Unit 3 Political Culture and Participation

Civil Society

voluntary associations independent from the state, including local religious and neighborhood organizations, news media, business and professional associations, and nongovernmental organizations

Nongovernmental organizations

civil society groups that provide services governments can also provide such as volunteer fire departments to groups that provide advocay for foster children

Political culture

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

Political socialization

the process by which individuals acquire their political beliefs, values, and behaviors through family, education, media, and other social influences.

Political ideology

us a set of values and beliefs about the goals of governments, public policy, or politics

Individualism

belief in individual civil liberties and freedom over governmental restrictions

Neoliberalism

referring to the removal of barriers and restrictions on what internal/external economic actors can do; beliefs in limited governmental intervention in the economy; privatization of government controlled industries, free trade to lower tariffs on imported goods, deregulation or governmental controls on business, and the elimination of state subsidies for industries

Communism

belief in the abolition of private property with near total governmental control of the economy

Socialism

belief in the reduction of income disparities and the nationalization of major private industries

Fascism

extreme nationalist ideology that favors authoritarian rule and the rights of the ethnic majority over that of ethnic minorities and the political opposition

Populism

political philosophy that supports the interests and rights of the common people over that of the elites

Democracy or Authoritarianism

include the extent of state adherence to rule of law; the degree of governmental influence on or control of the media; degree and pratice of free and fair elections; degree of transparency of governmental decision making; the degree of political participation by citizens; and the degree of independence of governmental branches

Power

ability of the state to influence the conduct of individuals and organizations within the state

authority

state’s legimate right to enforce a power

Rule of law

is the principle that a state should be governed by known laws and not arbitrary decisions made by individual government officials

Civil Rights

is the protection of groups of citizens against abuse of powers by the government

Civil Liberties

is an individual’s protection against abuse of powers by the government

Post-materialism

social values of self-expression and quality of life issues such as environmental issues and social and economic equality

Political participation

ways citizens can attempt to shape government policy. Can be formal( casting a ballot in a government election) or informal (protests and political criticism expressed through social media)

Referenda

allow to vote directly on policy questions as exemplified by the United Kingdom’s 2016 national vote about whether citizens preferred leaving or remaining in the European Union

Polticical stability

the ability of a government to consistently provide services that meet the basic needs of most of the population to foster the public’s confidence in the institutions of the state

Clevages

Social and political clevages are internal divisions that structure societies and may be based on class, ethnicity, religion, or territory

Separatist movement

when a group’s actions to gain greater autonomy from a government diminishes the sovereignty of that government

Brute repression

use of coercive force by the government to suppress actions the government opposes