Transcript Political Culture and Socialization

Chapter 8 – Tuesday, June 30th
Political Science 100
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Nations
◦ Shared experience of history, religion and culture
(among other things)
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Culture
◦ shared beliefs surrounding clothes, religion, ethics,
food, relationships, music, literature
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“collection of values, understandings, attitudes
and principles of a community or society that
relate to its political organization, processes,
disputes and public policies.”
*Deep breath*
“Out of a society’s political culture come
important beliefs and values that structure the
citizens’ attitudes and expectations toward such
basic concepts as legitimacy, power, authority
and obedience.” - Dr. Andy Heard
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Civic culture was thought to be both the attitudes
and belief systems that led to democracy (The
US) Almond and Verba
Types of political culture:
◦ 1. Parochial culture
 Citizens uninformed, uninterested in politics
◦ 2. Subject culture
 Minimal consultation, minimal interest in politics
◦ 3. Participant culture
 Dynamic engagement, active interest in politics
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On the UK and US
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Attitudes within
countries
◦ Who do the people
trust?
◦ Is the government
trustworthy?
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Attitudes between
countries
◦ The role of women in
the workplace
◦ Immigrants
◦ Gun Control
 The Economist (2014)
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The universality of culture?
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Most countries have many
subcultures
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“cluster of people who
share the same basic
political values and attributes
that are distinct from those of
other groups in society or from the predominant values…
of the whole” - Heard
Liberal Democracy
and Majoritarian
Rule
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Political Socialization: “The process through
which individuals are educated and
assimilated into the political culture of a
community” – Maclean and Wood
“attitudes toward and knowledge about
political matters are passed within a society”
– Heard
Replication of political norms in a society
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Primary socialization occurs in youth, but
experience continues forever.
Overt (right or wrong) or Internalized (role
models)
Are we free to
form our own
opinions?
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Definition: “groups, individual or institutions
that convey attitudes and values to others” –
Heard
Family, School, Religion, Peers, the Workplace
The State
(patriotism, symbols)
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Public Opinion polling
◦ Key component of determining attitudes towards
politics
◦ Driving the debate?
◦ Driving governance?
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The Media (and the internet)
◦ A check on power?
◦ Ubiquitous in western political culture
◦ Bias, advertising and “boring content”
 Youtube, twitter and TV News
◦ Concentration of the Media
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Elections
◦ What do people want?
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Public Policy
◦ What do governments do?
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Inputs
◦ Who has a say in what government does?
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Policies are the strategies governments create
to achieve goals
Inputs often can include public opinion
polling (other described on the following
slides)
Often characterized as a battle between
groups, often government, business and
labour
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Interest group: “a group that brings together
people with common interests or a common
sense of identity for the purpose of changing the
political process” – Smith
◦ Formal organization
◦ Not interested in getting elected
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Means for citizens to express their views to
government (aggregation), participate
◦ Provide an alternative to established political parties
◦ Focused comments on policy issues
◦ Offers a voice in between elections
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A threat to democracy?
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“an integral part of modern politics” Maclean
and Wood
Significant sums of money to lobbyists, to try
and convince politicians of alternatives
◦ A route towards bribery?
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Often hired by Interest Groups, Corporations,
or groups of corporations
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Wide-ranging stakeholder consultation is
common
◦ Too much power to wealthy groups?
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Policy Communities: “A collection of actors
who have direct or indirect interest in an
issue” – Maclean and Wood
◦ Casts a broad net to identify actors in the process
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Alternative to contentious politics
A system where government, business and
labour work together
◦ Seems great (and maybe it is), but a few interesting
outcomes: Manufacturing, women in the workplace
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Strong concern that each group may stop
working for their members, without
competition to hold them in check