ABSTRACT
The passive nature of the public, however, poses little threat to the functioning of the democratic process, as an active citizenry is ultimately not necessary, as the elite realm is effectively self-regulating. Elite actors possess sufficient normative commitments to tolerance and self-control and appreciate the significance of these values for governing. Additionally, the ever-present threat of an electoral loss serves to keep the behaviors of elite actors in check. Despite its inherent passivity, the public plays a highly significant role within the larger process of elite competition by possessing a capacity to refuse the choices being put forward by elites. The consideration of competition between elites is therefore inextricable from the differentiation between elite and non-elite segments of society. Social practices based on the outright use of power for the immediate gain of its holder cannot reinforce the distinctions between elite and non-elite social layers.
