in several policy domains, meaning that there can be a great number of groups. While this may seem like the best approach, especially in a democratic society, there can only be so many influential interest groups before things start to get hectic. The government will eventually become biased towards the most beneficial and influential interest groups, leaving the ones with less money and other constraints to fall behind. Because of this, neo-corporatism is a more efficient relationship between interest groups and the government because it allows for more of a focus on certain groups who are expressing interests to develop certain policies. A side of neo-corporatism is an income policy, which would help control inflation, which is very important for a well-functioning country. Pluralism allows for too many groups all fighting over certain policies while neo-corporatism would allow peak groups to use most of their energy actually accomplishing something. 

Neo Corporatist is the best one

In order for interests to actually be expressed to the government, the neo-corporatist system is the best form. The pluralist system does not work efficiently because all of the “voices” become convoluted. There are too many groups with not enough membership to actually have their opinion heard. This can prove troublesome for the government, as the number of interest groups can be overwhelming for the government.  On the other end of the spectrum, the controlled system is very bad for the public. The interest groups are not actually there to represent the voices of the people, so they are not effective interest groups. The best system would be the corporatist system because it has enough membership in the group to make their voice heard, and the system does not become too fragmented. Thus, the neo-corporatist system is the best form structure for interest groups. 

Neo Corporatist Interest Systems

The Neo Corporatist Interest System is by far the best system for efficiency as well as expressing the issues of the people accurately. The issue with the pluralist system is that with the multitude of different groups trying to express different views, interests and opinions for the same section of society (such as education, medicine, and law). This means that they often clash and work against each other which leads to less effective articulation overall. The issue with a controlled system is that the government has to much say in what is being articulated and so while the education sector may be vocalizing on behalf of their people they are not responsible to the people's desires or best interests. The great thing about the neo corporatist system is that there is one group that consolidates the power of the group and unites them under one cause and set of view points independent of government influence. This allows for a prosperous and liberal economy and more open and modernized society.

Why Neo-Corporatist Systems are the BEST EVER

Although Pluralist Systems may initially seem to be the the best of the three interest groups systems, for it is the most democratic by allowing many different associational groups to coexist and lobby their individual needs, the Pluralist System is actually not the most effective when it comes to being successful in their policy making process. The most effective interest group system that exists is actually the Neo-Corporatist model. The Corporatist model is much better in sustaining employment, restraining inflation, and are much more efficient in policy making and implementation than the interest groups within a Pluralist System. Not only is the Neo-Corporatist model more efficient and effective in obtaining their needs, but it also still retains a certain level of democracy, for the people still play a large role in the aggregation of interests and the articulation of their needs within the single peak association that is linked with the government (this democracy does not exist in a Controlled Interest Group System because the government limits all interest articulation to benefit the regime). Therefore, it may be said that the Neo-Corporatist model is a "happy-medium"- it still retains the principles of democracy while also adopting the efficiency that comes with governmental relations.