Week 11, Topic 9: Political Culture & Political Cleavages

Political Culture

• Soft elements of a po. system: non-institutional

• Po. trad.

• Attitudes, Orientation, Values

• Cognitive, Affective, Evaluative

Political Culture: classic authors

• Gabriel Almond & Sidney Verba

• Political culture influences po. behavior and legitimacy of the regime, the way power is exercised

Empirical Findings (5)

1. USA & UK: active, self-organized, trust, support govt. policies

2. Germany: confidence in; objectives, tools, formalism

3. Italy: po. alienation, family life, lack of po. activism

4. Mexico: unfamiliarity, trad. ties, outputs satisfactory

What are the 3+1 types of political culture?

1. Parochial

2. Subject

3. Participant

4. Civic

Parochial Culture

• No interest

• No knowledge

• Localism

• Unaffected by central decisions

• Ex. pre-modern societies, early feudalism

Subject Culture

• Awareness of political center

• Some knowledge but ONLY subjects

• No participation

• Ex. centralized, autocratic structures

Participant Culture

• Fully aware of central govt.

• Good knowledge

• Affected by central decisions

• Participation = Contribution

• Ex. modern, participatory democracies

Civic Culture

• Expression of demands, BUT accept state authority

Political Socialization

• Introduction to political community

• Shaping of views/opinions/thinking/behavior

How do you politically socialize?

• Direct / Indirect

• Conversations / Disputes

• Model parliaments

• Books / Cultural products

What are the methods/factors of researching changes in political culture?

• Support for the system/regime

• Satisfaction w/ democracy

• State performance assessment

• Policy satisfaction

• Engagement / Electoral behavior / Involvement

• Polarization / Partisanship

• Obedience

What are the results of socialization?

Transmission & Transformations of (political) culture.

Social Division

Separation of groups along divergent interests & values.

Political Cleavage

• Politically relevant social divide

• Collective identity / influence

• Stefano Bartolini — Peter Mair: “politically relevant group diversity”

What are the three level of political cleavages and who advanced this thought?

1. Social-structural division

2. Collective identity

3. Institutional & Organizational presence

• Hanspeter Kriesi

What is the classic cleavage theory, and who advanced it?

• TWO revolutions (national/civic + IR) = TWO cleavages (cultural & economic)

• Martin Seymor Lipset — Stein Rokkan

What are the 4 cleavages ?

1. Cultural Center vs. Periphery: subject vs. dominant culture

2. State vs. Church

3. Rural vs. Urban

4. Class: workers vs. owners vs. capital)

What are the 2 axis?

1. Territorial: center vs. periphery

2. Functional: economy vs. culture

What is the freezing hypothesis?

• Political parties reflect social cleavages (religion, class)

• Same political parties dominate the political landscape

• Cleavages remain frozen

What are some challenges / revisions to the classic cleavage theory and the theorists behind them?

• Social conflicts answered by welfare states: Mark Franklin

• Post-industrial revolution == value-based cleavages: Daniel Bell

• New cleavage (material vs. post-material) gains influence: Ronald Inglehart

• Secularization

• Change in social & economic structure

• Weakening party affiliation & class voting

• New social issues