Political Participation
Post-materialism, new social
movements, political change
Midterm exam: Friday, Oct. 19th
Part I: Identify and give the significance
of five (5) of the following:
• sovereignty
• political culture
• Gladiators
Value: 20%, 4 points each
Choice: probably 5 out of 7
Part II
Short Essays: Briefly comment on the
validity of four (4) of the following
statements, for example:
• In order to be democratic, a country must
be rich in social capital
• In order to sustain liberal democracy, a
country must have a democratic political
culture
Hints:
• Brief means brief: 1-2 paragraphs, 3 short
paragraphs at most
• Use examples to illustrate your argument
where you can
• If you think a statement is not valid, you
may want indicate how it should be
rephrased to make it valid
• If you think a statement is valid, explain
why
What to study
• Readings for weeks 1-5, including both the
Hague and Harrop text and articles from
Annual Editions, Comparative Politics
• Use power point presentations to guide
your study
• Pay attention to the points for discussion
on the reading list
Where does social capital come
from?
• Wealth?
• Education?
• Organizations and situations which
stimulate trust?
Some questions:
• Are social capital and civil society
prerequisites of liberal democracy?
• What kinds of participation generate social
capital?
– Direct face-to-face participation?
– Participation in `credit card’ organizations?
• Is social capital declining? (Robert
Putnam’s argument in “Bowling Alone”)
What difference does clientelism
make?
• Impact of clientelism on political culture?
• How well does clientelism mesh with
– Ideological politics?
– Post-materialism?
• Are patron-client relationships compatible
with a civil society?
– Does clientelism develop or destroy social
capital?
Social movements:
• What is a social movement?
– “collective challenges by people with common
purposes and solidarity in sustained
interaction with élites, opponents, and
authorities.” (Tarrow, 1998)
• Contrast to parties and interest groups:
– Does not `seek state power’
– Does not attempt ‘detailed engagement with
government’
New social movements (NSMs):
Examples:
• Civil rights movement (US)
• Peace movement
• Environmental movement
• Anti-globalization movement
• Anti-abortion movement
Explaining new social movements:
• Red-diaper babies?
• Post-materialism as a source?
• Framing and opportunity structure:
(Sidney Tarrow, Doug Imig…)
– NSMs as a product of circumstances,
available opportunities
– Impact of national rituals, ‘scripts’
Who gets what, when, and how?
--Harold Lasswell
• Do the phenomena of postmaterialism and the `more the
more’ hypothesis mean that the
demands of the poor and the working
classes are always neglected?
Problem:
• Do post-materialism and the `more the
more’ hypothesis address the same
question?
• Does one tell you more about who
participates and the other more about the
values of those who participate?
• What difference does post-materialism
make?
• Or can the power of numbers counter
the advantages of access and skill?
When do revolutions occur?
• The ‘J-curve’ hypothesis: revolutions
do not occur in abjectly poor
societies, but rather in those in which
there has been some improvement.
Political Science Department
Student Information Session
Post-Secondary Recruitment into the
Foreign Service
Leslie Toope
(Former student—currently employed
with Citizenship and Immigration)
Thursday, October 18, 2007
12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Room SN2033
Political Science Department Seminar
How Humanitarianism Affected the Conduct
and Outcome of the War in South Sudan
Matthew LeRiche
Ph.D. Candidate
Kings College, University of London
Friday, October 19, 2007
4:00 p.m.
Room SN2033