Citizens, Society & State Social Cleavages Citizen/State Relationships

Social Cleavages Society is complex: religion, ethnic groups, race, social & economic classes all interact w/ the political system These divisions are called social cleavages: Social class: Class awareness has declined in developed countries, still prevalent in voting patterns UK: middle class voters tend to vote Conservative, working-class votes Labour Party Ethnic cleavages: Ethnic clashes are cause of full-scale civil wars in former Yugoslavia, former USSR republics & Liberia, Rwanda & Angola These cleavages are based on different cultural identities, language & religion Religious cleavages: Religion is closely intertwined with ethnicity; conflict in Northern Ireland has strong religious background- Irish Nationalists are strong Catholics & Loyalists are strong Protestants Regional cleavages: In modern states different political views and attitudes characterize regions of a country The populations compete for jobs, money, development projects Regional differences also linked to varying degrees of economic development

Citizen/State Relationships Gov’ts connect to their people in variety of ways We can compare gov’t/citizen relationships by categorizing differences & similarities between them Attitudes & Beliefs of Citizens Political socialization Types of participation Voting behavior Factors that influence political beliefs and behaviors Level of transparency

Categories Attitudes & Beliefs: Do citizens trust their gov’t? Do they believe the gov’t cares about what they think? Political efficacy is one measurement of the connectedness between state & citizen Political efficacy: citizen’s capacity to understand and influence political events Citizens w/ high level of efficacy believe the gov’t takes their input seriously and cares about what they have to say They also believe in their own ability to understand political issues Political Socialization: How do citizens learn about politics in their country? Do print or electronic media shape their learning? Does the gov’t put forth effort to politically educate their citizens? How do children learn about politics? How much of gov’t effort is propaganda? Types of Participation: In authoritarian gov’ts most citizens are subjected to activities and involve obedience Obey laws, follow military orders, pay taxes In democracies citizens play a more active role in shaping the course of policies Participate in voting, citizens may work for politicians, attend meetings, attend rallies, contribute money to campaigns or join clubs or parties Voting Behavior: Do citizens participate in regular elections? Are the elections truly competitive? If not, what’s the purpose of the elections? What citizens are eligible to vote?

UK Voter Efficacy: 2007 General Elections Source: http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/162/Audit-of-Political-Engagement-5.aspx

Country Date of Election Voter Turnout Nigeria 04.21.07 57.5% * Uganda Comparative Voter Turnout Selected Presidential Elections: 2006-9 Country Date of Election Voter Turnout Nigeria 04.21.07 57.5% * Uganda 02.23.06 69.19% Yemen 09.26.06 61.16% Colombia 05.28.06 45.05% France 04.27.06 83.77% Portugal 01.22.06 61.53% Iran 06.12.09 85% * Estimate, not official Source: Election Guide, www.electionguide.org

Categories Factors that influence political beliefs & behaviors: Do important cleavages make a difference in citizens’ political beliefs or behaviors? Are women’s beliefs different than that of men? Are younger people as likely to vote as the elderly? Level of transparency: A transparent gov’t operates openly by keeping citizens informed about gov’t operations & political issues Corruption exists across the spectrum of political systems, but less corruption typically found in more democratic gov’ts Or, if corruption is found, transparent gov’ts allow media and citizens to ask questions and demand answers Corruption Perception Index: