CITIZENS, SOCIETY AND THE STATE
Dr. Afxendiou
A.P. Comparative Government and Politics
Sachem Norht High School
A Complex System - CLEAVAGES
 Society made up of more than government and politics.
 Citizens participate in many more facets of society. For ex
 Religion
 Ethnic groups
 Race
 Social and economic classes.
 These create separations amongst members of a society. The
political science term for these separations is SOCIAL
CLEAVAGES
Citizen – State Relationships
 For the sake of comparison we create categories:
1.
ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS OF CITIZENS
 Do citizens trust their government?
 Do they believe that the government cares about what they think?
 Do they feel that government affects their lives in significant ways?
 POLITICAL EFFICACY – a way to measure connections between
citizens and their government. A citizen’s capacity to understand and
influence political events.
 High level of political efficacy – citizens believe that the
government takes their input seriously, that it cares about what they
have to say. They also believe that they themselves understand political
issues and that they are able to participate in solving problems.
 Low or lack of political efficacy – citizens may not believe that it
is important to participate in politics so they may not vote or they may
ignore their government’s efforts to enforce laws
Citizen – State Relationships
 comparison categories continued:
2.
POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION
 How do citizens learn about politics in their country?
 Do electronic and print media shape their learning?
 Does the government put forth effort to politically educate their citizens?
Is it education or “propaganda?”
 How do children learn about politics?
 Development of identifications – belonging to the nation, their ethnic
group, their religion. Affect political views
Citizen – State Relationships
 comparison categories continued:
3.
TYPES OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
 Varies with the type of government
authoritarian government – citizens participate in what are called
“subject activities” that involve and show obedience to the government
 Democratic government – citizens take more active participatory role
 Most common type of political participation is _____________
 Citizens may also work for political candidates of their choice
 They may attend political meetings or rallies
 They may contribute financially to their political causes/campaigns
 They may join political parties

Citizen – State Relationships
 Comparison categories continued
4.
VOTING BEHAVIOR
 Do citizens in the country participate in regular elections?
 Are the elections truly competitive?
 If they are not, what is the purpose of the elections?
 What citizens are eligible to vote, and how many actually vote?
 Do politicians pay attention to elections, do elections affect
policymaking?
Citizen – State Relationships
 Comparison categories continued:
5.
FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE POLITICAL BELIEFS AND
BEHAVIORS
 Are there cleavages that affect citizens’ political beliefs and behaviors?
 Do the lower classes vote for one political party and never the other?
 Are women’s beliefs and behaviors different from those of men?
 Are younger people as likely to vote as older people?
 Do people in rural areas participate in government?
Citizen – State Relationships
 Comparison categories continued:
6.
LEVEL OF TRANSPARENCY
 Transparency – the government operates openly by keeping citizens
informed about government operations and political issues and by
responding to citizen’s questions and advice.
 Democratic governments- transparency is the ideal
 Authoritarian governments – low levels of transparency found
 Transparency and corruption – high transparency low
corruption; low transparency high corruption
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
 Organized collective activities that aim to bring about or
resist fundamental change in an existing group or society
 Try to influence political leaders to make policy decisions
that support their goals
 Members of social movements challenge mainstream society
to reconsider their positions
CIVIL SOCIETY
 Voluntary organizations outside of the state that help people define and advance
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their own interests
Usually strong in liberal democracies where individual freedoms are valued and
protected.
Organizations may represent class, religious, or ethnic interests, or they may
cross them creating strong bonds among people that exist outside of
government control
Helps to define the people’s relationship to and role in politics and community
affairs.
Groups may be inherently apolitical but they are the cornerstone of liberty by
allowing people to articulate and promote what is important to them.
Checks the power of the state and helps to prevent the TYRANNY OF THE
MAJORITY or the tendency in democracies to allow majority rule to neglect
the rights and liberties of minorities.
Global civil society? –nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) – national
and international groups independent of any state that pursue policy objectives
and foster public participation.
CIVIL SOCIETY
 In authoritarian states – not encouraged, actually threatening
 In less developed societies – hurt by cleavages that claim all
of peoples’ allegiance