Lecture 5 Political Culture

Question 1

What is political culture?

Answer 1

Political culture consists of cultural values that shape our political attitudes and behavior, influencing how we think about and engage in politics.

Question 2

How do cultural values relate to political attitudes and behavior?

Answer 2

Cultural values → Political attitudes → Political behavior.

Question 3

Give examples of Dutch cultural values.

Answer 3

Tolerance, bluntness, and a tendency for compromise.

Question 4

In research on democratisation, which values are often contrasted?

Answer 4

Values relating to equality versus preferences for authority patterns (Western versus Asian values).

Question 5

Which values are key to democratisation?

Answer 5

Values relating to self-determination, autonomy, and freedom.

Question 6

How do political attitudes differ from cultural values?

Answer 6

Political attitudes are more dynamic and can change over time, whereas cultural values are more stable and long-term.

Question 7

What is congruence theory?

Answer 7

A theory introduced by Almond & Verba (1963) that states a stable regime requires congruence between culture and institutions; authority patterns should match a population’s authority beliefs.

Question 8

What is the key idea behind Almond & Verba’s concept of civic culture?

Answer 8

“A democracy without democrats is fragile.”

Question 9

According to Linz & Stepan (1996), what is necessary for democracy to consolidate?

Answer 9

Democracy should be the “only game in town,” meaning political culture should match institutions.

Question 10

What does the congruence theory suggest about authoritarian regimes?

Answer 10

Authoritarian regimes can also be stabilized if authority patterns match the population’s authority beliefs.

Question 11

What are some problems with congruence theory?

Answer 11

1. Reliable information on public opinion is hard to obtain in authoritarian states.
2. Causality might run the other way: institutions could socialise citizens.
3. We cannot assume homogeneity of values among all citizens.
4. In authoritarian regimes, pro-democratic values can be oppressed.

Question 12

What does modernisation theory refer to?

Answer 12

The trend of rising levels of wealth, education, and urbanisation leading to increasingly assertive citizens who demand democracy.

Question 13

How do citizens demand democracy according to modernisation theory?

Answer 13

In two ways: economically and culturally.

Question 14

What are the economic aspects of modernisation theory?

Answer 14

Increasing resources citizens have for collective action, including material means, intellectual skills, and connective opportunities.

Question 15

What is the cultural aspect of modernisation theory?

Answer 15

The change in cultural values due to rising levels of wealth, education, and urbanisation.

Question 16

Who introduced the concept of a Silent Revolution and when?

Answer 16

Inglehart in 1973.

Question 17

What does Inglehart’s Silent Revolution claim?

Answer 17

High levels of economic and physical security after WW2 led to an intergenerational shift from materialist to postmaterialist values.

Question 18

What are postmaterialist values according to Inglehart?

Answer 18

Values that emphasize personal autonomy, gender equality, reproductive choice, and popular voice.

Question 19

How did Inglehart and Welzel later specify their theory?

Answer 19

They focused on emancipatory values as the specific type of postmaterial values supporting democratisation.

Question 20

What are emancipatory values?

Answer 20

Support for personal autonomy, gender equality, reproductive choice, and popular voice.

Question 21

What idea relates to the congruence theory within modernisation theory?

Answer 21

The supply and demand of democratic freedoms (civic entitlements and emancipatory values).

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Question 22

What happens when there is a match between supply and demand of democratic freedoms?

Answer 22

There is democratic or authoritarian stability.

Question 23

What results from an over-supply of democratic freedoms?

Answer 23

An autocratic transition (e.g., Poland, Hungary).

Question 24

What results from an over-demand of democratic freedoms?

Answer 24

A democratic transition.

Question 25

What is a major problem with the idea of supply and demand in modernisation theory?

Answer 25

The problem of causation, whether emancipatory values lead to democratisation or vice versa.

Question 26

What does Foa et al. (2022) argue against Inglehart and Welzel’s theory?

Answer 26

They state that there is reverse-causality; democratisation may lead to emancipatory values.

Question 27

What does Inglehart suggest about the current cultural backlash?

Answer 27

Traditional majorities feeling threatened by emancipatory cultural change seek to reverse it, with some younger people also part of this backlash.

Question 28

How can support for democracy be measured directly?

Answer 28

By asking people what they think of democracy and autocracy.

Question 29

What is often observed when measuring support for democracy directly?

Answer 29

People tend to have higher support for democracy than for autocracy but may support both in a contradicting way.

Question 30

What is democratic ambivalence?

Answer 30

When people support democracy but also simultaneously support authoritarian regime forms.

Question 31

What are the trade-offs that people might make regarding their support for democracy?

Answer 31

People may trade-off democratic support for policy gains or partisan gains.

Question 32

How is democracy becoming a part of political competition?

Answer 32

Through the increasing politicisation of support for democracy.

Question 33

What are the causes for democracy to decline?

Answer 33

Dissatisfaction with the way democracy works, elite cues (political leaders calling for limitations of democracy), and politicisation of support for democracy.

Question 34

What is meant by “elite cues” in the context of democracy?

Answer 34

Political leaders openly calling for limitations on democracy.

Question 35

What does the politicisation of support for democracy imply?

Answer 35

That support for democracy is becoming a contested issue within political competition.