An Examination of America's Rules on Imported Vehicles
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University of Central Florida STARS HIM 1990-2015 2015 Elite Theory, Individual Autonomy and Interest Groups: An Examination Of America's Rules On Imported Vehicles Jared A. Rosenholtz University of Central Florida Part of the Political Science Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015 University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIM 1990-2015 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Rosenholtz, Jared A., "Elite Theory, Individual Autonomy and Interest Groups: An Examination Of America's Rules On Imported Vehicles" (2015). HIM 1990-2015. 1882. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/1882 ELITE THEORY, INDIVIDUAL AUTONOMY AND INTEREST GROUPS: AN EXAMINATION OF AMERICA’S RULES ON IMPORTED VEHICLES by JARED A. ROSENHOLTZ A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors in the Major program of Political Science in the College of Sciences and in the Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Fall Term 2015 Thesis Chair: Barry Edwards Ph.D. ABSTRACT The purpose of this research is to examine the legislative process that led to the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act of 1988. This research will look at the original intent of the law, as well as its possible irrelevance today. This research will compare the environment that existed during its creation, and compare it to the drastically different landscape that exists now in the new car market. From this comparison, this paper will recommend a route for the United States to better open trade with other countries and allow more consumer freedom. This research will look at the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act from a political science viewpoint. This analysis will take into consideration the legislative process that led to this act and show that it is an example of the legislative process helping large companies while hurting ordinary consumers. The history of this legislation will show that the justification presented represents protecting consumers from a harmful product. However, the recent history will reveal a government that is quick to make assumptions without regard to facts that disprove the reasoning for this act. This research will seek to use the Imported Vehicle Safety Compliance Act as example of a law that is in need of an update, but has not had any meaningful reform. The goal of this research will be to illustrate why laws that are no longer effective remain without reform. ii DEDICATION For all of the American car enthusiasts that lusted after a car that they could not have, For my mentors Nick Schenk, Barry Edwards, and David Bassion who pushed me beyond my own expectations And to my mother, Deena Levenson for supporting my passion and pushing my academic achievement as well as all of her love and support iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all of my professors that motivated me to push my academic potential beyond my own expectations. I would like to pay special thanks to my thesis committee members Dr. Barry Edwards, Dr. Aubrey Jewett, and Dr. Steven Leon. I appreciate the guidance that you provided by recommending the books that would make my thesis so unique. To Dr. Edwards, your commentary and ideas have been crucial to making this thesis possible. To Nicholas Schenk, thank you for pushing me achieve more in my academic career than I had ever thought possible. Without you, I would have never had the courage to write a thesis paper. To Coach David Bassion, thank you for instilling in me the belief that I can achieve even more than my original goals. Your training has shaped me into an individual who will continue to push my own boundaries for the rest of my life. And Mom, I could not have done any of this without your continued love and support and your desire to see me succeed. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Political Problems ......................................................................................................... 1 Elite Theory ................................................................................................................................ 1 Interest Groups ............................................................................................................................ 2 Individual Autonomy .................................................................................................................. 5 Chapter 2: Historical Context ......................................................................................................... 7 The Vehicle Grey Market ........................................................................................................... 7 The New Rules .......................................................................................................................... 11 Legislative History .................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 3: Practical Application ................................................................................................... 21 Policy Evaluation ...................................................................................................................... 21 Government Seizures ................................................................................................................ 24 The Defender Case .................................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 4: Fixing The Issue .......................................................................................................... 35 Modern Barriers ........................................................................................................................ 35 Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership....................................................................... 38 Benefits of Harmonization ........................................................................................................ 42 Online Petitions ......................................................................................................................... 44 v World Initiatives ....................................................................................................................... 46 Future Changes ......................................................................................................................... 48 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 51 References ..................................................................................................................................... 53 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Grey Market Mercedes Benz (The Grey Market: Cheaper but Chancier Imports, 1985) 9 Figure 2: Porsche 959 ................................................................................................................... 14 Figure 3: Land Rover Defender Older Than 25 Years (Patrick George 2015b) ........................... 26 Figure 4: Land Rover Defender Newer Than 25 Years (Patrick George 2015b) ......................... 27 Figure 5: Fuel Economy Comparison (Canis & Lattanzio 2014) ................................................. 37 Figure 6: Vehicle Production (Canis & Lattanzio 2014) .............................................................. 43 Figure 7: Petition.gov Document .................................................................................................. 45 Figure 8: TVR Sagaris .................................................................................................................. 50 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Document of Seized Defender VIN Numbers (Patrick George 2015b) ......................... 30 Table 2: Differences in US and EU Regulations (Canis & Lattanzio 2014) ................................ 40 viii Chapter 1: Political Problems Elite Theory There is a common belief that the will of the people influences public policy. However, Thomas Dye, in his explanation of elite theory, suggests that the people are actually ill-informed about public policy decisions and that elites actually shape mass opinion on policy questions (Dye, 1987). Elite theory suggests that policies trickle downwards from elites and do not arise from the demands of the masses. It also suggests that there is a disproportion of power between the few elite, and the large masses. In a balanced system, governments should choose policies that result in improvements to society and exceed costs. However, when elites have influence over policies, legislation can be skewed in favor of the elites. In this case, policies emerge that benefit elites and large corporations, rather than individual citizens. There is a clear assumption that organization is key to influencing public policy. When analyzing policies making using elite theory, there are clear advantages that allow them to influence policy. For example, elite theory points to the relative lack of resources among members of the lower class (Peters, 1999). This means that despite the masses retaining the right to organize, it is exceedingly difficult for poorer individuals to overpower the elites in government. Elites, on the other hand, can spend excessive amounts of money to limit issues that