political participation & culture

Question 1

what are the modes of participation?

Answer 1

1. conventional vs unconventional
2. legal vs illegal
3. lowkey vs highkey

Question 2

spitzekandidaten

Answer 2

eu introducing leaders from factions to increase voter turnout - didn’t work.

Question 3

explanations- institutional arrangements

Answer 3

1. compulsory voting
2. registration requirements
3. electoral systems

Question 4

compulsory voting example case:

Answer 4

belgium, luxembourg have it and they have high vt

Question 5

registration requirements example case:

Answer 5

norway sends the ballot to your home - high vt

in the us you need to register, registered people have a high vt

Question 6

which electoral system has a higher voter turnout?

Answer 6

proportional representation

Question 7

explanations - other

Answer 7

1. shift to unconventional participation

2. changes in political culture

Question 8

what does ‘changes in political culture’ argue?

Answer 8

argues that individual values and norms regarding politics can explain observable differences between countries.

Question 9

changes in political culture argument by huntington

Answer 9

huntington applied the PC analysis to the macro level- arguing that cultures rather than countries will become a major source of political conflict.

Question 10

what are the problems with PC explanation (2)?

Answer 10

1. compactness and cohesion: if we speak about a national culture- the values should be similar but sometimes meaningful cross-country variation isn’t present.
2. ecological fallacy: making generalizations from the group (scandinavia x women example)

Question 11

cultural explanations of participation (2)

Answer 11

1. intrapersonal trust (social capital)

2. post materialism

Question 12

social capital theory argues that…

Answer 12

strong intrapersonal trust is good for democratic stability.
low personal trust => low political trust => low participation

Question 13

what proves the social capital theory wrong?

Answer 13

China has interpersonal trust but no democracy

this correlation collapses if you take out rich countries (once you control for economic prosperity)

Question 14

post materialism argues that…

Answer 14

changing value orientations of western societies impact PC. as the affluence of post-materialist countries rise, this view will come to dominate.

Question 15

“silent revolution”

Answer 15

mass attitudes in post-war societies changed on a focus from material values to post-material values (self-expression, quality of life)

Question 16

which contemporary developments does the post materialist view relate to?

Answer 16

1. the rise of green parties

2. less conventional participation

Question 17

mobilized participation

Answer 17

elite controlled involvement in politics designed to express popular support for the regime

Question 18

civic culture

Answer 18

most accept the obligation to participate in politics and acknowledge its right to make decisions.