Chapter 7: The Cultural Determinants of Democracy and Dictatorship Flashcards
Cultural Modernization Theory
Economic development -> cultural changes (civic culture) -> democracy
Primordinalist arguments
Culture is objective and inherited.
Culture predates political interaction, and is what affects political behaviour.
Political institutions like democracy are not compatible with all cultures.
Constructivist arguments
Culture is constructed, and has a causal effect.
A democratic culture is required for democracy to emerge and survive.
Montesquieu on culture and political institutions
The best government is the one that best agrees with the disposition of the people in whose favor it is established.
Mill on culture and political institutions
People need the required characteristics for democracy to prosper, such as “moral” or “mental habits”
What is two problems with the Cultural Modernization Theory?
The cultural arguments become so vague/nonspecific that they become nonfalsifiable.
Which way does the causal arrow go? (cultural, economic, and political factors)
The Three Basic Types of Political Culture
Parochial (political systems of African tribes)
Subject (centralised authoritarian institutions)
Participant/Civic (democracy)
What attitudes does a civic culture reflect?
1) That individuals can influence political decisions
2) Positive feelings toward the political system
3) High levels of interpersonal trust
4) Preferences for gradual societal change
Inglehart and Welzel’s two dimensions of cross-cultural variation
Traditional values or secular-reational values
Survival values or self-expression values
Huntington’s arguments for the difficulty of establishing democracy in Islamic countries
They are prone to political violence, Islam does not disassociate religious and political spheres, and thir unequal treatment of women.
What effect does high cultural diversity have on democracy?
Reaching compromises is difficult and it raises the risk of intercommunal violence; less likely to become and stay democratic.
