Topics in Comparative Politics

1. Citizens, Society and the State Topics in Comparative Politics

2. Government and politics are only part of the many facets of society. Religion, ethnic groups, race, social and economic classes all interact with the political system and have tremendous impact. These divisions are called social cleavages. So you know…

3. Social Class • Class awareness overall has declined in post-industrial societies, it still is important • Example: Middle class in Britain support the Conservative Party, and working-class support the Labour party. • Ethnic Cleavages • Ethnic cleavages are most divisive and explosive. • They are cause for full scale civil war in former Russian republics, and think Africa • Religious Cleavages • Often closely intertwined with ethnicity. • Think Northern Ireland. It has strong religious division. • Also could argue here in the US with the fundamentalist Christian movement vs. non fundamentalists. Bases of Social Cleavages

4. Regional Cleavages • In modern states, different views are a result of living in different geographic regions. • Populations compete for jobs, resources, money, development projects. • Think about US southwest vs. Northeast. • Coinciding and cross cutting Cleavages • When every dispute aligns the same groups against each other, they coincide and are likely to be explosive. • When society is divided into many potential groups, they cross cut. These cleavages are more likely to cooperate on some issues and conflict over others. • Tend to keep conflict to more moderate levels.

5. Governments connect to citizens in a variety of ways. • Example: citizens within a democracy relate to their government differently than those in authoritarian rules. • Tend to use these categories: • Attitudes and Beliefs—Do citizens trust their government, do they have political efficacy (ability to influence political events) • Political Socialization—How do citizens learn about politics in their country. • Types of Political Participation—how involved in the process are citizens? • Voting Behavior—Do citizens participate in regular elections? Are they truly competitive? • Factors that influences political beliefs and behaviors—Consider the important cleavages—how do they affect people’s political behavior? • Level of transparency—how well do governments keep citizens informed about government operations and issues? Comparing Citizen/State Relationships

6. The organized collective that bring about/resist change in an existing group or society • Try to influence political leaders to make policy decision that support their goals. • Often step outside traditional channels to bring about change. • Think women’s suffrage movement in Great Britain and the US • Or Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s Social Movements

7. Voluntary organizations OUTSIDE of the state that help people define and advance their own interests. • Usually very strong in liberal democracies. • May be inherently un political, but they support liberty by allowing people to articulate and promote what is important to them. • Help prevent the “tyranny of the majority” (majority rule that does not allow for minority rights) • These groups or non governmental organizations (NGO’s) are becoming more cosmopolitan. • Example: Doctors without borders. Civil Society