Defining Political Culture

1. Defining Political Culture

2. Defining Political Culture • Political Culture – the collection of political beliefs, values, practices, and institutions that the government is based on. • Ex.) American Individualism • Ex.) American Freedom & Liberty

3. Determining Political Culture • Political Culture can be measured through SocialCapital – the amount of reciprocity & trust that exists among citizens and between citizens and the state. • Ex.) Health Care Debate

4. 6 Ways to ‘Measure’ Social Capital • Attitudes & Beliefs of Citizens • Do citizens trust their government? Do they believe that the government cares about what they think? • Political Efficacy – a citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events. • Political Socialization • How do citizens learn about politics in their country? Who produces it? • Types of Political Participation • Democracies = citizens vote, attend meetings, contribute money, join parties • Authoritarian = Subjective Activities – pay taxes, obey laws, follow military orders

5. 6 Ways to ‘Measure’ Social Capital 4) Voting Behavior • Do citizens vote? Are the elections truly fair & competitive? 5) Level of Transparency • Government operates openly by keeping citizens informed & responds to citizens’ questions and advice. 6) Social Cleavages • Social Cleavages - potential divisions based on social class, ethnicity, religion, and/or regional factors.

6. 2 Types of Political Culture • Consensual Political Culture– citizens accept both the legitimacy of the government and its’ solutions to major problems. • Conflictual Political Culture – citizens are sharply divided, often on both government legitimacy and government solutions to major problems. • Cross-Cutting Cleavages – divides society into groups that conflict on one issue by cooperate on another • Coinciding Cleavages - every dispute aligns the same groups against each other.