Political Participation and Political culture Flashcards
what does political participation mean?
refers to the many different ways that people take part in politics and government
what are different example ways of political participation?
voting, petitions, demonstrations, boycotts, assassinations, terrorism, etc.
what are three distinctive modes of political participation?
- conventional vs. unconventional
- legal vs. illegal
- lowkey vs. intensive
what is the main method of political participation and what are its characteristics/modes?
voting is the main method of political participation
it is conventional, legal and lowkey
what are the two main factors that can explain variations in electoral turnout levels?
institutional arrangements
competitiveness of elections
what are some factors that fall under institutional arrangements in voting?
-compulsory voting
-registration requirements
-different electoral systems
what are some factors that fall under competitiveness of elections in voting?
-policy differences between parties
-first or second order elections
what are two factors that can explain why there are downward trends in political participation?
-shift towards new unconventional forms of participation
-changes in political culture
what is meant by political culture?
a sum of individual values and norms regarding politics and political systems
what are two general problems within political culture?
- compactness or cohesion of culture
- mass vs. elite culture
what are the two main theories of the cultural explanations of political participation?
-Theory of interpersonal trust (social capital)
-Theory of post-materialism
what is meant by the theory of interpersonal trust?
political culture characterised by strong interpersonal trust is good for democratic performance and political participation
what is the importance of interpersonal trust?
-Generates diffuse support for democracy (political trust)
-Increases propensity for collective action (political participation)
what is meant by the theory of post-materialism?
there is a shift in mass attitudes in Western post-war societies from materialist values to post-materialist values
what is the importance of this change to post-materialism?
it explains the new forms of both political participation and electoral alignments