6. Democracies and their citizens: how and why are political culture and political participation changing in democracies? Flashcards
Definition of political culture ?
Term that comparativists use to describe attitudes, beliefs and values of citizens and their leaders, especially regard to their political regime. Exists at an individual and national level
Definition of political socialization ?
Process by which citizens and leaders acquire their political attitudes, values and beliefs. Exists at an individual and national level
Blog “French politics” by ?
Arthur Goldhammer
Definition of legitimacy
The extent to which people in a country recognize or believe in the regime’s or the government’s authority to rule over them
Without legitimacy, governments have to use…
Coercion or intimidation
3 conditions for a democracy to be legitimate according to Malcolm Gladwell ?
- Perceived as respectful
- Fair (the rule of law)
- Trustworthy
Legitimacy is not up to..
Outsiders but to the people of the country
The earliest systematic comparative study of participation ?
Almond and Verba’s The Civic Culture 1963
Typology of political cultures by Almond and Verba ?
- Participants : people engaged in the politics in some way (US, UK)
- Subject cultures : people who passively obey the rules (Germany, 1960s)
- Parochial cultures : people who are hardly aware of politics at all (Mexico)
Composition of advanced democracies in general ?
60% participants, 30% subjects, 10% parochials
Almond and Verba introduced the concept of…
Civic culture = the ideal political culture at the national level in which subject and participant cultures are mixed so that people participate and have, at the same time, respect for the rulers and the regime
“The Silent Revolution” ?
Inglehart, key academic, 1977, post-modernism
Post-materialism ?
Generations that grow up in an era of political peace and economic prosperity are less concerned with issues of material well-being and security than people who grew up in periods of upheaval or depression.
First people are concerned with the basics, and once these are fulfilled they move on to other issues like gay rights or abortion : who said that
Maslow, “Theory of human motivation”, 1943
Effect of the 2008 hit on the political culture
Return of material insecurity (US)
First appearance of post-materialistic dynamics
1960-70s, societies more prosperous
Consequences of new models for political regimes
- Party voter “dealignment” : fewer young people identify with a particular party and stick to this party for their lifetime
- Strains on regimes that face protests
- Democratic deficit in Europe (EU)
- Political scepticism
Vote is much more individualized because…
Because people have access to information and education and rely less on social groups
What do the 2008 crisis and the rise of China show ?
Democracies are not as legitimate as we thought ; the Chinese regime is efficient.
Political skepticism marks a…
Long-term (secular) cross-national decline of people’s trust in the longest established democracies over the last 70 years
Example of political survey
Eurobarometer implemented by the EU
Who calls the current population “critical citizens”, “dissatisfied democrats” ?
Pippa Norris
Fareed Zakaria : more government or less ?
More, democratic “crisis”. In favor of the return to a smaller state.
