Civil Society & Social Cleavages Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing lecture notes on Civil Society, Political Culture, and Social Cleavages.

Civil Society

Comprises a range of voluntary associations that are autonomous from the state.

Examples of Civil Society Organizations

Local & Religious Groups, Neighborhood organizations, News Media & Business, Professional Associations, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)

Civil Society organizations

Can be limited by government registration and monitoring policies.

A robust civil society

Serves as an agent of democratization.

Civil Society Organizations

Monitor and lobby the government to expose government malfeasance, represent interests of members, provide members with organizational experience.

GONGOS

Government organized non-governmental organizations

Political Culture

The collective attitudes, values, and beliefs of the citizenry and the norms of behavior in the political system.

Political Culture

Sets expectations about the exercise of power to establish a balance between social order & individual liberty.

Influences of Political Culture

Geography, religious traditions, and history.

Political Socialization

The lifelong process of acquiring one’s beliefs, values, and orientations toward the political systems.

Agents of Political Socialization

Family, schools, peers, religious institutions, media, and social environments, including civic organizations.

Social and Political Cleavages

Internal divisions that structure societies and may be based on class, ethnicity, religion or territory.

Social Cleavages in China

Ethnic & regional divisions between the majority Han ethnic groups and at least 55 recognized ethnic minorities.

Autonomous Regions

An area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or has freedom from an external authority.

Social Cleavages in Iran

Religious divisions between the Shi’a Muslim majority and members of other religions, and ethnic cleavages between the majority Persians and several ethnic minorities.

Social Cleavages in Mexico

Ethnic divisions between the Amerindian population and whites and mestizos, and regional divisions between the north and the south.

Social Cleavages in Nigeria

Ethnic divisions are among more than 250 ethnic groups, and religious and regional cleavages between the north and the south.

Social Cleavages in Russia

Cleavages between ethnic Russians and minority, non-Russian populations.

Social Cleavages in the United Kingdom

Ethnic and regional differences between nations such as the Scottish, English, Welsh, and Irish; religious differences between Protestants & Catholics in Northern Ireland and racial tensions between whites and non-European minorities.

Major social and political cleavages affect

Voting behavior, party systems, informal political networks.

State responses to social cleavages

Can range from brute repression to recognition of ethnic/religious minorities and creating of autonomous regions and/or representation of minorities in governmental institutions.

Separatist movements

Have emerged in China, Iran, Nigeria and the United Kingdom as a result of social cleavages.

Challenges governments face in securing stability in multinational states

Conflicting interests and competition among groups and political parties, perceived lack of governmental authority and legitimacy, pressure for autonomy/secession, intergroup conflict, terrorism, and civil war, and encroachment on neighboring states.