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 post- materialism 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, :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, :00 p.m. Room SN2033