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American Political Culture

American Federal Government. American Political Culture. Political Culture. Definition A basic set of shared values, attitudes and beliefs that differentiate Americans from citizens of other countries How are we differentiated?

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American Political Culture

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  1. AmericanFederalGovernment American Political Culture

  2. Political Culture • Definition • A basic set of shared values, attitudes and beliefs that differentiate Americans from citizens of other countries • How are we differentiated? • Different founding principles to our western European counterparts • City on a Hill

  3. Characteristics of American Political Culture • Protestant Work Ethic • Equality of opportunity, not outcome • Individual responsibility • Mistrust of government & governmental power • Limited government • Religion and faith • Providence, abundance, and Manifest Destiny • Associationalism and civic duty

  4. Common Beliefs • Classical Liberalism - belief in individual rights, limited government, representative government; strong support for the Constitutional system as a break upon simple majoritarianism. • Progressive Liberalism - Changed economic circumstances leads to increased government power as necessary to protect liberty and equality.

  5. American Political Culture Compared • High confidence in political institutions • Lower confidence in people running political institutions • Religiosity • Declining sense of political efficacy

  6. Confidence in Institutions: America and Europe Compared

  7. Confidence in People Running American Institutions

  8. Religiosity: The United States Compared (World Values Study, 1990s)

  9. Religion is Important in My Life(Associated Press/IPSOS Poll, Summer 2005)

  10. Religious Leaders Should/Should Not Try to Influence Government Decisions(Associated Press/IPSOS Poll, Summer 2005)

  11. But are we evolving? • Substantive changes in the United States over the last fifty years • Race • Gender • Population Migration • Change in type of employment • What does it mean

  12. Population Change in the US1980-2000

  13. Class in American Politics? • Most Americans believe they are in the middle class • What is the definition? Gingrich vs. Clinton • Tolerance for income inequality • More of a predictor as for who is going to be mobilized and vote than race, gender or ethnicity.

  14. Changes in U.S. Occupational Structure

  15. Changes in Where We Live

  16. Race & Ethnicity • Blacks/African-Americans • migration, political protest, civil rights • issue divisions • Latinos/Hispanics • diversity as a group • low political mobilization • exception? South Florida

  17. 2000 Presidential Vote by Ethnicity

  18. Gender in American Politics • The Gender Gap • a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting differences in views between men and women • Example: --> Sexual Harassment in the workplace • 24% of men say it is a serious problem • 38% of women say it is a serious problem (ICPSR /ANES 1992 pre/post election surveys)

  19. Gender Gap in Voting: 2000 Election, Gore/Bush

  20. Religion in American Politics • Secularism and protest • Values, culture, and moral issues • abortion • Rise or Demise of the Christian Right? • The GOP connection

  21. Membership in the Christian Coalition, 1989-95

  22. Ideology: Moderates Carry the Day

  23. 50 States, 50 Cultures??? • While there are general ideological principles that create American political culture, there are also variations • Certain areas of the country are distinctly different than others • Political scientists have attempted to systematically categorize states

  24. State Culture Typologies • Moralistic States • Rooted in New England, but they have spread to the northern Midwest as well • Higher belief in the public good, which can take root in a number of different issues • Town halls and meetings • Civic participation

  25. State Culture Typologies • Individualistic States • Rooted in the mid-Atlantic states and for the most part it has remained in the east coast • Culture of these states values material gain for the individual • Civic participation is not viewed as critical to the success of government • Laissez-Faire government is favored

  26. State Culture Typologies • Traditionalistic States • Developed in the original southern states and slowly crept as far as Texas • Values a strong social hierarchy in which there is a clear ranking of citizens • Government is viewed as a protector of the culture • Policies protect the elite

  27. So where does Texas fit? • Texas would be categorized as a traditionalistic state, but to do so would minimize the legitimate differences • Historically Texas state government has not tolerated diversity and believes in upholding agrarian principles • Cultural differences within Texas

  28. Introductory Themes and American Political Culture • Why does our system work so well? • Political Power • Authority • Legitimacy

  29. Conceptions of Democracy • Democratic Centralism • Direct Democracy • Representative Democracy • popular sovereignty • citizen demands and government action • participation • deliberation • majority rule

  30. Majority Rule: Good or Bad? • No guarantee of good decisions • Majority tyranny can threaten minorities • Apathy toward politics

  31. Who Really Governs? • Different approaches • Marxist • Elitist • Bureaucratic • Pluralist

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