S/P/47. Compare and contrast the assumptions, if any, which classical elitists, pluralists and rational choice theorists bring to the analysis and explanation of politics. Give examples.

The assumptions of classical elitists, pluralists and rational choice theorists differ in many respects. However, in my opinion some of the main assumptions of elitists and rational choice theorists are quite similar. I shall explain this in greater detail during the course of this essay. Firstly I will give a brief description of the various theories. Then I will discuss the differences between the theories using pluralism mainly as a contrast. While the three analyse politics, elitism seems to show the leaders in politics rather than explain politics unlike pluralism and rational choice theory. By using examples I will attempt to demonstrate the universality of the theories and briefly state how they apply outside of politics, hence showing that the three theories have common characteristics.