Comparative Politics Final Exam Prep.

Culture

The content of institutions that help define a society. it acts as a kind of social road map, providing norms and priorities that guide people as they organize their lives.

Political Culture

A set of shared views and normative judgements held by a population regarding its political system

Almond and Verba: Civic Culture

They considered political culture to be the element that connects individuals’ attitudes with the overall political system structure.

The Three types of Political Culture in Almond and Verba Study

Participate, Subject, and Parochial

Participate Political Culture

Which citizens understand and take part in politics and voluntary associations.

Subject Political Culture

Which citizens obey largely but participate little, seeing themselves as subjects to the government and not as participants.

Parochial Political Culture

Which citizens have neither knowledge nor interest in politics and only indistinctly aware of the existence of a central government. 

Welzel and Inglehart: Culture Map

A scattered plot based on the two major dimensions of:

• Traditional Values

• Secular-rational Values

• Survival and Self-Expression Values

Traditional Values

Emphasizes religion, family values, deferment to authority and national pride.

Secular-Rational Values

Place much less emphasis on these same values but accepts divorce, abortion, suicide, etc.

Survival Values 

emphasize economic and physical security and are associated with low levels of trust and tolerance

Self-Expression Values

are focused on higher levels of tolerance and demands for individual participation in politics.

Huntington Seven Major Civilization

Western 
Confucian 

Japanese

Islamic 

Hindu 

Slavic-Orthodox 

Latin America 

African Civilization